CV Lattes
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Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP) (Institutional affiliation from the last research proposal) Birthplace: Brazil
bachelor in Biology, master at Zoology in Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (1998) and ph.d. in Zoology at Universidade de São Paulo - Ribeirão Preto (2003). Has experience in Zoology, focusing on Animal Behavior, acting on the following subjects: chemical ecology, sociobiology, Hymenoptera, Polistes, Vespidae and social insects. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)
| Articles published in Pesquisa FAPESP Magazine about the researcher: |
| El lenguaje químico de los insectos |
| Una intrusa entre las abejas |
| Stranger in the nest |
| Una intrusa entre las abejas |
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| News published in Agência FAPESP Newsletter about the researcher |
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| Articles published in other media outlets ( ): |
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| VEICULO: TITULO (DATA) |
| VEICULO: TITULO (DATA) |
The neuropeptide F (NPF) and the short neuropeptide F (sNPF) display in invertebrates similar functions as the neuropeptide Y (NPY) in vertebrates. These peptides modulate processes such as growth, reproduction, learning, memory, and feeding. In the honeybee Apis mellifera, a social insect where workers search for food in response to colonial needs, the sNPF represents a key molecule driv…
The evolution of sociality in ants, bees and wasps is a prime example of a major transition in evolution, where individuals went to live in societies characterised by the presence of an advanced reproductive division of labour. In primitively eusocial species, the allocation to reproductive and nonreproductive roles in the colony is highly plastic, while in more advanced eusocial species,…
There is an enormous variation in the cognitive complexity of animal species, and many studies show that ecological and social factors have great importance to explain such cognitive variation. Most studies about the cognitive evolution have been done on vertebrates, investigating morphological aspects of the brain, as well as the cognitive abilities of these animals, taking into consider…
The most abundant bees in the tropics are the stingless bees or Meliponini (~600 eusocial, honey-producing species). They represent ~50% of all flower-visiting bees in tropical habitats. The species richness of meliponine bees is reflected in their diverse behaviours, morphologies and ecological niches, much of which remains undescribed. One stingless bee group that has received little at…
One of the least-studied groups are the solitary hunting wasps - which provide important ecosystem services as predators of other arthropods, and have evolved unprecedented sensory mechanisms to detect, catch and paralyse their prey. We have an ongoing Bilateral Nerc-Fapesp grant (2021/03040-0 Secrets to a Successful Hunt), in which we are assembling high-quality, chromosome-level genomes…
The evolution of sociality in ants, bees and wasps is a prime example of a major transition in evolution, where individuals went to live in societies characterised by the presence of an advanced reproductive division of labour. In primitively eusocial species, the allocation to reproductive and nonreproductive roles in the colony is highly plastic, while in more advanced eusocial species,…
(Only some records are available in English at this moment)
Among the characteristics of phenotypic plasticity, morphological polymorphism stands out, however, individuals possessing the same genotype present different morphological, physiological and behavioral characteristics. As cutting forms there are good examples of phenotypic plasticity because they present extreme polymorphism among social insects. The genera Acromyrmex, Amoimyrmex and Att…
There is an enormous variation in the cognitive complexity of animal species, and many studies show that ecological and social factors have great importance to explain such cognitive variation. Most studies about the cognitive evolution have been done on vertebrates, investigating morphological aspects of the brain, as well as the cognitive abilities of these animals, taking into consider…
The relationship between neuromorphology and behavior has been studied in social bees over the recent years. However, surprisingly, this connection has not yet been analyzed in Lestrimelitta limao. This species is different of the commonly known eusocial bees: without the corbiculae and a direct relationship with pollination, L. limao has obligatory kleptobiotic behavior, that is, they de…
(Only some records are available in English at this moment)
The urbanization process has become increasingly significant in recent years, causing serious consequences on the environmental balance, such as the effects of heavy metals and air pollution. This process directly impacts the balance of the ecosystem. Some effects already observed are related to changes in the behavior and development of animals due to the neurotoxic potential of some con…
(Only some records are available in English at this moment)
The reproductive groundplan hypothesis is fundamental to understanding the mechanism by which previously solitary breeding insects went on to live in social groups characterized by the presence of an advanced reproductive division of labour. The transition from a solitary to a social lifestyle in insects brought cooperative behaviour and the emergence of division of labour. The division o…
Ants, due to their social habitat, compose one of the main groups of predator organisms in terrestrial ecosystems. Nevertheless, many groups of organisms can live in symbiosis with ants without being attacked (myrmecophily) with interactions varying from mutualism to parasitism. Among the arthropods, the beetles (Coleoptera) are probably the most diverse order of myrmecophilous insects. H…
Host-parasite interactions represent a widespread coevolutionary example in nature, with parasitism consisting of a selective force towards exploiting a host. Parasites induce mild to dramatic changes over their hosts, which in turn results in affecting the host's fitness. The behavioral and physiological effects of parasitic manipulation are well-studied. However, much less is known abou…
(Only some records are available in English at this moment)
| 3 / 3 | Ongoing grants |
| 20 / 17 | Completed research grants |
| 4 / 4 | Ongoing scholarships in Brazil |
| 26 / 22 | Completed scholarships in Brazil |
| 7 / 7 | Completed scholarships abroad |
| 60 / 53 | All research grants and scholarships |
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