β-fructofuranosidase (invertase) andβ-D-fructosyltransferase (FTase) are enzymes used in industrial processes to hydrolyze sucrose aiming to produce inverted sugar syrup or fructooligosaccharides. In this work, a blackAspergillussp. PC-4 was selected among six filamentous fungi isolated from canned peach syrup which were initially screened for invertase production. Cultivations with pure carbon sources showed that invertase and FTase were produced from glucose and sucrose, but high levels were also obtained from raffinose and inulin. Pineapple crown was the best complex carbon source for invertase (6.71 U/mL after 3 days of cultivation) and FTase production (14.60 U/mL after 5 days of cultivation). Yeast extract and ammonium chloride nitrogen sources provided higher production of invertase (6.80 U/mL and 6.30 U/mL, respectively), whereas ammonium nitrate and soybean protein were the best nitrogen sources for FTase production (24.00 U/mL and 24.90 U/mL, respectively). Fermentation parameters for invertase using yeast extract wereYP/S= 536.85 U/g andPP= 1.49 U/g/h. FTase production showed values ofYP/S= 2,627.93 U/g andPP= 4.4 U/h using soybean protein. The screening for best culture conditions showed an increase of invertase production values by 5.10-fold after 96 h cultivation compared to initial experiments (fungi bioprospection), while FTase production increased by 14.60-fold (44.40 U/mL) after 168 h cultivation.A. carbonariusPC-4 is a new promising strain for invertase and FTase production from low cost carbon sources, whose synthesized enzymes are suitable for the production of inverted sugar, fructose syrups, and fructooligosaccharides.

Microbial lipases are prominent biocatalysts able to catalyze a wide variety of reactions in aqueous and nonaqueous media. In this work, filamentous fungi isolated from leaves decomposed in an aquatic environment were screened for lipase production with hydrolytic activity and esterification. Agar plates with Tween 20 and Rhodamine B were used for selection, while submerged cultures with olive oil were subsequently used to select 38 filamentous fungi. Trichoderma harzianum, Fusarium solani, Trichoderma harzianum F5, and Penicillium sp. F36 were grown in six different culture media. F. solani presented the highest lipase production (2.37 U/mL) with esterification activity of 0.07 U/mL using medium composed of (g.L⁻¹) KH₂PO₄ 1.00, MgSO₄ H₂O 1.123, and CuSO₄ 0.06. Supplementation of this culture medium with organic nitrogen sources increased lipase production by 461.3% using tryptone and by 419.4% using yeast extract. Among the vegetable oils from the Amazon region, degummed cotton oil induced lipase production up to 8.14 U/mL. The lipase produced by F. solani F61 has great potential to application in conventional processes and biodiesel production by transesterification of vegetable oils, as well as food industries in the production of fatty acid esters by hydrolysis and esterification.

A species list of amphibians from Santa Isabel do Rio Negro in Brazilian Amazonia is provided. Collections were made from March–April 2012 along each of two 3-km trails with the following sampling methods: (1) pitfall traps with drift fences; (2) visual and auditory surveys; and (3) chance encounters. The trail at Daraá is north of the Rio Negro, whereas the other in Ayuanã is south of the river. Forty species of anurans and one salamander species representing 20 genera and nine families were recorded. The species composition was compared with those of 16 other studies conducted in the Guiana, Imeri, and Jaú areas of endemism, where species richness varies from 21–63, and similarity indices range from 23–100%. The anuran fauna at our sites resembles that of Flota Faro in eastern Amazonia more than it does that of the nearest site in the Departamento del Guainía of Colombia. The index of similarity is extremely variable between sites of the same and distinct areas of endemism. This pattern also was observed in the cluster analysis. As expected, geographically close areas have similar faunal compositions. However, the anuran fauna of Parque Nacional do Jaú (Jaú area of endemism) resembles that of Manaus (Guiana area of endemism) more closely than it does that of the Ayuanã River, which belongs to the same area of endemism as Parque Nacional do Jaú. The limits of the areas of endemism are better defined by the presence / absence of other terrestrial vertebrates, such as birds and mammals, than by the assemblage of amphibians and squamate reptiles.

The mating system of the spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) was investigated in the Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve, Amazonas, Brazil. We used 6 polymorphic microsatellite loci to genotype 13 females and 174 hatchlings representing 20 nests sampled over 4 consecutive reproductive seasons (2007-2010). Paternity was determined by 2 methods: simple counts, and statistical analysis using Gerud 2.0. Results were congruent between the 2 approaches, and the null hypothesis of single paternity was rejected in 19 of the 20 nests analyzed, thereby demonstrating that C. crocodilus females are polyandrous and that the breeding system of the species can be characterized as polygamous. The data suggest that 1-4 fathers were responsible for the paternity of the offspring, and that the males contributed differently (9-100%) to each of the 20 nests. A total of 53 males copulated with the 20 females mothering the nests. This is the first study on the mating system of C. crocodilus and the frequency of multiple paternity is among the highest values (95%) reported thus far for crocodilians.