This site uses cookies.
Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site,
while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used.
For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
This person has a SecurePRO™ card. Because this person is not a ProZ.com Plus subscriber, to view his or her SecurePRO™ card you must be a ProZ.com Business member or Plus subscriber.
Portuguese to English: Brazilian biologist searches for new species on grains of beach sand - and he has already found 140 General field: Science Detailed field: Biology (-tech,-chem,micro-)
Source text - Portuguese Para a maioria das pessoas, um grão de areia da praia é apenas um grão de areia do mar. Para os olhos treinados de um biólogo marinho, no entanto, cada um deles pode se revelar um habitat para várias espécies de animais.
A grande maioria delas é de briozoários, um grupo de seres aquáticos, invertebrados e sésseis (que vivem num substrato, como os corais). Mas também podem ser encontrados poliquetos (minhocas marinhas) e outros pequenos invertebrados, além de pequenos crustáceos e nematoides (vermes).
Desse verdadeiro zoológico em miniatura, o biólogo Leandro Vieira, da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), escolheu os briozoários como seu objeto de estudo, aos quais se dedica desde que entrou no curso de Ciências Biológicas, na Universidade Federal de Alagoas (UFAL), em 2001. Antes do seu trabalho, poucos deles eram conhecidos no Brasil.
Nos últimos anos, ele já descobriu e descreveu cientificamente 140 novas espécies, das quais 18 que vivem exclusivamente em colônias em grãos de areia.
Vieira explica que elas são formadas por vários indivíduos, denominados zooides, com cerca de 0,5 mm de comprimento, cada um com uma estrutura de alimentação (lofóforo), responsável por capturar alimento em suspensão, e um exoesqueleto calcário ou quitinoso (feito de quitina, o que lhe confere rigidez). "Algumas vivem num simples grão de areia e têm até três indivíduos", diz. "Outras, no entanto, podem chegar a alguns centímetros, atingindo até o tamanho de uma bola de basquete."
Uma característica comum a todas as espécies é que as colônias são polimórficas, ou seja, formadas por zooides de morfologias distintas de acordo com suas funções. Entre eles, há o autozooide, que é unidade básica e alimentar do grupo. Os outros indivíduos podem apresentar funções diversas, incluindo reprodução (gonozooides), sustentação e formação da colônia (cenozooides).
Esses invertebrados são encontrados em ambientes aquáticos marinhos, estuarinos (água salobra) ou água doce, desde o raso até regiões mais profundas. Por serem sésseis, dependem de um substrato para crescer, podendo viver em estruturas rígidas como rochas, pedras, algas, outros animais (como corais e crustáceos), ou até mesmo em diminutos grãos de areia.
Translation - English For the majority of people, a grain of beach sand is just a grain of sand from the sea. But to the trained eye of a marine biologist, however, each one of them can turn out to be a habitat for several animal species.
The majority of them are bryozoans, a group of aquatic, invertebrate and sessile (living on a substrate, such as coral reefs) creatures. But one can also find polychaetes (marine worms) and other small invertebrates, in addition to small crustaceans and nematodes (vermin).
From this veritable miniature zoo, biologist Leandro Vieira, from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), has chosen the bryozoans as his research subject, devoting his time to studying them since he started his Biological Sciences course at the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL), in 2001. Before his research, few of them were known in Brazil.
In recent years, he has already discovered and scientifically described 140 new species, 18 of which live exclusively as colonies on grains of sand.
Vieira explains that they are composed of several microorganisms, known as zooids, measuring around 0.5mm of length, each with a feeding structure (lophophore), responsible for capturing suspended food, and a calcite or chitinous (formed of chitin, which lends it rigidity) exoskeleton. “Some live on a simple grain of sand and have up to three microorganisms”, he says. “Others, however, can grow to a few centimetres, reaching the size of a basketball.”
A common characteristic shared by all species is that the colonies are polymorphic, that is, they are made up of zooids with distinct morphology depending on their function. Among them is the autozooid, a nutrient and building block of the group. Other microorganisms may display diverse functions, including reproduction (gonozooids), support and establishment of the colony (cenozooids).
These invertebrates are found in marine environments, estuaries (brackish water) or freshwater, from shallow to deep water regions. Because they are sessile, they depend on the substrate to grow, and can live on hard surfaces like rocks, stones, algae, other animals (such as coral reefs and crustaceans), or even on minute grains of sands.
More
Less
Translation education
Bachelor's degree - University College London
Experience
Years of translation experience: 3. Registered at ProZ.com: Jan 2018. Became a member: Feb 2018.
I am a Brazilian Portuguese native speaker with over 20 years' experience mastering the English language. It has been part of my daily life since age 11, which has enabled me to achieve native-like proficiency. I have been awarded a grade A in the Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) exam. According to Cambridge Assessment, a Cambridge English Proficiency qualification is its highest-level exam: “passing it proves that you have mastered English to an exceptional level.”
I have previously taught English as a Second Language to children and adults and volunteered as an interpreter for a group of American doctors treating impoverished communities in Brazil.
In 2004, I moved to the UK, where I completed a Bachelor of Arts in European Social and Political Studies with French at University College London (UCL), a top 10 world-ranked university. This included a year abroad spent in Lyon, France, where I was able to advance my knowledge and translation skills in the French language.
While living in the UK, I worked in a variety of fields including translation, health care and legal publishing, which allowed me to develop specialist knowledge and considerable insight into the needs of these sectors.
Since moving to Australia at the end of 2016 I have gained NAATI accreditation and have been working as a professional translator, offering fast and reliable translation services to meet the needs of businesses and individuals alike. I have a sharp eye for detail and take pride in producing well-researched, polished articles from every source text I receive.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any question or would like further information.
Expertise 