Spondias tuberosa Arr. (UMBU): estudo fitoquímico e avaliação do potencial anti-inflamatório

Spondias tuberosa Arruda (Anacardiaceae) is a fruitful tree popularly known as umbuzeiro, tapereba or umbu. It is a native and endemic species from Brazil, widespread in Brazilian Northeast. The species is important in folk medicine of the semi-arid Northeast, where it is mainly used to treat various inflammatory conditions, digestive problems as well as viral and bacterial infections. However, despite the common use in folk medicine, there are scarce pharmacological and phytochemicals studies that afford scientific evidence to its popular use. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the chemical markers in S. tuberosa leaves extract, obtained by maceration ethanol:water (70:30, [v/v]), and evaluate its anti-inflammatory potential in vivo. The phytochemical profile in TLC analysis suggested the occurence of the flavonoids rutin and isoquercitrin. HPLC analysis enabled us to confirm the presence of flavonoids and also, were detected the phenolic acids, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. In addition was developed and validated a HPLC method to evaluate the content of the identified compounds in S. tuberosa leaves extract according to RDC 899/2003 of ANVISA and ICH Guidelines 2005. In order to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of S. tuberosa leaves extract, the peritonitis and paw edema models induced by carrageenan were used, administration i.p. in mice. The results highlighted the anti-inflammatory property in vivo at 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg since a decrease in leukocyte influx to the site of inflammation, diameter of the edema and the level of myeloperoxidase were observed when compared to the drug control dexamethasone (2 mg/kg, i.p. route). Taken together, the results pointed out S. tuberosa as a potential species for developing phytotherapic derivatives in according to its popular use. With regard to the characterization markers, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, rutin and isoquercitrin were identified and quantified in Spondias tuberosa leaves extract so they could be used in quality control analyses of the raw material and extracts of this species.

O impacto da remoção de peixes sobre a dinâmica e estrutura dos grupos funcionais fitoplanctônicos em um lago raso tropical durante uma seca severa

The artifi cial eutrophication is one of the biggest t h reat for the quality of aquatic ecosystems in the whole world. The expectations for the future climatic scenarios in arid and semi - arid regions are intense and frequent droughts enhancing the risk of eutrophicati on and cyanobacterial blooms. Restoration techniques of eutrophic lakes were proposed to reduce nutrient loading and improve the water quality. A successful technique used in temperate regions is the biomanipulation by benthivorous fish removal . Our hypoth esis is that the benthivorous fish removal reduces phytoplankton total biomass and change the composition of phytoplankton functional groups, improving water quality. The aim of the study was evaluate the impact of biomanipulation on phytoplankton function al groups and in the water quality. We applied the technique of biomanipulation in the artificial lake ESEC, in a semi - arid region of Brazil and analyzed the physical and chemical variables and the dynamic of phytoplankton functional groups monthly during November 2012 to August 2013. With the removal of benthivorous fish we observed a significant increase of the euphotic depth, phytoplankton richness and the recruitment of green algae (groups F and J ), indicators of good water quality. However, we did not observe significant differences on total phosphorous concentration and on phytoplankton biomass and diversity. The drought effect in the region during the study was evident , promoting a drastic reduction on water level which influenced the availability of resource and affected phytoplankton community before the biomanipulation. To evaluate the effect of severe drought on the dynamic of phytoplankton functional groups and test if the drought periods are favorable to dominance of cyanobacterial groups, we stu died two artificial neighbors lakes (ESEC and Pocinhos) in a semi - arid tropical region during May 2012 to February 2013. We observed a temporal differentiation of biotic and abiotic variables caused by drought. Both lakes presented reduction of 2 meters of water level and increase on conductivity, turbidity, nutrients concentration and a reduction on water transparency, during the severe drought. The deeper lake (Pocinhos) increased phytoplankton total biomass and presented cyanobacterial functional group d ominance (group S N ) and the shallower lake (ESEC) reduced phytoplankton total biomass and presented dominance of mixotrophic and flagellate functional groups (groups W 1 e W 2 ). Summarizing, the knowledge of the effects of benthivorous fish removal in semi - a rid tropical lakes still unknown and this study had limitations caused by the impact of drought. Thus, it is necessary a long term monitoring to investigate the real effects of biomanipulation on the functioning of the studied ecosystems. Otherwise, period s of drought could have opposite effects (increase or reduction) on total biomass and composition of phytoplankton functional groups. Drought not always leads to dominance of cyanobacterial groups.

Influência da seca extrema na dinâmica fitoplanctônica de um reservatório da região tropical semiárida: uma abordagem morfofuncional

Droughts are climatic phenomena whose frequency has increased in the last decades and also compromised drinkable water supplies in semiarid regions. The lack of rain combined with high evaporation rates promotes a significant reduction of the volume of reservoirs in these regions. Shallower conditions favors nutrients concentration and phytoplankton overgrowth, including potentially toxic cyanobacteria blooming. Therefore, there is a tendency to the intensification of eutrophication in those reservoirs during drought periods. Phytoplankton can respond quickly to environmental conditions related to light and nutrient availability by changes in algal biomass and composition, therefore it is considered a good predictor of environmental variables. Two functional approaches - Reynolds’s Functional Groups (FG) and Kruk’s Morphologically Based Functional Groups (MBFG) - were used to assess which environmental variables were responsible for phytoplankton dynamics, in addition to compare which functional approach explains environmental changes better. This study highlights that the reduction of 90% in the volume of a tropical reservoir of Brazilian semi-arid region, as well as light limitation and nutrient increase, can promote phytoplankton overgrowth. Multivariate analyses using both functional approaches indicated a clear separation between high volumes and low volumes conditions, showing that light and nutrient availability were the main variables that better explained the combination of functional groups. The composition of phytoplankton assemblage changed from species of meso-eutrophic habitats (FG: F and J; MBFG: VI), to organisms of eutrophic and turbid environments (FG: SN and M; MBFG: VIII and VII) during shallower conditions. Both ecological approaches described properly the phytoplankton dynamics according to light and trophic state alterations related to the water volume reduction, therefore they can be considered as equivalent approaches for using in similar environments.

Influência das condições ambientais no verdor da vegetação da caatinga frente às mudanças climáticas

The Caatinga biome, a semi-arid climate ecosystem found in northeast Brazil, presents low rainfall regime and strong seasonality. It has the most alarming climate change projections within the country, with air temperature rising and rainfall reduction with stronger trends than the global average predictions. Climate change can present detrimental results in this biome, reducing vegetation cover and changing its distribution, as well as altering all ecosystem functioning and finally influencing species diversity. In this context, the purpose of this study is to model the environmental conditions (rainfall and temperature) that influence the Caatinga biome productivity and to predict the consequences of environmental conditions in the vegetation dynamics under future climate change scenarios. Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) was used to estimate vegetation greenness (presence and density) in the area. Considering the strong spatial and temporal autocorrelation as well as the heterogeneity of the data, various GLS models were developed and compared to obtain the best model that would reflect rainfall and temperature influence on vegetation greenness. Applying new climate change scenarios in the model, environmental determinants modification, rainfall and temperature, negatively influenced vegetation greenness in the Caatinga biome. This model was used to create potential vegetation maps for current and future of Caatinga cover considering 20% decrease in precipitation and 1 °C increase in temperature until 2040, 35% decrease in precipitation and 2.5 °C increase in temperature in the period 2041-2070 and 50% decrease in precipitation and 4.5 °C increase in temperature in the period 2071-2100. The results suggest that the ecosystem functioning will be affected on the future scenario of climate change with a decrease of 5.9% of the vegetation greenness until 2040, 14.2% until 2070 and 24.3% by the end of the century. The Caatinga vegetation in lower altitude areas (most of the biome) will be more affected by climatic changes.

Lâminas de água salina e doses de adubação orgânica na produção de palma Miúda adensada no semiárido

Cactus pear is an important forage for livestock in semi-arid region of Brazil, due to its adaptation to climate conditions in this region, high productivity and nutritional value. The yield of this cactus has positively responded to techniques such as planting density, fertilization and cutting managements, however, in Rio Grande do Norte State, only certain areas have favorable climate conditions to the development of this crop. Drip irrigation, with a small amount of water, has proven to be an alternative to the viability of cactus pear cultivation in these areas. The research aimed to evaluate the effects of different levels of saline water and manure organic fertilization on the morphological characteristics and production of fresh and dry matter of the prickly-pear cactus cv. Miúda (Nopalea cochenillifera Salm Dick) in a dense planting system. The experiment was conducted at the Experimental Station of Terras Secas (EMPARN), Pedro Avelino, latitude 5°31'21" South and longitude 36°23'14" West. The soil was classified as Typical Cambisol Haplicum Carbonate and the water used in irrigation, C4S1T3 (5,25 dS.m-1), with planting spacing of 2.0 x 0.25 m (20,000 plants ha-1). A completely randomized design in a split plot was used, where water levels (0, 7.5, 15.0 and 30.0 mm month-1) with 10 days intervals, were the main plots and organic fertilization (0 , 25 and 50 Mg ha-1 yr-1) the subplots, with four replicates. The measured morphological characteristics were number of cladodes, height and volume of the plant; length, width, perimeter, thickness, area and cladodes area index, fresh and dry matter production, dry matter content, water use efficiency (WUE) and damage promoted by cochineal pest (Diaspis echinocacti) and soft rot (Erwinia carotovora). There was no influence (P>0.05) of organic fertilization on most variables, particularly in relation to the production of fresh and dry matter. The water levels had a significant influence (P<0.05) on most variables, promoting higher height and volume of the plants, larger and thicker cladodes, and increase on fresh and dry matter production (13.55 Mg DM ha-1 yr-1). The absence of irrigation caused a significant expansion in plant damage caused by the cochineal pest and when irrigated with different water levels there was an increase in damage and stand loss, caused by soft rot, been more intense at the higher water level.

Borboletas no semiárido: sazonalidade e padrões de diversidade de borboletas frugívoras em um ambiente extremo

The spatial and temporal distribution of the population reflects the adjustment of their biological characteristics to environmental conditions and biotic interactions as adaptive and phylogenetic precursors elements. The habitat’s heterogeneity and alternating seasons tend to cause patterns of activity of organisms and species diversity. However, these seasonal and spatial patterns in butterfly communities in dry environments are not yet clear. We studied a community of frugivorous butterflies in ESEC Seridó, in northeastern Brazil, aiming to characterize the guild in semiarid and check the relative contribution of climate and vegetation variables on its composition, diversity and phenofaunistic. The butterflies were sampled monthly during one year, and the distribution of species was associated with structural characteristics of three vegetation types (eg. richness and abundance of tree and shrub species, canopy cover, herbaceous cover, litter) and climatological data (temperature, rainfall and humidity). We captured 9580 individuals of 16 species of butterflies belonging to four subfamilies (Biblidinae, Charaxinae, Nymphalinae and Satyrinae). The richness, abundance and diversity varied in different scales, especially in time, being higher in the rainy season, while the β-diversity and turnover was higher in the dry. The distribution of species mainly followed the changes in humidity, rainfall and vegetation phenology, with no defined boundaries between habitats. The flight period was shared within subfamilies, which should have distinct response to environmental stimuli, as well as respond to the phenology of host plants and have different reproductive strategies. There is even evidence of physiological and behavioral adaptations as seasonal reproduction and aestivation. So there was environmental control over the distribution and diversity of species, with the key role climate Association and vegetation structure in the community of differentiation in the seasons, and the availability and quality of resources on the variation of species abundance in small scales. These results may support the biomonitoring and conservation preserved areas, particularly in environments under human pressure and extreme environmental conditions such as semi-arid.

Gato-do-mato-pequeno (Leopardus tigrinus) na Caatinga: ocupação e padrão de atividade de um felídeo ameaçado e pouco conhecido na floresta tropical seca do nordeste do Brasil

While the carnivores are considered regulators and structuring of natural communities are also extremely threatened by human activities. Endangered little-spotted-cat (Leopardus tigrinus) is one of the lesser known species from the Neotropical cats. In this work we investigate the occupancy and the activity pattern of L. tigrinus in Caatinga of Rio Grande do Norte testing: 1) how environmental and anthropogenic factors influence their occupation and 2) how biotic and abiotic factors influence their activity pattern. For this we raised occurrence data of species in 10 priority areas for conservation. We built hierarchical models of occupancy based on maximum likelihood to represent biological hypotheses which were ranked using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). According to the results the feline occupancy is more likely away from rural settlements and in areas with a higher proportion of woody vegetation. The opportunistic killing of L. tigrinus and in retaliation for poultry predation close to residential areas can explain this result; as well as more complex vegetation structure can better serve as refuge and ensure more food. Analyzing the records of the species through circular statistics we conclude that the activity pattern is mostly nocturnal, although considerable crepuscular and a small diurnal activity. L. tigrinus activity was directly affected by the availability of small terrestrial mammals, which are essentially nocturnal. In addition, the temperatures recorded in the environment directly and indirectly affect the activity of the little-spotted-cat, as also influence the activity of their potential prey. Generally, the cats were more active when possible prey were active, and this happened at night when lower temperatures are recorded. Moreover, the different lunar phases did not affect the activity pattern. The results improve the understanding of an endangered feline inhabiting the Caatinga biome, and thus can help develop conservation and management strategies, as well as in planning future research in this semi-arid ecosystem.

Qualidade da água de um reservatório e do solo da zona ripária sob diferentes usos na região semiárida do Rio Grande do Norte

Reservoirs are artificial ecosystems intermediate between rivers and lakes widely used in the Brazilian semiarid region as a way to provide water supply due to the said region’s water scarcity. The use of water from these supply sources for multiple uses, along with occupation and utilization of its riparian zone without proper management, directly influences the increased nutrient flow into aquatic environments, there with contributing to the acceleration of eutrophication. The semi-arid region is characterized by peculiar weather conditions, such as severe evaporation, high temperatures with little variation throughout the year and long water residence time, making it susceptible to prolonged drought occurrence, which tends to concentrate the nutrients in reservoirs, which favors the development of eutrophic conditions. Moreover, it is common soil use and occupation by carrying out activities with potential environmental impact on natural resources such as agriculture, livestock farming and lack of sanitation. The aim of this study is both to evaluate the water quality of the Cruzeta Reservoir, located in the semiarid region of Rio Grande do Norte, during a prolonged drought period, and assess the quality of its riparian zone soil under different uses, by monitoring physical-chemical variables. Along the prolonged drought, high levels of turbidity, suspended solids, nutrients and chlorophyll a were verified as present, therefore featuring low water quality. In the riparian zone of Cruzeta Reservoir, the areas under use of agriculture and livestock farming appeared as one of the main diffuse sources of nutrients to the said reservoir, featuring the highest levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in the soil, originated from decomposition of animal excreta and from the use of fertilizers, creating a tendency to increased eutrophication of such water supply source. The indicators of water and soil quality are useful for monitoring and evaluating the conservation status of natural resources, allowing the control and mitigation of the reservoir eutrophication process. This study confirmed the hypothesis that the reduction of water level, resulting from prolonged drought event, aggravates the symptoms of eutrophication; and also that using the soil under severalways modifies the physic chemical properties of the soil, having livestock farming and agriculture as the usages with greatest potential towards yielding P and N to the aquatic environment.

Atividade antimicrobiana e antioxidante de Licania rigida e Turnera ulmifolia

Introduction: Licania rigida Benth and Turnera ulmifolia Linn. var. elegans are species of semi-arid regional plants used in the treatment of various diseases. Objectives: The purpose of this study was chemically characterize the extracts and fractions and investigate the antimicrobial and antioxidant potential. Methods: For chemical analysis, were performed spectrophotometric quantification of the total phenolic and characterization of the extracts by chromatographic analysis. Evaluation of antioxidant activity was done by determining the radical scavenging capacity DPPH •. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated by agar diffusion, broth microdilutionand time-kill assays. Results: The extracts and fractions L. rigid and T. ulmifolia showed a high phenolic content, the presence of flavonoids, which were determined as chemical markers. It was observed that the extracts of both species performed as sequestering agents in the trial of antioxidant activity in vitro. The L. rigida extract was the only active front strains of S. aureus 33591 (methicillin-resistant), S. aureus 29213, S. epidermidis 12228, and also against the yeast, Candida albicans, Candida dubliniensis, Candida tropicalis, Candida parapsilosis, Candida rugosa, Candida krusei eTrichosporon asahii. Conclusions: Based on these results it is possibly affirm the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of L. rigida and attributed the presence of polyphenolic flavonoid like responsible.

Combater as secas e defender as florestas a natureza nos desafios da ciência e da técnica para modernizar o Brasil (1889 a 1934)

In the first decades of 20th century the just instituted Brazilian Republic faced the challenge to modernize the country. Considering that the progress was associated with the exhaustion of the forest reserves and with climatic changes, two big issues were seen as fundamental: To Fight the Droughts and To Defend the Forests; headed by professionals who were dedicated to these ideals. This research starts from the premise that these were the main challenges enforced by nature to the Brazilian development; the general objective was delimited in the search to understand the meaning and the conception of the natural world by this group of professionals who faced the shock between modernizing the country and conserving its natural resources. Aiming to contribute with the construction of the Brazilian environmental history and to bring historical elements to the debate about the environment in the country, the author concentrates his attention to the analyses, the discussions and the actions that preceded the regulation on the use of natural resources and the implementation of the environmental legislation in Brazil, occurred in 1934. The investigation uses as methodological basis the theoretical directions of environmental history, using sources of data still little explored and valued. In such way, it is taken as starting point some published papers about this subject during the period between 1889 and 1934 in two technical magazines the Revista Brazil Ferro-Carril and the Revista do Club de Engenharia. National engineering played a basic role in this process while arguing, projecting and constructing the development. The formulated proposals, after being divulged, had fomented the interchange with other professionals and had favored the advance of ambient questions in Brazil, in the sense to preserve natural resources, to construct more harmonic relations between the society and the nature and to equate the development with the environment preservation

Eutrofização do reservatório Engenheiro Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves, no Rio Grande do Norte: implicações para o abastecimento público e para a piscicultura intensiva em tanques-rede

This study aimed to describe the spatial and temporal patterns of variation in trophic state and its relation with the structure and dynamics of planktonic community of a large reservoir located in semi-arid tropical region of Northeast Brazil. The reservoir Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves is the biggest reservoir of the Rio Grande do Norte State and is responsible for about 53% of all surface water accumulated in the State. The samples of water and plankton were taken monthly in 10 points distributed throughout the longitudinal axis of the reservoir and over a full hydrological cycle. The samples were collected to determine concentrations of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll a and suspended solids (fixed and volatile) and for determining the composition and abundance of phytoplanktonic and zooplanktonic species. During the study period, the reservoir was characterized as eutrophic and there was no trend of increasing the trophic state of the reservoir in the period of drought. The concentrations of total phosphorus and suspended fixed solids decreased towards the dam while the N:P ratios increased in the same direction due to the reduction in the phosphorus concentrations and relative constancy in the nitrogen concentrations. The N:P ratios observed were indicative of greater limitation by phosphorus than by nitrogen. However, as concentrations of both nutrients were high and the water transparency was very low, with secchi depth usually lower than one meter, it seems likely that the planktonic primary production of the reservoir is more limited by the availability of light than the availability of nutrients. High nutrient concentrations coupled with low availability of light may explain the continuing dominance of filamentous cyanobacteria such as Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in the plankton of the reservoir.These cyanobacteria are potentially toxic and pose a serious environmental problem because it compromises the water quality for public supply, recreation and fishing when present in high densities as in this study. The mesozooplankton of the reservoir was dominated by the calanoid Notodiaptomus cearensis and the cladoceran Diaphanosoma spinulosum. In general, the structure of zooplankton community seems to be particularly influenced by the spatial variation of cyanobacteria. The results of the regression analyses show that both the chlorophyll a concentrations and the cyanobacteria biovolume were more strongly correlated with the nitrogen than with phosphorus and that the water transparency was more strongly correlated with algal biomass than with other sources of turbidity. The maximum load of phosphorus to attain the maximum permissible concentration of total P in the reservoir was estimated in 63.2 tonnes P/ year. The current external P load to the reservoir is estimated in 324 tonnes P / year and must be severely reduced to improve the water quality for water supply and allow the implementation of aquaculture projects that could contribute to the socio-economic development of the region

Caracterização limnológica e determinação da capacidade suporte do reservatório mendubim, (Rio Grande do Norte) para o cultivo de peixes em tanques-rede

The aims of this study were: i) assessing the trophic state of the Mendubim reservoir (semi-arid, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; 05° 38 99,0 S 36°55 98,0 W) based on chlorophyll-a, total phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations and water transparency; ii) relating the patterns of temporal variation of zooplankton and phytoplankton to the trophic state of the reservoir and iii) investigating the carrying capacity of the reservoir for cage fish farming. The samplingwas done monthly from July 2006 to July 2007 in three stations at the reservoir: next to the dam (barrage), in the central region and in the mouth of the main tributary. The abiotic and biotic variables analyzed were: Secchi depth, volatiles and fixed suspended solids, chlorophyll-a, total phosphorus and nitrogen, TN:TP ratio and mesozooplankton and phytoplankton composition and biomass. The results showed that the reservoir can be considered as mesotrophic with mean concentrations of total nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a equal to 1711, 1 μg.L-1, 30,8 μg.L-1 and 5,62 μg.L-1 respectively. The Cyanophyceae class was the most representative in terms of density, with the presence of potentially toxic species such as Microcystis aeruginosa, Planktothrix planctonica, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Aphanizomenon sp. ,Aphanocapsa delicatissima and Pseudanabaena acicularis. Among the zooplankton, the genus Notodiaptomus presented the largest biomass values. Overall, our results show that the light limitation should explain the weak relationship between chlorophyll-a and total phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations. We concluded that the water of Mendubim reservoir is suitable for intensive fish cage aquaculture. Based on the carrying capacity calculations for this reservoir, we found that the maximum sustainable yield of tilapias in cages in the reservoir is 126 ton per year assuming a factor of food conversion of 1.5: 1.0 and a phosphorus content in the fish food of 1%

Ecologia alimentar e reprodutiva da piaba-do-rabo-amarelo, Astyanax cf. lacustris (Reinhardt, 1874) (Osteichthyes: Characidae) na Lagoa do Piató, Assu, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

The feeding habits and biological aspects of the reproductive cycle of two-spot astyanax, Astyanax cf. lacustris (Reinhardt, 1874) were investigated. Fish samples were captured on a monthly basis, using gillnets of 4 cm mesh size, from the Piató Lake, Assu, Rio Grande do Norte, during the period of September, 2006 to August, 2007. Physico-chemical parameters, such as, temperature, electrical conductivity and dissolved oxygen of the lake were registered. The monthly values of rainfall also were obtained. The 360 individuals captured, were measured, weighed, dissected, and stomach weight and the stage of gonadal maturity were registered. The stomach contents analyses were carried out based on volumetric method, points, frequency of occurrence and applying the Index of Relative Importance. The degrees of repletion of the stomachs were determined besides the Index of Repletion relating to feeding activity variations and frequency of ingestion with limnological parameters and rainfall. The food items identified were separated into distinct groups according to their origin. Sex ratio and Gonadosomatic Relation of females were verified to determine the spawning period and fecundity. The physico-chemical parameters presented the following annual mean values: temperature = 28.8ºC, electrical conductivity = 992.5 µS.cm-1; dissolved oxygen = 4.9 mg.L-1 during the study period. The annual mean of the rainfall was 63.5 mm. The results indicate that this species present an omnivorous feeding habit with a tendency towards insectivory, with an increase in feeding activity during the dry season. The aquatic oxygen to interfere very importance in the feeding activity than the others factors physico-chemicals of water and rainfall. There was a predominance of females, with a sex proportion of 1M:7F. The macroscopic characteristics of the ovaries and testicles revealed four stages of gonadal development: immature, maturing, mature and spent. A temporal variation was observed for the gonadal development of males and females. There was reproductive activity through out the year, with peaks in the months of February, April and June to correspond with the rain of precipitation of the region. The mean fecundity was 7.681 mature oocytes, varying from 4.476 to 12.036, with mean of 7.681. There was positive relation between fecundity and body mass. Condition Factor is not an efficient indicator of the reproductive period of this species. The species A. cf. lacustris is an opportunist and is well adapted to the conditions of the semi-arid Caatinga Biome

Características limnológicas e estrutura trófica das comunidades de peixes de alguns lagos naturais e artificiais do Rio Grande do Norte

Artificial lakes must differ from natural lakes in important structural and functional aspects that need to be understood so that these ecosystems can be properly managed. The aim of this work was to test the hypothesis that the artificial lakes (impoundments) in the semi-arid region of the Rio Grande do Norte State are more eutrophic and turbid and have different trophic structure when compared to the natural coastal lakes that occur in the humid eastern coast of the State. To test this hypothesis, 10 natural lakes and 8 artificial lakes with about 100 ha were sampled between September and November 2005 for the determination of some limnological variables and the abundance of the main fish species, which were grouped in three trophic guilds: facultative piscivores, facultative planktivores and omnivores. The results show that the artificial lakes had significantly higher concentrations of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chlorophyll a , total and volatile suspended solids than the natural lakes. Results also show that the values of pH, total alkalinity, electric conductivity, turbidity as well as the coefficient of vertical attenuation of light were significantly higher in the artificial lakes than in the natural lakes. In the artificial lakes, the abundance of facultative planktivores was significantly higher, while the abundance of facultative piscivores significantly lower than in the natural lakes. There was no significant difference in the abundance of omnivorous fish between the two types of lakes. These results suggest that the increase in turbidity together with the other changes in the water quality of the artificial lakes, modifies the trophic structure of the fish communities reducing the importance of piscivores and the length of the food chains

Avaliação do potencial genotóxico e citotóxico associado a queima artesanal da castanha de caju no Município de João Câmara

The Brazil is the third largest producer of cashew nuts in the world. Despite the social and economic importance of the cashew nut, its production is still carried out artisanally. One of the main problems encountered in the cashew production chain are the conditions under which the roasting of the nut occurs to obtain the kernel from the shell. In the present study was conducted a biomonitoring of the genotoxic and cytotoxicity effects associated with the elements from the cashew nut roasting in João Câmara - RN, semi-arid region of Brazil. To assess the genotoxic was used the bioassay of micronucleus (MN) in Tradescantia pallida. In addition, it was performed a comparative between the Tradescantia pallida and KU-20 and other biomarkers of DNA damage, such as the nucleoplasmic bridges (NBP) and nuclear fragments (NF) were quantified. The levels of particulate matter (PM1.0, PM2.5, PM10) and black carbon (BC) were also measured and the inorganic chemical composition of the PM2.5 collected was determined using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry analysis and the assessment of the cytotoxicity by MTT assay and exclusion method by trypan blue. . For this purpose, were chosen: the Amarelão community where the roasting occurs and the Santa Luzia farm an area without influence of this process. The mean value of PM2.5 (Jan 2124.2 μg/m3; May 1022.2 μg/m3; Sep 1291.9 μg/m3) and BC (Jan 363.6 μg/m3; May 70.0 μg/m3; Sep 69.4 μg/m3) as well as the concentration of the elements Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Br and Pb obtained at Amarelão was significantly higher than at Santa Luzia farm. The genotoxicity tests with T. pallida indicated a significant increase in the number of MN, NBP and NF and it was found a negative correlation between the frequency of these biomarkers and the rainfall. The concentrations of 200 μg/mL and 400 μg/mL of PM2.5 were cytotoxic to MRC-5 cells. All together, the results indicated genotoxicity and citotoxicity for the community of Amarelão, and the high rates of PM2.5 considered a potential contributor to this effect, mainly by the high presence of transition metals, especially Fe, Ni, Cu, Cr and Zn, these elements have the potential to cause DNA damage. Other nuclear alterations, such as the NPBs and NFs may be used as effective biomarkers of DNA damage in tetrads of Tradescantia pallida. The results of this study enabled the identification of a serious occupational problem. Accordingly, preventative measures and better practices should be adopted to improve both the activity and the quality of life of the population. These measures are of fundamental importance for the sustainable development of this activity.