Efeitos alelopáticos de algumas leguminosas e gramíneas sobre a flora invasora

Foram estudados os efeitos alelopáticos produzidos por cinco espécies vegetais: as gramíneas Avena sativa L., e Lolium multiflorum Lamb.; e as leguminosas Vicia sp., Mediaago sativa L. e Trifolium repens L. Canteiros isolados foram preparados, adubados e semeados de acordo com as recomendações técnicas usuais. Nos resultados obtidos observou-se alta incidência de invasoras nos canteiros de Trifolium repens L. e Medicago sativa L., contrastando com os canteiros de Avena sativa L. e Lolium multiflorum Lamb., onde poucas foram as espécies encontradas; enquanto o canteiro de Vicia sp. manteve posição intermediária. Com base nos dados obtidos, pode-se recomendar as duas gramíneas como cultura de cobertura com propriedades alelopáticas, assim como a Vicia sp. quando desejar-se além da redução das plantas invasoras, matéria orgânica para incorporação.

Distribuição geográfica da fauna e flora da Baía de Guanabara

The author studied, the horizontal and vertical distribution of most common part of the flora and fauna of the bay of Guanabara at Rio de Janeiro. In this paper the eulittoral, poly, meso and oligohaline regions were localised and studied; and the first chart of its distribution was presented (fig. 2). The salinity of superficial waters was established through determinations based on 30 trips inside the buy for collecting biological materials. Some often 409 determinations which were previous reported together with the present ones served for the eleboration of a salinity map of the bay of Guanabara (fig. 1). This map of fig. 2 shows the geographic locations of the water regions. EULITTORAL WATER REGIME — Fig. 3 shows the diagram scheme of fauna and flora of this regime. Sea water salinity 34/1.000, density mean 1.027, transparent greenish waters, sea coast with moderate bursting waves. Limpid sea shore with white sand, gneiss with the big barnacle Tetraclita squamosa var. stalactifera (Lam. Pilsbry. Vertical distributions: barna¬cles layers with a green region in which are present the oyster Ostrea pa-rasitica L., the barnacles Tetraclita, Chthamalus, Balanus tintinnabulum var. tintinnabulum (L.) e var. antillensis Pilsbry in connection with several mollusca and the sea beatle Isopoda Lygia sp. Covered by water and exposed to air by the tidal ritms, there is a stratum of brown animals that is the layer of mussels Mytilus perna L., with others brown and chestnut animals : the Crustacea Pachygrapsus, the little crab Porcellana sp., the stone crab Me-nippe nodifrons Stimpson, the sea stars Echinaster brasiliensis (Mull. & Tr.), Astropecten sp. and the sea anemones Actinia sp. Underneath and never visible there is a subtidal region with green tubular algae of genus Codium and amidst its bunches the sea urchin Lycthchinus variegatus (Agass.) walks and more deeply there are numerous sand-dollars Encope emarginata (Leske). The microplancton of this regime is Ceratiumplancton. POLYHALINE WATER REGIMB — Water almost sea water, but directly influenced by continental lands, with rock salts dissolved and in suspension. Salinity: 33 to 32/1.000. This waters endure the actions of the popular nicknamed «water of the hill» (as the waters of mesohaline and oligohaline regimes), becoming suddenly reddish during several hours. That pheno¬menon returns several times in the year and come with great mortality of fishes. In these waters, according to Dr. J. G. FARIA there are species of Protozoa : Peridinea, the Glenoidinium trochoideum St., followed by its satellites which he thinks that they are able to secret toxical substances which can slaughter some species of fishes. In these «waters of the hill» was found a species of Copepoda the Charlesia darwini. In August 1946 the west shore of the Guanabara was plenty of killed fishes occupying a area of 8 feet large by 3 nautical miles of lenght. The enclosure for catching fishes in the rivers mouthes presents in these periods mass dead fishes. The phenomenon of «waters of the hill» appears with the first rains after a period of long dryness. MESOHALINE WATER REGIME — Fig. 4 shows the the diagramm scheme. Salt or brackish water from 30 to 17/1.000 salinity, sometimes until 10/1.000. Turbid waters with mud in suspension, chestnut, claveyous waters; shore dirty black mud without waving bursting; the waters are warmer and shorner than those of the polihaline regime. Mangrove shore with the mangrove trees : Rhizophora mangle L., Avicennia sp., Laguncularia sp., and the »cotton tree of sea» Hibiscus sp. Fauna: the great land crab «guaimú» Cardisoma guanhumi Latr., ashore in dry firm land. There is the real land crab Ucides cordatus (L.) in wetting mud and in neigh¬ bourhood of the burrows of the fiddler-crabs of genus Uca. On stones and in the roots of the Rhizophora inhabits the brightly colored mangrove-tree-crab («aratu» Portuguese nickname) Goniopsis cruentata (Latreille) and the sparingly the big oyster Ostrea rhizophorae Guild. Lower is the region of barnacles Balanus amphitrite var. communis Darwin and var. niveus Darwin; Balanus tintinnabulum var. tintinnabulum (L.) doesn't grow in this brackish water; lower is the region of Pelecipoda with prepollency of Venus and Cytherea shell-fishes and the Panopeus mud crab; there are the sea lettuce Ulva and the Gastreropod Cerithium. The Paguridae Clibanarius which lives in the empty shells of Gasteropod molluscs, and the sessile ascidians Tethium plicatum (Lesuer) appears in some seasons. In the bottom there is a black argillous mud where the «one landed shrimps» Alpheus sp. is hidden. OLIGOHALINE WATER REGIME — The salinity is lower than 10/1.000. average 8/1.000. There are no barnacles and no sea-beetles Isopods of genus Lygia; on the hay of the shore there are several graminea. This brackish water pervades by mouthes of rivers and penetrates until about 3 kilometers river above. While there is some salt dissolved in water, there are some mud crabs of the genus Uca, Sesarma, Metasesarma and Chasmagnatus. The presence of floating green plants coming from the rivers in the waters of a region indicated the oligohaline waters, with low salt content because when the average of NaCl increases above 8/1.000 these plants die and become rusty colored.

Contribution to the normal fecal flora of the hamster: Proteus mirabilis in normal feces of hamster

Proteus mirabilis must be considered a normal inhabitant of the intestine of hamsters. It is also found in the vaginal secretion of females of this animal, when in oestrus.

Microbial flora variations in the respiratory tract of mice

A stable microbial system in the respiratory tract acts as an important defense mechanism against pathogenic microorganisms. Perturbations in this system may allow pathogens to establish. In an ecological environment such as the respiratory tract, there are many diverse factors that play a role in the establishment of the indigenous flora. In the present work we studied the normal microbial flora of different areas of the respiratory tract of mice and their evolution from the time the mice were born. Our interest was to know which were the dominant groups of microorganisms in each area, which were the first capable of colonizing and which dominated over time to be used as probiotic microorganisms. Our results show that Gram negative facultatively anaerobic bacilli and strict anaerobic microorganisms were the last ones to appear in the bronchia, while aerobic and Gram positive cocci were present in all the areas of the respiratory tract. The number of facultative aerobes and strict anaerobes were similar in the nasal passage, pharynx instilled and trachea, but lower in bronchia. The dominant species were Streptococcus viridans and Staphylococcus saprophyticcus, followed by S. epidermidis, Lactobacilli and S. cohnii I which were present on every studied days but at different proportions. This paper is the first part of a research topic investigating the protective effect of the indigenous flora against pathogens using the mice as an experimental model.

Oral Candida flora from Brazilian human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era

One of the main opportunistic fungal infections amongst immunocompromised individuals is oral candidosis, which has been found in up to 90% of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. This study employed yeasts isolated from the saliva and oral cavities of 114 HIV-infected patients living in Campinas, São Paulo. Of the isolates, 57.8% were identified as Candida albicans and 42.1% as non-C. albicans. The latter isolates were subsequently identified as C. krusei (7.5%), C. lusitaniae (5.2%), C. tropicalis (4.6%), C. parapsilosis (4.6%), C. glabrata (2.8%), C. kefyr (1.7%), C. guilliermondii (1.7%), C. intermedia (1.1%), C. norvegensis (0.5%), and Rhodotorula rubra (1.7%). Susceptibility of the isolates to amphotericin B, fluconazole, miconazole, and itraconazole was also determined by a microdilution method adopted by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. The isolates demonstrated various susceptibilities to the antifungal agents. In particular 29 C. albicans and 13 non-C. albicans isolates showed low susceptibility to FLCZ (> 64 µg/ml). This study revealed huge diversity of Candida species, in particular the increasing emergence of non-C. albicans associated with the oral flora of HIV-infected patients.

Alteration in the endogenous intestinal flora of swiss webster mice by experimental Angiostrongylus costaricensis infection

The association between worm infections and bacterial diseases has only recently been emphasized. This study examined the effect of experimental Angiostrongylus costaricensis infection on endogenous intestinal flora of Swiss Webster mice. Eight mice aging six weeks were selected for this experiment. Four were infected with A. costaricensis and the other four were used as controls. Twenty eight days after the worm infection, all mice in both groups were sacrificed and samples of the contents of the ileum and colon were obtained and cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. In the mice infected with A. costaricensis there was a significant increase in the number of bacteria of the endogenous intestinal flora, accompanied by a decrease in the number of Peptostreptococcus spp. This alteration in the intestinal flora of mice infected by the nematode may help to understand some bacterial infections described in humans.

In vitro inhibition of acetylcholinesterase by crude plant extracts from Colombian flora

The methanol extracts from five different plant families (Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Melastomataceae, Rubiaceae, and Solanaceae) collected at Regional Natural Park Ucumarí (Colombia), were screened for their acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity through the modified Ellman's spectrophotometric method. The best inhibitory activities on this study were shown by the extracts of Solanum leucocarpum Dunal (IC50 = 204.59 mg/l) and Witheringia coccoloboides (Damm) (IC50 = 220.68 mg/l), both plants belonging to the Solanaceae family.

Brazilian flora extracts as source of novel antileishmanial and antifungal compounds

Natural products have long been providing important drug leads for infectious diseases. Leishmaniasis is a protozoan parasitic disease found mainly in developing countries, and it has toxic therapies with few alternatives. Fungal infections have been the main cause of death in immunocompromised patients and new drugs are urgently needed. In this work, a total of 16 plant species belonging to 11 families, selected on an ethnopharmacological basis, were analyzed in vitro against Leishmania (L.) chagasi, Leishmania (L.) amazonensis, Candida krusei, and C. parapsilosis. Of these plant species, seven showed antifungal activity against C. krusei, five showed antileishmanial activity against L. chagasi and four against L. amazonensis, among them species of genus Plectranthus. Our findings confirm the traditional therapeutic use of these plants in the treatment of infectious and inflammatory disorders and also offer insights into the isolation of active and novel drug prototypes, especially those used against neglected diseases as Leishmaniasis.

Amostragem do banco de semente e flora emergente de plantas daninhas

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi determinar o número de amostras necessárias para estimar com precisão aceitável a quantidade de sementes no solo e a flora de plantas daninhas emergentes, em áreas experimentais e de lavoura, para auxiliar na tomada de decisão das estratégias de manejo das plantas daninhas. A amostragem do solo para quantificação do banco de sementes foi feita com trado tubular de 5,0 cm de diâmetro, na profundidade de 0 a 10 cm. A flora emergente foi contada por meio de um gabarito de ferro nas dimensões de 0,5x0,5 m, de forma aleatória na área. O número de amostras necessário foi estimado em razão da média de sementes da amostra, para uma determinada precisão (CV = 20% ou 40%). Foi estimado que, nas áreas experimentais, para médias de 10 a 20 sementes/amostra de solo (500 a 1.000 sementes/m²) e coeficiente de variação de 20%, são necessárias entre 40 e 90 amostras, respectivamente; com 40% (menor precisão), entre 10 e 20 amostras. Considerando o mesmo intervalo em áreas de lavoura, representativas de glebas homogêneas, o tamanho de amostragem necessária é cerca de três vezes maior. Levantamentos da flora daninha emergente apresentam menor associação dos dados (média e variância) entre si, portanto, são menos apropriados para decisões de manejo.

Flora e estrutura da vegetação secundária após o uso de diferentes trituradores florestais

O objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar e comparar a estrutura de florestas secundárias, com quatro anos de idade, no nordeste do Pará, que foram formadas após o uso dos trituradores florestais Ahwi FM600 (T1) e Tritucap (T2). O estudo foi realizado em cinco áreas de pequenos produtores, cada uma dividida em parcelas que totalizavam 60 m² por área de estudo. Foi encontrada diversidade média (H') de 2,84 para as áreas T1 e 2,95 para as T2. A densidade média foi 530.167 indivíduos ha-1 nas áreas T1 e 459.556 indivíduos ha-1 nas T2; a média de área basal das T1 foi 1,25 m² ha-1 e a das T2, 4,55 m² ha-1; a biomassa seca estimada para as áreas T1 foi de 2,37 t ha-1 e 6,68 t ha-1 para as T2. Ocorrem diferenças estruturais nas florestas secundárias, formadas após a utilização dos trituradores.

Contribuição para o conhecimento da flora algológica marinha do estado do Paraná

Esta nota é a primeira contribuição para a distribuição especial das algas marinhas do litoral paranaense (Caiobá). São considerados três tipos de litoral: a) Litoral rochoso sujeito à ação de arrebentação. b) Litoral rochoso mais ou menos abrigado. c) Manguesais. Dentro do esquema proposto, o primeiro tipo é subdividido em 2 zonas: 1.º) Zona dos borrifos, situada acima do limite médio da maré alta (fig. 2 n.º 1), correspondente à "Splash zone" ou à "Sprit zone" dos autores estrangeiros. 2.º) Zona de arrebentação (Ressaca), situada entre os níveis médios das marés baixa e alta, correspondendo à "Interdital zone" ou à "Gezeitenzone" dos autores estrangeiros, (fig. 2 n.º 2). A primeira zona só conta com uma alga, Lyngbya confervoides e pelo menos mais duas espécies de moluscos do gênero Littorina. A segunda zona, a mais rica tanto em algas como em animais, é essencialmente caracterizada em Caiobá pelas algas seguintes: Levringia sp. Chaetomorpha media e Centroceras clavulatum na parte mais alta, associadas a balanoides (craca) e a Mytilus perna (marisco). Mais abaixo domina Pterosiphonia pennata, Hypnea musciformis e Bryocladia thyrsigera. São apresentados também mais três tipos secundários dependendo das condições locais dos rochedos. Esta sucessão de Littorina, Balanus e Mytilus é a mesma existente no sul da África, segundo se depreende dos trabalhos de Stephenson (11,12) e de vários de seus colaboradores. O segundo tipo apresenta também duas zonas, sendo a segunda a mais rica e variada, aparecendo aqui como dominante, uma associação na qual, Callithamnion, Laurencia papulosa, Gigartina Teedii e Sargassum cymosum são as mais abundantes. É sugerida a existência de uma zona abaixo do limite inferior das marés baixas, zona essa representada por Rhodymenia Palmetta, Plocamium brasiliensis e Spatoglossum Schroederi pelo menos. É feita uma rápida enumeração das algas dos manguesais.