Constituintes químicos de Ottonia corcovadensis Miq. da floresta Amazônica: atribuição dos deslocamentos químicos dos átomos de hidrogênio e carbono

In an ethanolic extract of leaves of Ottonia corcovadensis (Piperaceae) were identified sixteen terpenoids of essential oil and the three flavonoids 3',4',5,5',7-pentamethoxyflavone (1), 3',4',5,7-tetramethoxyflavone (2) and 5-hydroxy-3',4',5',7-tetramethoxyflavone (3) and cafeic acid (4). Two amides (5 and 6) were isolated from an ethanolic extract of the roots. The structures were established by spectral analysis, meanly NMR (1D and 2D) and mass spectra. Extensive NMR analysis was also used to complete ¹H and 13C chemical shift assignments of the flavonoids and amides. The components of the essential oil were identified by computer library search, retention indices and visual interpretation of mass spectra.

Extração de esteróides em frutos de Ottonia martiana Miq., Piperaceae, com gás liqüefeito

A new extraction method for sterols was tested in fruits of Ottonia martiana Miq., a shrub belonging to the family Piperaceae, popularly known as "anestésica" due to the use of its roots and aerial parts, in alcoholic preparations, in treatment of odontological problems. For this purpose, a portable extraction equipment was developed, to operate with liquified gases, which showed to be practical, fast and effective, besides being economical and ecological. In the chromatographic analysis of the extracts obtained in this equipment, it was demonstrated the presence of two sterols, isomers of b-sitosterol and stigmasterol.

Potencial antimicrobiano e alelopático das amidas isoladas do extrato das raízes de Ottonia martiana Miq.

Two amides, piperovatine and isopiperlonguminine, were isolated from the roots of Ottonia martiana Miq., a herbaceous shrub commonly used in folk medicine in the treatment of toothache. The crude extract (CE) and isolated compounds were submitted to bioautography and allelopathic assay. The bioautograms allowed the detection of compounds with antibacterial activity and the identification of the bioactive substance piperovatine. The CE and amides exhibited an allelopathic effect on Lactuca sativa (lettuce) seedling growth but did not affect the seeds' germinability.

Reproductive biology of Pseudolaelia corcovadensis Porto & Brade (Orchidaceae): melittophyly and self-compatibility in a basal Laeliinae

The floral biology, mating systems and phenology of Pseudolaelia corcovadensis (Orchidaceae), in the "Estação de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Ambiental de Peti", São Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo, Minas Gerais state was studied. This species flowers from April to September, with a higher availability of flowers in June and July. The flowers are dark-pink, strongly zygomorphic, and have osmophores and nectar-guides absorbing ultraviolet light. However, the flowers of P. corcovadensis do not present nectar and are pollinated by Bombus (Fervidobombus) atratus Franklin, 1913 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) by deceit. Apparently, the flowers do not form a model-mimic pair with other species in the community, but mimic a generalized melittophilous food-flower. As a consequence, visits are very rare and fruit set is low (18%). Pseudolaelia corcovadensis is self-compatible and presents inbreeding depression in the early stages of development. The phylogenetic position of the genus Pseudolaelia and studies on floral biology in related genera suggest that melittophyly and self-compatibility are basal characters in the subtribe Laeliinae, with subsequent adaptive radiation to pollination by hummingbirds, Lepidoptera, Diptera and other Hymenoptera.

Host plants of root-knot nematodes

Root-knot nematodes were found attacking Coffea spp. and also roots of a few weed species usually found in the coffee orchards in São Paulo. C. arabica cv. Catuaí, C. arabica cv. Mundo Novo, Timor Hybrid and a few plants of C. racemosa showed to be susceptible to Meloidogyne exigua. Roots of Ageratum conyzoides, Amaranthus viridis, Bidens pilosa, Coffea arabica cv. Mundo Novo, Coffea racemosa, Commelina virginica, Digitaria sanguinalis, Galinsoga parviflora, Gnaphalium spathulatum, Porophyllum ruderale, Portulaca oleracea, Pterocaulon virgatum and Solanum americanum were disfigured by M. incognita M. arenaria was found attacking roots of Eleusine indica and Gnaphalium spathulatum, and the presence of an unidentified Meloidogyne species was verified in roots of the following species: Vernonia ferruginea, C. arabica x C. canephora, Eupatorium pauciflorum, Coffea canephora cv. Kouillou, Coffea eugenioides, Coffea racemosa, Coffea stenophylla, Euphorbia pilullifera, Solanum americanum, Ageratum conyzoides, Phyllanthus corcovadensis, and Emilia sagittata.

Estrutura do sub-bosque herbáceo-arbustivo da mata da silvicultura, uma floresta estacional semidecidual no município de Viçosa-MG

Nos trabalhos em comunidades florestais, tradicionalmente são estudadas apenas a composição e a estrutura do componente arbóreo, relegando o estrato herbáceo-arbustivo ao esquecimento ou ao segundo plano. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram descrever a estrutura fitossociológica desse estrato para entender suas relações sinecológicas e, por fim, estudar a distribuição dos indivíduos pelas classes de tamanho para inferir sobre fatores e processos determinantes da organização florestal da Mata da Silvicultura. Para o estudo da fitossociologia da área foram utilizados os parâmetros de abundância obtidos a partir de 100 m² de amostra subdividida em parcelas de 1 m². A estrutura fitossociológica horizontal considerou todos os indivíduos com CAP menor que 10 cm ou com altura maior que 20 cm. Os aspectos dinâmicos foram avaliados por meio da distribuição de tamanhos individuais expressos pelos diâmetros à altura do solo em cada população amostrada. Foram amostrados 1.193 indivíduos de 109 espécies, pertencentes a 41 famílias botânicas, resultando em um índice de diversidade de Shannon (H') de 3,38 e equabilidade (J') de 0,72, valores considerados altos para a heterogeneidade do estrato herbáceo-arbustivo. As espécies mais importantes (VI) foram Piper lucaeanum, Psychotria conjugens, Olyra micrantha, Psychotria sessilis, Siparuna guianensis, Bambusa tuldoides, Ottonia leptostachya, Aparisthmium cordatum e Psychotria hastisepala. As famílias mais importantes (VI) foram Rubiaceae, Piperaceae, Poaceae, Monimiaceae, Leguminosae (Mimosoideae), Myrtaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Meliaceae, Lauraceae e Flacourtiaceae. Pela análise de distribuição de tamanhos foi levantada a hipótese de existirem dois grupos de espécies, segundo a estratégia que possuem de habitar o estrato herbáceo-arbustivo da Mata da Silvicultura. Um dos grupos seria formado pelas espécies que investem preferencialmente recursos energéticos no sistema caulinar e o outro, pelas espécies que investem recursos energéticos preferencialmente no sistema fotossintético.