Effect of cropping systems in no-till farming on the quality of a Brazilian Oxisol

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Extrafloral nectary morphology and the role of environmental constraints in shaping its traits in a common Cerrado shrub (Maprounea brasiliensis A. St.-Hill: Euphorbiaceae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Análise estrutural em relictos de cerrado no parque estadual do Guartelá, município de Tibagi, estado do Paraná, Brasil

This study was accomplished in existing Cerrado's relicts at State Park Guartelá, Tibagi, PR (24°39'10S and 50°15'25W), which represent one of the last extreme-meridional remanescents of this type of formation. Fifty plots with dimensions of 5x5m were allocated for phyto-sociological analysis, including in the sample individuals with height ≥ 1 m, divided into two samples to evaluate the following strata: a) upper-plants with DAS ≥ 3 cm, and b) intermediate - plants with DAS <3cm. Moreover, in each plot, there were established sub-plots with dimensions of 1x1m for sampling the lower stratum, comprised by individuals with height <1m and >10cm. The complete survey found 1340 individuals distributed in 28 families, 66 genera and 115 species. The diversity index was higher for the mean component (H'=3.30), followed by the superior component (H'=3.09) and the inferior (H'=2.91). The frequent occurrence of bushes is a remarkable characteristic of the physiognomy of the areas inside the park and 82 % of the populations studied are distributed in aggregated standard. Because it is a marginal region of occurrence of cerrado vegetation, now under the influence of a subtropical climate, more humid and cold, compared to the core area of this biome, it is noted that these areas are characterized by a decrease in stature, richness and diversity of its flora. Nevertheless, they preserve typical species of the Brazilian Savannah; but, due to their distribution in relicts and been, in part, devastated, some are included in the red list of endangered plants in Parana state, which evidences the importance of conservation and management of these areas.

Análise bayesiana para características de carcaça avaliadas por ultrassonografia de bovinos da raça Nelore Mocho, criados em bioma Cerrado

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Brazilian policies and strategies for rural territorial development in Mozambique: South-South cooperation and the case of ProSAVANA and PAA

Pós-graduação em Geografia - FCT

Controle de qualidade e obtenção de extratos de espécies vegetais do cerrado brasileiro com potencial etnofarmacológico

ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency) has published in recent years, laws that regulate the stages of the control of plants derivatives, including tests of macro and microscopic botanical identification, phytochemical determination, tests of authenticity and purity, microbiological testing, among other parameters. All the analytical procedures of plant drugs control required by law must be based on the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia, other Pharmacopoeias recognized by ANVISA or quality control guides of plant species published by the World Health Organization (WHO). This study aimed to evaluate some pharmacognostic, phytochemical screening and microbiological control of plant species of the Brazilian cerrado, which have indicated ethnopharmacological: Byrsonima intermedia (Bi), Bauhinia holophylla (Bh) and Myrcia bella (Mb). In addition, certain parameters were determined for obtaining extracts from plants sprayed and dried. These data are important to obtain new scientific information from Brazilian plants with therapeutic potential.

Assessing the dynamic of structural changes in Cerrado vegetation of protected and non-protected areas using NDVI

The structure of Brazilian savannah, named locally as “cerrado”, tends to change if the human pressures, such as pasture and intensive fire, are suppressed showing a densification of the physiognomies throughout the time. Vegetation Index acquired from remotely sensed data has been a proper way to study and monitoring large areas, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is one of the most used for this purpose. The aim of this study was to assess the dynamic of structural changes in protected and non-protected areas of cerrado vegetation using NDVI. For this purpose, three cerrado fragments in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, were evaluated for a 26 year time span from 1985 and 2011, being two of them protected against anthropogenic interference. Landsat 5 –Thematic Mapper images were used and processed in ArcGIS. In the protected areas NDVI indicated that the vegetation followed the expected trend of changes for cerrado, with more open physiognomies tending to be denser throughout this period of 26 years, whereas in the non-protected fragment the NDVI evidences human pressure, showing lower phytomass in 2011. NDVI showed to be efficient in detecting and monitoring changes in cerrado vegetation structure, and can be useful to study both, the natural dynamics of cerrado vegetation and the anthropogenic interference in protected areas.

Phenolic compounds influence seed dormancy of palicourea rigida h.b.k. (rubiaceae), a medicinal plant of the brazilian savannah

Palicourea rigida H.B.K. (Rubiaceae), a medicinal species commonly known as douradinha, has wide distribution across ecosystems in Central and South America. This species exhibits seed dormancy delaying germination until optimal conditions for seedling growth and development are in place. While dormancy ensures species survival, it also presents a technical problem for developing P. rigida’s plant production program. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate if secondary metabolites present in seeds influence the seed dormancy of P. rigida. Mature fruits were harvested from the native habitat, in the savanna region of the State of Minas Gerais during February 2009, 2010 and 2011. The content of phenolic compounds in the seed of P. rigida was measured, and the allelopathic effects were assessed using the germination of lettuces as model to detect phytotoxicity. The P. rigida seeds geminated at rates varying between 7% and 31% with a Seed Germination Index (SGI) of 0.09. Data suggest that the phenolic compounds present in the seeds may be responsible for seed dormancy.

Consequências do corte periódico do componente lenhoso da vegetação de cerrado

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

New Brazilian Floristic List Highlights Conservation Challenges

A comprehensive new inventory of Brazilian plants and fungi was published just in time to meet a 2010 Convention on Biological Diversity target and offers important insights into this biodiversity's global significance. Brazil is the home to the world's richest flora (40,989 species; 18,932 endemic) and includes two of the hottest hotspots: Mata Atlantica (19,355 species) and Cerrado (12,669 species). Although the total number of known species is one-third lower than previous estimates, the absolute number of endemic vascular plant species is higher than was previously estimated, and the proportion of endemism (56%) is the highest in the Neotropics. This compilation serves not merely to quantify the scale of the challenge faced in conserving Brazil's unique flora but also serves as a key resource to direct action and monitor progress. Similar efforts by other megadiverse countries are urgently required if the 2020 targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation are to be attained.

Bills Favor Mining and Threaten Conservation of Brazilian Merganser (Mergus octosetaceus) at Serra da Canastra National Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Serra da Canastra National Park (SCNP) is one of the most important protected areas in the Cerrado biome. Despite its importance to the conservation of rare and endangered species like Brazilian Merganser, two bills were approved in 2010 by Brazil's Chamber of Deputies aiming to reduce SCNP's official boundaries and to transform some of its parts into an Environmental Protection Area (EPA). We evaluated whether such changes would facilitate mining areas to be legally exploited within the park's area, and if those mining areas would represent a threat to Brazilian Merganser populations at SCNP. Results showed that 55% of the mining areas currently within the National Park will be located within the new EPA, and six hydrographic micro-basins inhabited by Brazilian Merganser could be affected by environmental impacts caused by mineral exploitation in those areas. For these reasons, we recommend the two bills be refused at the Federal Senate.

Evolution of extrafloral nectaries: adaptive process and selective regime changes from forest to savanna

Much effort has been devoted to understanding the function of extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) for antplantherbivore interactions. However, the pattern of evolution of such structures throughout the history of plant lineages remains unexplored. In this study, we used empirical knowledge on plant defences mediated by ants as a theoretical framework to test specific hypotheses about the adaptive role of EFNs during plant evolution. Emphasis was given to different processes (neutral or adaptive) and factors (habitat change and trade-offs with new trichomes) that may have affected the evolution of antplant associations. We measured seven EFN quantitative traits in all 105 species included in a well-supported phylogeny of the tribe Bignonieae (Bignoniaceae) and collected field data on antEFN interactions in 32 species. We identified a positive association between ant visitation (a surrogate of ant guarding) and the abundance of EFNs in vegetative plant parts and rejected the hypothesis of phylogenetic conservatism of EFNs, with most traits presenting K-values < 1. Modelling the evolution of EFN traits using maximum likelihood approaches further suggested adaptive evolution, with static-optimum models showing a better fit than purely drift models. In addition, the abundance of EFNs was associated with habitat shifts (with a decrease in the abundance of EFNs from forest to savannas), and a potential trade-off was detected between the abundance of EFNs and estipitate glandular trichomes (i.e. trichomes with sticky secretion). These evolutionary associations suggest divergent selection between species as well as explains K-values < 1. Experimental studies with multiple lineages of forest and savanna taxa may improve our understanding of the role of nectaries in plants. Overall, our results suggest that the evolution of EFNs was likely associated with the adaptive process which probably played an important role in the diversification of this plant group.

A new HPLC-DAD-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of major compounds in the crude extract of Lychnophora salicifolia Mart. (Brazilian arnicao) leaves: Application to chemical variability evaluation

Lychnophora salicifolia Mart., which occurs in the Brazilian Cerrado in the states of Bahia and Minas Gerais as well as in the southeast of the state of Goias, is the most widely distributed and also the most polymorphic species of the genus. This plant is popularly known to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. In this work, we have studied the variation in terms of polar metabolites of ninety-three Lychnophora salicifolia Mart, specimens collected from different regions of the Brazilian Cerrado. Identification of the constituents of this mixture was carried out by analysis of the UV spectra and MS data after chromatographic separation. Twenty substances were identified, including chlorogenic acid derivatives, a flavonoid C-glucoside, and other sesquiterpenes. The analytical method was validated, and the reliability and credibility of the results was ensured for the purposes of this study. The concentration range required for analysis of content variability within the analyzed group of specimens was covered with appropriate values of limits of detection and quantitation, as well as satisfactory precision and recovery. A quantitative variability was observed among specimens collected from the same location, but on average they were similar from a chemical viewpoint. In relation to the study involving specimens from different locations, there were both qualitative and quantitative differences among plants collected from different regions of Brazil. Statistical analysis revealed that there is a correlation between geographical localization and polar metabolites profile for specimens collected from different locations. This is evidence that the pattern of metabolites concentration depends on the geographical distribution of the specimens. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Geochemistry and Pb-207/Pb-206 zircon ages of granitoids from the southern portion of the Tamboril-Santa Quiteria granitic-migmatitic complex, Ceara Central Domain, Borborema Province (NE Brazil)

The Tamboril-Santa Quiteria Complex is an important Neoproterozoic granitic-migmatitic unit from the Ceara Central Domain that developed from ca. 650 to 610 Ma. In general the granitoids range in composition from diorite to granite with predominance (up to 85%) of granitic to monzogranitic composition with biotite as the main mafic AFM phase. Geochemical and Pb-207/Pb-206 evaporation zircon geochronology studies were applied in a group of these abundant monzogranitic rocks from the region of Novo Oriente in the southern portion of the Ceara Central Domain. In this area the granitoids are weakly peraluminous biotite granitoids and deformed biotite granitoids of high-K calc-alkaline and ferroan composition, which we interpreted as primary magmas (segregated diatexites) derived from the partial melting of crustal material. The close temporal relation of this magmatism with local eclogitic and regional high temperature metamorphism in Ceara Central Domain point out to an orogenic setting, arguably emplaced during the collisional stage. Subordinate coeval juvenile mantle incursions are also present. This crustally derived magmatism is the primary product of the continental thickening that resulted from the collision between the rocks represented by the Amazonian-West African craton (Sao Luiz cratonic fragment) to the northwest and the Paleoproterozoic-Archean basement of the Borborema Province to the southeast along the Transbrasiliano tectonic corridor. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The revision of the Brazilian Forest Act: increased deforestation or a historic step towards balancing agricultural development and nature conservation?

Almost two-thirds of the Brazilian territory still has prevalence of natural vegetation. Although not all pristine, much of these areas have high conservation value. 170 million hectare (Mha) of the natural vegetation is located within Federal and State protected areas. Most of the remaining 367 Mha is on private agriculture lands, where the Forest Act is the most important legal framework for conservation. In July 2010, the Brazilian parliament began the analysis of a substitutive legislation for the Forest Act. The main motivations for the revision is that, on the one hand, it has been found ineffective in protecting natural vegetation, and on the other hand, it is perceived as a barrier against development in the agriculture sector. The substitutive Forest Act, as it presently stands, does not represent a balance between existing standpoints and objectives; it may drive development towards either more private protection through market-driven compensation actions, or increased deforestation and less nature protection/restoration. This article uses outcomes from modeling analyses to discuss weaknesses of the substitutive Forest Act and to suggest possible improvements. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.