Identification of triterpenes and sterols from pterogyne nitens (fabaceae-caesalpinioideae) using high-resolution gas chromatography

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

Canopy gap colonization in the Atlantic Montane Rain Forest

Na Floresta Pluvial Atlântica Montana do Sudeste Brasileiro, foi realizado um estudo para descrever e avaliar a colonização de clareiras. A composição de clareiras foi levantada através da cobertura do solo para as espécies herbáceas enquanto que todos os indivíduos lenhosos maiores que um metro de altura foram mensurados e identificados. Também foram coletadas informações sobre a estrutura das clareiras (área da clareira, número e diâmetro das quedas), posição topográfica e vegetação circundante. Dois gêneros de Marantaceae apresentaram considerável freqüência e abundância nas clareiras. As espécies lenhosas mais freqüentes e abundantes pertenceram ao grupo não-pioneiro e as famílias mais ricas encontradas nas clareiras não diferiram quando comparado à floresta como um todo. Como para as variáveis do estrato herbáceo e da vegetação circundante, os resultados revelaram que efeitos diretos e indiretos da topografia são importantes na determinação da composição interna de clareiras por espécies lenhosas. Estes resultados sugerem que a colonização de clareiras é influenciada não apenas pelas variáveis de estrutura, mas também pela posição topográfica e pelos indivíduos pré-estabelecidos.

Interceptação das chuvas em um fragmento de floresta da Mata Atlântica na Bacia do Prata, Recife, PE

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Lianas da estação ecológica do Noroeste Paulista, São José do Rio Preto/Mirassol, SP, Brasil

Lianas são membros característicos das florestas tropicais, onde são abundantes e de grande importância ecológica. Entretanto, têm sido negligenciadas em estudos florísticos e fitossociológicos. Este trabalho apresenta as espécies de lianas da Estação Ecológica do Noroeste Paulista (EENP) e as compara àquelas encontradas em outros fragmentos florestais. A EENP (20º48'36'' S e 49º22'50'' W) está a 468 m de altitude e abrange área de 168,63 ha, composta de três fragmentos de vegetação descontínua, classificada como floresta estacional semidecidual, entremeadas por pastagens. As amostras de lianas foram coletadas realizando caminhadas na periferia e no interior da mata. Foram identificadas 105 espécies; delas, 99 são Magnoliopsida (60 gêneros e 22 famílias); e seis, Liliopsida (três gêneros e três famílias). As famílias mais ricas em espécies representaram 59% do total das lianas. A análise do dendrograma de similaridade mostrou que esta é baixa entre a Floresta Atlântica de São Paulo e aquelas localizadas no interior. Situação semelhante foi observada por outros autores na análise de similaridade com espécies de porte arbóreo, e também, entre florestas do interior e Floresta Atlântica.

Shade level effects on yield and chemical composition of the leaf essential oil of Pothomorphe umbellata (L.) Miquel

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Ineffectiveness of pruning to control citrus huanglongbing caused by Candidatus Liberibacter americanus

The huanglongbing (HLB) disease of citrus trees, caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus and Ca. Liberibacter americanus, was first reported in Brazil in March, 2004. The presence of the disease has caused serious concerns among growers. Pruning experiments were conducted to determine if removal of symptomatic branches or the entire canopy (decapitation) would eliminate infected tissues and save HLB-affected trees. Pruning was done in five blocks on a total of 592 3- to 16 year-old 'Valencia', 'Hamlin' or 'Pera' sweet orange trees showing no symptoms or with two levels of symptom severity. Ten decapitated trees per block were caged and all trees were treated with insecticides to control the psyllid vector, Diaphorina citri. Mottled leaves reappeared on most symptomatic (69.2%) as well on some asymptomatic (7.6%) pruned trees, regardless of age, variety, and pruning procedure. Presence of the pathogen (Ca. Liberibacter americanus) in all symptomatic trees was confirmed by PCR. In general, the greater the symptom severity before pruning the lower the percentage of trees that remained asymptomatic after pruning.

Boron translocation in coffee trees

Boron deficiency in coffee trees ( Coffea arabica) is widespread, however, responses to B fertilizer have been erratic, depending on the year, method, and time of application. A better understanding of B uptake, distribution, and remobilization within the plant is important in developing a rational fertilization program. Field and greenhouse experiments were conducted to study B distribution and remobilization in coffee trees. Boron was provided either in the nutrient solution or sprayed on the leaves of trees grown under adequate or transient B deficiency. There was clear evidence for B translocation via symplast ( remobilization) to coffee grains, even in well-nourished plants. When 10 B was present in the nutrient solution during most part of fruit filling, from 33 to 40% of the B found in coffee fruits was absorbed during this period, depending on the timing and duration of the B deficiency treatment. In the field, when B was sprayed once on the leaves, around 4% of the fruit B was derived from the foliar fertilizer. Boron remobilization within coffee trees is limited in well nourished plants, but it can be significant during periods of temporary B deficiency in plants otherwise well nourished with B. The implications of these findings for B fertilization practice, are discussed.

Essential oil from leaves of Cryptocarya mandioccana Meisner (Lauraceae): Composition and intraspecific chemical variability

The composition of the essential oil from leaves of Cryptocarya mandioccana has been determined by chromatographic fractionation and GC-FID, GC-MS and C-13 NMR analyses, yielding the identification of 64 compounds with predominance of isomeric sesquiterpenes with molecular weights of 204. The main components of the oil obtained by hydrodistillation were beta-caryophyllene, spathulenol, caryophyllene oxide, delta-cadinene, germacrene D, benzaldehyde and bicyclogermacrene. However, the oil obtained by steam distillation contained higher levels of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, with predominance of P-caryophyllene (C), germacrene D (G) and bicyclogermacrene (B), and was considered to be more representative of the composition of the oil in its natural state. The intraspecific chemical variability of the essential oil obtained by steam distillation was evaluated within populations of trees growing at three separate locations in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Three distinct chemical groups could be characterised due to differences in the relative percentages of the three main sesquiterpenes from essential oil: CGB [relative contents of C (14-34%), G (5-28%), B (8-15%)], BCG [B (17-34%), C (9-24%), G (12-25%)] and GCB [G (22-42%), C (4-17%), B (7-15%)]. Individuals from groups CGB and BCG were found to be more frequent at south locations while group GCB is predominant in north location. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Barred Forest Falcon (Micrastur ruficollis) predation on relatively large prey

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

The use of auxiliary courts by the lek-forming White-bearded Manakin Manacus manacus (Aves, Pipridae)

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

Biology and life cycle of Amblyomma incisum (Acari: Ixodidae)

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

Consórcio de espécies nativas da floresta estacional semidecidual com mandioca (Manihot sculenta Crantz) para restauração de mata ciliar

Intercropping of trees and annual crops could be an important alternative for promoting forest restoration in small farms. The objective of this study was to evaluate the intercropping of cassava (Manihot sculenta Crantz) with native trees for restoration of natural forest in riparian areas in the western São Paulo State, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks with six replications for comparing two restoration systems: pure afforestation and afforestation intercropped with cassava. It was evaluated the variables related to seedling development (height, crown diameter, crown cover, and height/crown diameter ratio), mortality and the economic impact were assessed for using cassava. No differences were found between treatments for any dendrometrical variable and mortality. Economic impact of the intercroppoing treatment was positive because costs for establishment of intercropped system were partially reduced by the income from the cassava crop, which covered 32% of total costs. Cassava income made final costs 19% lesser than restoration in the pure afforestation system.

Phenological aspects of flowering and fruiting at the Ecological Station of Paulo de Faria-SP-Brazil

The present work was carried out at 'Estacao Ecologica de Paulo de Faria', north of the state of Sao Paulo, southeast of Brazil (19°55'-19°58'S and 49°31'-49°32'W). The flowering and fruiting phenology of trees, shrubs, and lianas species were observed from April 1993 to December 1995. The results were compaired with those surveyed at other forests from Sao Paulo state: Santa Genebra (Campinas). Serra do Japi (Jundiai) and lianas of Mata Atlantica. The majority of species of lianas flowered from January to April and trees and shrubs between September to December. The most intense frutification period occurred during May to August. Similarly to Santa Genebra, the flowering season at 'Estacao Ecologica de Paulo de Faria' started at the beginning of the wet season while frutification during the dryest period of the year. At Serra do Japi, the flowering and frutification occurred from the end of dry and beginning of the rainy season. Considering the liana at Mata Atlantica presented two peaks of flowering, while at 'Estacao Ecologica de Paulo de Faria' occurs only one. Regarding the fruiting phenology is similar for both area, most species producing fruits during the first semestre.

Frogs of the genus Paratelmatobius (Anura: Leptodactylidae) with descriptions of two new species

Two new species of Paratelmatobius are described from the Atlantic Forest of Sao Paulo State, southeastern Brazil. The vocalization, tadpole, and natural history of one new species are described. Natural history observations of P. poecilogaster are reported, including the description of a specialized reproductive mode. Diagnoses, measurements, figures, color in life, and distributional data for the species of Paratelmatobius are provided.

Recuperação de povoamento de Eucalyptus urophylla com aplicações de nitrogênio, potássio e calcário dolomítico

A plantation of Eucalyptus urophylla, established in 1984 on a Quartzpsamment Soil, at Altinopolis, São Paulo State, presented in 1989 an medium increment of the cylindrical volume of the trees of 13.97 m 3/ha/year and also showed deficiency symptoms of potassium, calcium and magnesium. At 4.33 years after planting were applied two doses of nitrogen (0 and 10 g/tree of N), potassium (0 and 20 g/tree of K 2O) and of dolomitic lime (0 and 500 g/tree), combined in a randomized block design arranged in a factorial way (2 × 2 × 2), with four replications, in order to study the recuperation of the tree growth rate. Evaluations of the trees growth were performed at 4.33, 5.67, 6.75 and at 7.58 years when cutting the plantation was done. The soil fertility and leaf concentrations of N, K, Ca and Mg were analyzed before and after the application of the treatments. The accumulation and distribution of biomass and of these nutrients in the tree components and in the litter, and the economic studies referring to the volumes of wood were also evaluated 7.58 years after planting. Potassium fertilization increased the mass of potassium in stemwood, stembark, foliage, fruits and litter, but the increase was greater in foliage and in the stembark. Liming increased the mass of magnesium in stemwood, stembark, foliage and litter, but the increase was greater in the litter. There was no isolated effect of nitrogen fertilization. The growth rate of trees was recovered with the potassium application, which increased the mean annual increment (MAI) of cylindrical volume from 13.85 m 3/ha/year without fertilizer to 16.82 m 3/ha/year. At 7.58 years after planting, there was observed an effect of the N x K x dolomitic lime interaction in the wood production. In the absence of nitrogen and dolomitic lime, the application of potassium increased the real volume of 43% and there was a gain of US$ 86.79/ha.