Fruit color and contrast in seasonal habitats - a case study from a cerrado savanna

Communication contributes to mediate the interactions between plants and the animals that disperse their genes. As yet, seasonal patterns in plant-animal communication are unknown, even though many habitats display pronounced seasonality e.g. when leaves senescence. We thus hypothesized that the contrast between fruit displays and their background vary throughout the year in a seasonal habitat. If this variation is adaptive, we predicted higher contrasts between fruits and foliage during the fruiting season in a cerrado-savanna vegetation, southeastern Brazil. Based on a six-year data base of fruit ripening and a one-year data set of fruit biomass, we used reflectance measurements and contrast analysis to show that fruits with distinct colors differed in the beginning of ripening and the peak of fruit biomass. Black, and particularly red fruits, that have a high contrast against the leaf background, were highly seasonal, peaking in the wet season. Multicolored and yellow fruits were less seasonal, not limited to one season, with a bimodal pattern for yellow ones, represented by two peaks, one in each season. We further supported the hypothesis that seasonal changes in fruit contrasts can be adaptive because fruits contrasted more strongly against their own foliage in the wet season, when most fruits are ripe. Hence, the seasonal variation in fruit colors observed in the cerrado-savanna may be, at least partly, explicable as an adaptation to ensure high conspicuousness to seed dispersers. © 2013 The Authors.

Pollination ecology of the Cerrado species Eschweilera nana (Lecythidaceae subfam. Lecythidoideae)

Eschweilera nana is pollinated by a guild of pollinators consisting of mostly bees. Effective pollinators are large bees able to force their way into the closed androecium to access nectar. The morphology of the flowers diminishes self pollination and promotes cross-pollination. Although many pollinators make diurnal visits to the flowers, fruit set was very low in comparison with the number of flowers produced. Breeding system tests yielded only two fruits, one produced by xenogamy and another one in the control test. The results of this study are consistent with studies of other Cerrado plants pollinated by guilds of insects and support the conclusion of other pollination studies of Lecythidaceae that fruit set is low in comparison with the high numbers of flowers produced. © 2013 The New York Botanical Garden.

Morfoanatomia e ontogênese de frutos e sementes de três espécies de Chamaecrista moench (Fabaceae, Caesalpinioideae) de cerrado do Estado de São Paulo

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Botânica) - IBB

In vitro trypanocidal activity of solamargine and extracts from Solanum palinacanthum and Solanum lycocarpum of brazilian cerrado

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a potencial atividade tripanocida do extrato bruto etanólico dos frutos de Solanum palinacanthum, Solanum lycocarpum e do glicoalcalóide solamargina. Pó do fruto seco de S. palinacanthum e S. lycocarpum foram submetidos a extracção por refluxo com etanol a 96% e solamargina foi isolada a partir do extrato bruto de S. palinacanthum. Foram determinadas de ambos os extratos e a solamargina a atividade tripanocida utilizando o ensaio colorimétrico MTT. O Extrato de S. palinacanthum mostrou-se mais ativo (IC50 = 175,9 µg.ml–1) de que o extrato de S. lycocarpum (IC50 = 194,7 µg.ml–1). A solamargina apresentou forte atividade tripanocida (IC50 = 15,3 µg.ml–1), o que pode explicar a melhor atividade de ambos os extratos. O benzonidazol (IC50 = 9,0 µg.ml–1) é a única droga utilizada para o tratamento da doença de Chagas. Estes resultados demonstram pela primeira vez que os extratos etanólicos obtidos a partir de frutos de S. palinacanthum e S. lycocarpum, além da solamargina apresentam uma atividade tripanocida potencial.

Seed germination performances of Styrax species help understand their distribution in Cerrado areas in Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Anthropogenic edges, isolation and the flowering time and fruit set of Anadenanthera peregrina, a cerrado savanna tree

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estratégias de propagação de barueiro (Dipteryx alata Vog.) e jatobazeiro do cerrado (Hymenaea stigonocarpa MART)

Pós-graduação em Agronomia - FEIS

Vivendo nos interstícios do Cerrado: encurralados entre o agronegócio e Unidades de Conservação

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

Costs and benefits of reproducing under unfavorable conditions: an integrated view of ecological and physiological constraints in a cerrado shrub

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Optimization of extraction conditions and antioxidant activity of Solanum lycocarpum fruits

Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. The capacity of natural antioxidant from phytochemical has increase attention from researchers and public. However, the extraction process is affecting the activity and the bioavailability of bioactive compounds. The Solanum lycocarpum is a plant of the Brazilian “cerrado”, popularly used as a hypoglycemic, hypocholesterolemic and control of metabolic diseases. Its effects are attributed to the presence of several glycoalkaloids (solamargine, solasonina) and solasodine. Therefore, the purpose of this communication was, investigate the optimization of extraction condition and evaluation of antioxidant activity from fruits of Solanum lycocarpum. The extracts were obtained using different solvent systems, i.e., water, 50% ethanol, ethanol absolute and ethyl ether (1:10 and 1:20) and different extraction processes: maceration with constant agitation at room temperature, maceration with constant agitation and heating at 30°C and ultrasound. The extracts were characterized by the amount of material extracted (1, 6 and 24 h) and the action of antioxidant activity by DPPH method. The results showed that the polar solvent (50% ethanol) and extractive process maceration with agitation to ambient temperature showed higher contents of extractable of fruits of S. lycocarpum (3.4 g %) and also showed higher antioxidant activity (88.57±2.41% de inhibition). This action whether the presence of glycoalkaloids (solamargine, solasonine and solasodine) in fruits S. lycocarpum which are polar compounds and may explain this increased antioxidant action of this extract.

Estudo hierárquico do sistema de reprodução entre e dentro de frutos, fluxo de pólen e estrutura genética espacial em um fragmento e em árvores isoladas na pastagem de hymenaea stigonocarpa mart. ex hayne na região de cerrado

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

FRUGIVORY OF NEOSILBA SPECIES (DIPTERA: LONCHAEIDAE) AND THEPYTUS ECHELTA (LEPIDOPTERA: LYCAENIDAE) ON PSITTACANTHUS (SANTALALES: LORANTHACEAE) IN ECOTONAL CERRADO-SOUTH PANTANAL, BRAZIL

This paper presents a survey of the insects that feed on fruits of Psittacanthus Martius (Santalales: Loranthaceae), a hemiparasitic mistletoe genus that infects trees in Brazil and other neotropical countries. The aim of the study was to identify candidate insects for biological control of Psittacanthus mistletoes. Unripe and mature fruits were collected in several localities of Cerrado, bordering South Pantanal, Southwestern Brazil, from 29 Apr 1998 to 30 Jul 2000. A total of 24,710 fruits (54 samples) of Psittacanthus acinarius infecting 15 species from 10 plant families were evaluated. Psittacanthus acinarius (Mart.) was the most abundant and frequent species of mistletoe parasitizing trees in the ecotonal Cerrado-Pantanal. From 24,710 fruits of Psittacanthus acinarius were obtained 1,812 insect larvae including 1,806 Neosilba McAlpine (Diptera: Lonchaeidae) species and 6 Thepytus echelta (Hewitson) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). From these emerged 1,550 Neosilba spp. adults and 6 T. echelta. Neosilba pantanense Strikis was described from this research. Larvae of T. echelta occurred in fruits of P. acinarius parasitizing Cecropia pachystachya Trecul (Urticaceae) and Anadenanthera colubrina (Vellozo) Brenan (Fabaceae). Larvae of Neosilba caused no adverse effects on the germination of infected fruits of Psittacanthus, because they do not eat the embryo or viscin tissues. This differs from the larvae of T. echelta that interrupted the germination of seeds by feeding on those tissues. Thepytus echelta may be a promising insect for the biological control of P. acinarius in the ecotonal Cerrado-Pantanal, although its abundance and frequency were low throughout the sampling period.

Evaluation of cytotoxic, genotoxic and antigenotoxic potential of Solanum lycocarpum fruits glicoalkaloid extract in V79 cells

Solanum lycocarpum St.-Hil (Solanaceae) is a hairy shrub or small much-branched tree of the Brazilian Cerrado, popularly known as "fruit-of-wolf". Considering that the induction of chromosomal mutations is involved in the process of carcinogenesis, and that S. lycocatpum is often used in folk medicine, it becomes relevant to study its effect on genetic material. In this sense, the aim of present study was to determine the possible cytotoxic, genotoxic and antigenotoxic potentials of S. lycocarpum fruits glycoalkaloid extract (SL) in Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts (V79 cells). The cytotoxicity was evaluated by the colony forming assay, apoptosis and necrosis assay. Trypan blue exclusion dye method and mitotic index. Genotoxic and antigenotoxic potential were evaluated by comet and chromosomal aberrations assays. Four concentrations of SL (4, 8, 16 and 32 mu g/mL) were used for the evaluation of its genotoxic potential. The DNA damage-inducing agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS, 221 mu g/mL) was utilized in combination with extract to evaluate a possible protective effect. The results showed that SL was cytotoxic at concentrations above 32 mu g/mL by the colony forming assay. For apoptosis and necrosis assay, the concentration of 64 mu g/mL of SL showed statistically significant increase in cell death by apoptosis and necrosis, while the concentrations of 128 and 256 mu g/mL of SL demonstrated statistically significant increase in cell death by necrosis, compared with the control group. Analysis of cell viability by Trypan blue exclusion indicated >96% viability for treatments with concentrations up to 32 mu g/mL of SL No significant differences in MI were observed between cultures treated with different concentrations of 51 (4, 8, 16 and 32 mu g/mL) alone or in combination with MMS and the negative control, indicating that these treatments were not cytotoxic. The comet and chromosomal aberrations assays revealed that SL does not display genotoxic activity. Moreover, the different concentrations of SL showed protective effect against both genomic and chromosomal damages induced by MMS. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estratégias de dispersão de sementes no bioma Cerrado : considerações ecológicas e filogenéticas

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Botânica, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, 2016.

Intercâmbio de experiências e levantamento de demandas ergonômicas em unidades de beneficiamento de frutos do cerrado, mandioca e café em comunidades do Norte de Minas Gerais.

Este relato descreve a experiência realizada por meio de uma parceria entre o Projeto Rio Pardo, da Embrapa Cerrados e a Escola Politécnica/USP, visando inserir a questão do trabalho agrícola familiar nas ações desenvolvidas junto aos agricultores de três comunidades de Rio Pardo de Minas/MG, produtoras de frutos do cerrado, goma/farinha de mandioca e café sombreado. O objetivo foi levantar possíveis demandas ergonômicas existentes nestas unidades de produção, que estão implantando agroindústrias familiares para realizar o beneficiamento da produção. As demandas relacionam-se a problemas com a produção, a organização do trabalho e a saúde dos trabalhadores. Percebe-se a coexistência do saber tradicional, transmitido entre gerações, com a inovação em termos de maquinário e instalações. Há diversos arranjos produtivos presentes, fruto da criatividade e sabedoria aplicada dos agricultores. Estas inovações podem ser o embrião de projetos futuros de novos maquinários e arranjos produtivos. Trata-se de fazer comunicar dois saberes, dos projetistas e dos usuários, contribuindo para que estes últimos possam ser empoderados no papel de criadores de inovações, contribuindo para a incorporação de aspectos ergonômicos na evolução dos equipamentos e instalações. Abstract: This report describes the experience carried out through a partnership between Project ? Rio Pardo ?, Embrapa Cerrados/DF and the Polytechnic School of USP, in order to put the issue of family farm labor in the actions developed by farmers in three communities of Rio Pardo de Minas, north of Minas Gerais. The main products are fruits of the cerrado, cassava starch and manioc flour and shaded coffee. The initial goal was to raise possible these existing ergonomic demands of family farming units, which are in the process of implementation of family agri-industries to undertake the processing and beneficiation production. The ergonomic demands are related to production problems with the organization of work and the health of farm workers. In preliminary analyzes, it was possible to perceive the coexistence of traditional knowledge transmitted between generations, with innovation in terms of machinery and facilities. There are several productive arrangements, result of creativity and knowledge of farmers. These innovations, developed by who performs the work, may be the starting point for future designs of new machinery and productive arrangements. It could demonstrated the importance of communication between two knowledge, from the designers and from the users (farmers), contributing to the latter to be empowered in their role as creators of innovation and contributing to the incorporation of ergonomic aspects in the context of setting up their equipment.