Criptógamos do Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga, São Paulo, SP: algas, 25: Bacillariophyceae (Naviculales: Pinnulariaceae)

Levantamento dos representantes da família Pinnulariaceae (Naviculales, Bacillariophyceae) do Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga, São Paulo, Brasil. Foram identificados dois gêneros (Caloneis com 1 e Pinnularia com 12 espécies) e 20 táxons no total, distribuídos em 13 espécies e sete variedades não típicas de suas respectivas espécies. Uma variedade, Pinnularia brauniana (Grunow) Mills var. sanctipaulensis Rocha, é descrita como nova para a ciência. Pinnularia brauniana (Grunow) Mills var. sanctipaulensis Rocha e P. subgibba Krammer var. lanceolata Gaiser & Johanser são, geograficamente, as espécies mais bem distribuídas no PEFI por ocorrerem em 5 localidades cada; e Caloneis hyalina Hustedt, Pinnularia biceps Gregory var. biceps, P. grunowii Krammer, P. joculata (Manguin) Krammer, P. schoenfelderi Krammer, P. subanglica Krammer, P. tabellaria Ehrenberg e P. viridis (Nitzsch) Ehrenberg var. viridis as menos bem representadas, por ocorrerem em uma localidade apenas cada uma.

Ordem Achnanthales (Bacillariophyceae) de águas doces do Estado de São Paulo: levantamento florístico

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

Caracterização morfológica e citogenética de sementes e plântulas de algumas espécies de plantas tóxicas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Hematologia como ferramenta no monitoramento do "status" da cadeia produtiva de oito espécies de Acaris ornamentais (Loricariidae) do médio Rio Guamá, estado do Pará

O presente trabalho monitorou a saúde de oito espécies de acaris ornamentais capturados e comercializados no Médio Rio Guamá - Pará, através do estabelecimento do quadro hematológico basal, avaliação de estresse de transporte e de infecção por Trypanosoma spp. São elas: ancistrus (Ancistrus sp. - L338), loricaia (Rineloricaia lanceolata - L10), picoto (Hypostomus sp. - L28), bola (Peckoltia oligospila - L06), pleco (Cochilodon sp. - L145), canoa (Lasiancistrus saetiger - L323), assacu (Pseudacanthicus spinosus - L160) e pinima (Leporacanthicus galaxias - L07). As coletas sanguíneas para a determinação do quadro hematológico basal (Capítulos I e II) foram realizadas ainda no local da captura dos peixes, sob o mínimo de estresse possível. Separarou-se as amostras sanguíneas não infectadas para possibilitar comparações com as do após-estresse de transporte (Capítulos III e IV) e também com as infectados por Trypanosoma spp. (Capítulo V). O estresse de transporte estabelecido durou 3h, com densidade de 1,5 peixe/L, simulando o processo de comercialização dos peixes na região e foi avaliado após 0, 6, 24, 48, 72 e 96h. Nos Capítulos I e II, observou-se que o hemograma basal apresentou diferença significativa (p>0,05) entre os as sete espécies de acaris, apesar de estas pertencerem a mesma família e compartilharem nichos ecológicos semelhantes. O estresse de transporte por 3h (Capítulos III e IV) não comprometeu a saúde dos acaris, pois a maioria dos parâmetros hematológicos retornou aos níveis basais em 24h em bola, em 48h em pleco e em 72h em picoto, sendo estes, respectivamente, os períodos mínimos indicados para a aclimatação destes peixes antes de uma nova comercialização. Todas as oito espécies de acaris estudadas estavam infectadas por Tryopanosoma spp. (Capítulo V). Encontrou-se anemia normocítica-hipocrômica em ancistrus e canoa, e anemia macrocítica-hipocrômica em loricaia. Pinimas infectados apresentaram quadro de estresse com linfocitopenia, neutrofilia e monocitose. Assim, os resultados deste ensaio proporcionaram a avaliação da higidez destas espécies de acaris ornamentais através de exames hematológicos, podendo assim subsidiar o desenvolvimento ou a adequação do manejo menos estressante para estes peixes, de forma a auxiliar a sustentabilidade da cadeia extrativista das espécies ornamentais.

Morphological and hematological studies of Trypanosoma spp. infecting ornamental armored catfish from Guamá River-PA, Brazil

Um total de 281 espécimes de peixes ornamentais de água doce - das espécies Leporacanthicus galaxias, Lasiancistrus saetiger, Cochliodon sp., Hypostomus sp., Pseudacanthicus spinosus, Ancistrus sp. e Rineloricaria cf. lanceolata - foram capturados na bacia hidrográfica do rio Guamá, Pará, Brasil. A infecção por Trypanosoma spp. foi inspecionada. A caracterização morfológica e morfométrica dos parasitas e os parâmetros hematológicos foram determinados. Todas as espécies foram infectadas e todos os espécimes de Leporacanthicus galaxias e Pseudacanthicus spinosus estavam parasitados. As outras espécies mostraram uma prevalência variável da infecção. Os parasitas mostraram claramente morfotipos e dimensões diferentes, e provavelmente, pertencem a espécies diferentes. A resposta hematológica à infecção variou de acordo com o hospedeiro. Em Cochliodon sp. não houve diferença entre peixes infectados e não infectados. Em outras espécies diversas modificações em alguns parâmetros hematológicos foram encontrados, mas aparentemente sem causar doença. Ressalta-se a possibilidade de introdução de parasitas em novos ambientes devido aos movimentos artificiais destes peixes ornamentais.

Avaliação comparativa das perdas de água por evapotranspiração em mesocosmos colonizados por diferentes macrófitas aquáticas

Water loss increase through evapotranspiration is one the most important modes of interference of weeds in water bodies, especially in water storage reservoirs. Thus, this research was conducted to compare the water losses in mesocosms colonized with the aquatic weeds Myriophyllum aquaticum,Brachiaria subquadripara,Echinochloa polystachya,Typha latifolia and Pontederia lanceolata. The evaluations were carried out in July 2004, in three 4-day periods. The water losses were evaluated based on the amounts of water necessary to restore the existing water level before each evaluation period. The colonization of the aquatic weeds increased the water losses in the mesocosms, with the highest losses being observed in those colonized by T. latifolia, between 3.54 to 4.71 times the water surface without aquatic weeds. The losses in the mesocosms colonized by M. aquaticum,B. subquadripara, E. polystachya, and P. lanceolata were statistically similar and promoted increases between 1.54 to 2.21 times the free surface. The results showed that aquatic weed control is important to prevent water losses in reservoirs used for water storage.

Toxicidade de produtos naturais para operárias de Atta sexdens rubropilosa Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

As formigas cortadeiras, pertencentes aos gêneros Atta e Acromyrmex, possuem esse nome pelo hábito que têm de cortar as folhas das plantas. Por este motivo, elas causam danos econômicos, principalmente em áreas de cultura agrícola. Para realizar o controle dessas pragas, existem inúmeros métodos; porém, os únicos que apresentam resultados satisfatórios são os que utilizam inseticidas tradicionais. O controle químico pode gerar efeitos maléficos ao ambiente, à fauna e à população humana. É por isso que há uma grande procura por métodos alternativos, utilizando produtos que tenham grande especificidade e sejam passíveis de rápida degradação, sendo, portanto, menos danosos ao ambiente. Uma destas alternativas é a utilização de produtos naturais presentes nos vegetais superiores, que podem constituir novas fontes de material com ação tóxica para estes insetos praga. Este trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar a toxicidade das plantas Magonia pubescens e Duguetia lanceolata para operárias de Atta sexdens rubropilosa. Para os testes, as formigas foram divididas em lotes de 50 operárias, distribuídas em 5 placas para cada tratamento e mantidas em B.O.D. durante os 25 dias do experimento. Nos bioensaios de ingestão, os extratos provenientes das plantas foram incorporados em dieta artificial e testados durante 25 dias. No bioensaio tópico, as substâncias eram colocadas no pronoto das formigas e era oferecida dieta pura em todos os dias do experimento. Após os testes, os dados foram transferidos para o software Prisma 3.0, para a confecção de curvas de sobrevivência e para a realização das análises estatísticas. Apesar de Magonia pubescens apresentar um bom resultado, não foi possível continuar com os testes, pois a alta polaridade dos extratos impossibilitava a separação das substâncias... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)

Composição química e atividade biológica de espécies de nectandra e stevia rebaudiana

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Horticultura) - FCA

Androecia in two Clusia species: development, structure and resin secretion

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

Diatoms and Tonsteins as Paleoenvironrnental and Paleodepositional Indicators in a Miocene Coal Bed, Costa Rica

Fresh-water diatoms are present in coal, and tonsteins (altered volcanic ash) are interbedded with the coal, in the Miocene Venado Formation on the southwest margin of the Limon Basin, in Provincia Alajuela, northern Costa Rica. The Venado Formation is composed of more than 300 m of mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, limestone, volcaniclastics, and coal beds. The coal beds are of unknown lateral extent and mainly occur in the middle part of the formation. The Pataste coal bed occurs near the middle of the formation and is divided into three parts by two tonstein layers. The abundance of biogenic opaline material (diatoms) in the coal is believed to be a direct response to an influx of silica from volcanic tuffs that Later altered to the tonsteins. Diatoms are a useful microscopic tool for identifying the depositional environments of the Pataste coal deposit. The diatoms identified include Aulacosira ambigua, Pinnularia sp., Eunotia spp., and Achnanthes exigua, among others. The abundance of Aulacosira arnbigua suggests that an open-water lacustrine environment was present locally. Achnanthes exigua and the remaining diatom species are benthic forms that lived in shallow fresh-water to slightly acidic swamp environments. The different types of diatoms found in the coal indicate that swamp environments were intermixed with lacustrine environments during the formation of the peat deposit or that the coal records environmental changes through time.

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.

SEASONAL VARIATION OF THE MAJOR SECONDARY METABOLITES PRESENT IN THE EXTRACT OF Eremanthus mattogrossensis Less (Asteraceae: Vernonieae) LEAVES

The species Eremanthus mattogrossensis, known as "veludo do cerrado" (cerrado velvet), is native to the Brazilian Cerrado. Because the amount of metabolites present in plants may be influenced by biological and environmental factors, here we conducted an HPLC-DAD-MS/MS investigation of the metabolite concentrations found in the MeOH/H2O extract of the leaves of this species. The main compounds were identified and quantified, and the metabolites were grouped by chemical class (caffeoylquinic acids, flavonoids, and sesquiterpene lactone). Statistical analysis indicated a straight correlation between the quantity of metabolites and seasonality, suggesting that environmental properties elicit important metabolic responses.

Stenodactilina e lanceolina: due nuove potenti “ribosome-inactivating proteins” bicatenarie. Purificazione, caratterizzazione chimico-fisica e studio dei meccanismi citotossici

Two lectins, called lanceolin and stenodactylin, were purified by affinity chromatography on CL Sepharose 6B from the caudices of the Passifloraceae Adenia lanceolata and Adenia stenodactyla, respectively. They are glycoproteins with Mw of 61,243 (lanceolin) and 63,131 daltons (stenodactylin), consisting of an enzymatic A chain linked to a larger B chain with lectin properties, with N-terminal amino acid sequences similar to that of volkensin, the toxic lectin from Adenia volkensii. These two lectins agglutinate red blood cells, inhibit protein synthesis in a cell-free system as well as in whole cells, and depurinate ribosomes and DNA, but not tRNA or poly(A). They are highly toxic to cells, in which they induce apoptosis and strongly inhibit protein synthesis, and to mice, with LD50s 8.16 mg/kg (lanceolin) and 2.76 mg/kg (stenodactylin) at 48 hours after administration. Thus, lanceolin and stenodactylin have all the properties of the toxic type 2 ribosomeinactivating proteins (RIPs). Further experiments were conducted in order to clarify the effects of these RIPs in cells. We investigated the cronological relationship between cytotoxic activity, indirectly evaluated as inhibition of protein synthesis, and loss of cell viability in NB100 cell line. The induction of apoptosis was assessed by determining caspases 3 and 7 levels, which increase 8-16 hours earlier than the beginning of protein synthesis inhibition. This suggest that the arrest of protein synthesis is not a central event in the pathway of cell poisoning by RIPs. The high toxicity and the induction of cell death only by apoptosis and not by necrosis in two muscular cell lines (TE671 and RD/18) suggest that lanceolin and stenodactylin may be potential candidates for experimental chemoablation in strabism and blepharospasm. These results show that lanceolin and stenodactylin are amongst the most potent toxins of plant origin.

Ornithophily in the genus Salvia L. (Lamiaceae)

This dissertation presents for the first time a survey of bird pollinated (ornithophilous) Salvia species. Within the approximately 1000 species of the worldwide distributed genus roughly 20% (186 spp.) are bird pollinated. Excepting four species in the Old World (South Africa and Madagascar), ornithophilous species are restricted to the New World where they represent about one third of the species. They occur mainly in higher altitudes (1500-3000m) and usually grow as shrubs or perennial herbs (97%). The bilabiate to tubular flowers are often red (at least 49%), averaging 35mm (7-130mm) in length and produce a large to medium volume of nectar with rather low sugar concentration. Pollination by sunbirds and white-eyes is documented in a South African species, and that by hummingbirds in 16 species of the New World (USA, Mexico, Guatemala and Bolivia). Beside pollinator observations, the functionality of the staminal levers, the process of pollen transfer and the fitting between flowers and birds are tested by inserting museum skins and metal rods into fresh flowers. The most surprising result is the finding of two different main pollen transfer mechanisms. In at least 54% of the species an active staminal lever mechanism enables pollen deposition on the birds body. This is illustrated in detail in the South African S. lanceolata at which birds were observed to release the lever mechanism and became dusted with pollen. In contrast, the lever mechanism in about 35% of the New World species is reduced in different ways. Pollen transfer by inactive ‘levers’ is demonstrated in detail in S. haenkei in Bolivia, at which four pollinating hummingbird species could be observed. The tubular corolla forced the birds in a specific position, thereby causing pollen transfer from the exserted pollen-sacs to the birds body. With respect to the floral diversity and systematic affiliation of the species, parallel evolution of ornithophily and lever reduction is likely. Considering that bird pollinated species might have derived from bee pollinated species and that the staminal levers have become secondarily inactive, it is concluded that the shift in pollinators induced phenotypic changes even disabling such a sophisticated structure as the staminal lever mechanism.

Biomass and Stored Carbohydrate Compensation after Above-Ground Biomass Removal in a Perennial Herb: Does Environmental Productivity Play a Role?

Many plant species are able to tolerate severe disturbance leading to removal of a substantial portion of the body by resprouting from intact or fragmented organs. Resprouting enables plants to compensate for biomass loss and complete their life cycles. The degree of disturbance tolerance, and hence the ecological advantage of damage tolerance (in contrast to alternative strategies), has been reported to be affected by environmental productivity. In our study, we examined the influence of soil nutrients (as an indicator of environmental productivity) on biomass and stored carbohydrate compensation after removal of aboveground parts in the perennial resprouter Plantago lanceolata. Specifically, we tested and compared the effects of nutrient availability on biomass and carbon storage in damaged and undamaged individuals. Damaged plants of P. lanceolata compensated neither in terms of biomass nor overall carbon storage. However, whereas in the nutrient-poor environment, root total non-structural carbohydrate concentrations (TNC) were similar for damaged and undamaged plants, in the nutrient-rich environment, damaged plants had remarkably higher TNC than undamaged plants. Based on TNC allocation patterns, we conclude that tolerance to disturbance is promoted in more productive environments, where higher photosynthetic efficiency allows for successful replenishment of carbohydrates. Although plants under nutrient-rich conditions did not compensate in terms of biomass or seed production, they entered winter with higher content of carbohydrates, which might result in better performance in the next growing season. This otherwise overlooked compensation mechanism might be responsible for inconsistent results reported from other studies.