Caatinga Ethnobotany: Anthropogenic Landscape Modification and Useful Species in Brazil’s Semi-Arid Northeast

Caatinga Ethnobotany: Anthropogenic Landscape Modification and Useful Species in Brazil’s Semi-Arid Northeast This study explores the contribution of anthropogenic landscapes in providing useful botanical resources to a Caatinga community in Pernambuco, Brazil. Ethnobotanical data were collected through semi-structured interviews using the checklist-interview method and by means of a “field herbarium” of the most abundant species in the anthropogenic zones. We recorded 119 species distributed in 36 families, of which 79 were found to be useful. Forage was the most prominent use category, containing 84% of the citations, followed by medicinals (36.70%), foods (10.12%), and wood (8.86%). Herbaceous species predominated (63.29%), followed by shrubs (3.79%), sub-shrubs (21.51%), trees (8.86%), and creepers (2.53%). Trees exhibited a greater number of uses than other life-forms (p < 0.05). Significant differences in richness were found, with the highest richness of species (χ2 = 60.28, p < 0.05), genera (χ2 = 49.03, p < 0.05), and families (χ2 = 20.16, p < 0.05) appearing in the rainy season. We concluded that fodder use was the most important category in our anthropogenic research areas, accounting for a higher number of species, genera, and families. The next most important categories were medicinal, timber, and food plants, respectively.     

Purification,characterization, sequence determination,and mass spectrometric analysis of a trypsin inhibitor from seeds of the brazilian treeDipteryx alata (leguminosae)

Dipteryx alata trypsin inhibitor (DATI) has been purified and completely sequenced. It showed homology to members of the Bowman-Birk family of inhibitors. The last step of DATI purification by RP-HPLC (narrow-bore C18 column) suggested the existence of some isoforms of the inhibitor due to the presence of a cluster of very close peaks in the chromatogram. By using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS) and laser desorption mass spectrometry (LDIMS), the identification of DATI isoforms was made possible. From the ESIMS data, the following molecular masses were found: 6803.22±0.92 for isoforma; 6890.94±0.73 forb; 6977.58±0.39 for c; 7065.07±0.67 ford; 7151.42±0.86 for e; and 7291.70±0.43 forf. Similar masses were found when using LDIMS. Isoformb was the most abundant and its molecular mass matched the molecular mass of 6893 calculated from the sequence of DATI. The mass differences betweena andb, b andc, c andd, andd ande were equal to 87, which corresponds to Ser. Isoforma might not have the N-terminal Ser present in isoformb, while the other additional Ser residues might comprise a row localized in the C- or N-terminal. The appearance of all these isoforms could result from posttranslational N- and C-terminal processing.     

Maranta rugosa sp. nov. (Marantaceae) from central Brazil

Maranta is a neotropical genus usually found in moist and shaded habitats in pluvial to semideciduous forests and Cerrado, with diversity center in central Brazil. A new species from Mato Grosso, M. rugosa J. M. A. Braga & S. Vieira, is described and illustrated. The new species is somewhat similar to M. parvifolia Petersen with which it is compared.     

Monitoring a Puma (Puma concolor) Population in a Fragmented Landscape in Southeast Brazil

ABSTRACT The northeast area of São Paulo state has been intensively deforested, resulting in a highly fragmented landscape composed of a few large patches and several small patches of natural vegetation surrounded by sugarcane, eucalyptus, and citrus plantations. In this scenario, we investigated the puma (Puma concolor) population size, sex ratio, and relatedness in two of the last, and largest, natural refuges in the area using a noninvasive method during 2004–2008. By collecting and individualizing fecal samples by microsatellites, we identified 17 individuals, 13 females (76.4%) and 4 males (23.6%) in these areas. Five females were sampled in distinct years and over an extended time and probably represented resident adults. By investigating the relatedness among individual pumas inhabiting the area, we found that only three animals were not related to each other. We also found evidence that young females might establish an adjacent or overlapping territory to their mothers (phylopatry). Moreover, we registered 11 road‐killed individuals nearby the study area, ten males and one female, and six human–puma conflicts. The study area may act as a source of individuals that disperse across the matrix to occupy new home ranges, maintaining some degree of gene flow in a source–sink metapopulation structure. Finally, we recommend that puma management should be conducted at the landscape level to provide effective puma conservation in northeastern São Paulo state. Abstract in Portuguese is available in the online version of this article.     

Biology of the leaf roller <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salbia lotanalis</Emphasis> and its impact on the invasive tree <Emphasis Type="Italic">Miconia calvescens</Emphasis>

Miconia calvescens (Melastomataceae) is an invasive alien tree in native forests on some Pacific islands and a potentially invasive species in Australia. Searches for potential classical biocontrol agents have been undertaken for over a decade in the centre of origin (Central and South America). Salbia lotanalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is a leaf roller which has been recognized as a promising classical biocontrol agent for M. calvescens. This paper presents the biology and an impact study of S. lotanalis on M. calvescens. Life table parameters showed that S. lotanalis has a high reproductive capacity, with up to six generations a year. Miconia calvescens seedlings attacked by S. lotanalis caterpillars had their growth rate significantly reduced. Seedlings subjected initially to a high level of defoliation (80%) caused by caterpillars had leaf fall and a lower leaf area than controls after 210 days. Considering the high population growth rate and significant impact on young plants, S. lotanalis appears to have a high potential for use as a classical biological control agent to be used against M. calvescens.     

Taking Aim

Taking Aim. 1993. 41 min., color. video by Monica Frota. For more information contact Monica Frota at Rua Visconde de Ouro Preto 611/201, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 22250-180, (55 21 5376235).     

Phylogenetic relationships,population demography,and species delimitation of the Alouatta belzebul species complex (Atelidae: Alouattinae)

Primates - Howler monkeys (genus Alouatta) exhibit the most extensive distribution among platyrrhines, comprising Mesoamerican and South American species groups, with the South American group...     

Invasive alien species records are exponentially rising across the Earth

Humans are facilitating the introduction and range expansion of invasive alien species (IAS), which have negatively impacted ecological and socio-economic systems worldwide. Understanding the global diffusion of IAS is important for developing environmental policies and management strategies. We estimate the rate of increase and the doubling times of the number of new records of 178 IAS using a global dataset with c. 3.4 million records obtained over c. 100 years. Here, we show that the number of records of IAS have exponentially increased with a mean double time of c. 14 years across the Earth. For the most analysed species, the number of records increased faster in the non-native than native continents, suggesting that such IAS might be exponentially expanding their range size. We also found that each continent has a taxonomic group with a particular increase in IAS records. Governments and scientists should pay attention to these taxonomic groups to implement appropriate control or management actions. Our study provides an indication that the current local, regional and continental efforts to control invasions may be not sufficient at the global scale. This is a concerning situation given the great number of areas available for invasion worldwide.