Leila Teresinha Maranho

Poluição e a densidade de vegetação: BTEX em algumas áreas públicas de Curitiba - PR, Brasil

The occurrence of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in some public areas of Curitiba-PR, Brazil, was evaluated. Their concentrations were then related to the vegetations density in each area. Average benzene concentrations varied from 3.9 to 6.1 μg m-3, with higher values occurring in poorly dense vegetation areas. For toluene, average concentrations ranged from 6.5 to 7.2 μg m-3. The effect of such pollutants was evaluated by means of a bio indicator, Tillandsia stricta. Variation in total chlorophyll content and in stomatic density were detected in some samples and may be related to the BTEX concentrations found in the studied areas.

Rhizospheric microorganisms as a solution for the recovery of soils contaminated by petroleum: A review

Petroleum is currently the worlds main energy source, and its demand is expected to increase in coming years. Its intense exploitation can lead to an increase in the number of environmental accidents, such as spills and leaks, and an increase in the generation of environmental liabilities resulting from refining. Due to its hydrophobic characteristics and slow process of biodegradation, petroleum can remain in the environment for a long time and its toxicity can cause a negative impact on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, with the main negative effects related to its carcinogenic potential for both animals and humans. The objective of the present review is to discuss environmental contamination by oil, conventional treatment techniques and bioremediation an alternative tool for recovery petroleum-contaminated soils, focusing on the rhizodegradation process, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), a phytoremediation strategy in which the microorganisms that colonize the roots of phytoremediatior plants are responsible for the biodegradation of petroleum. These microorganisms can be selected and tested individually or in the form of consortia to evaluate their potential for oil degradation, or even to measure the use of biosurfactants produced by them to constitute tools for the development of environmental recovery strategies and biotechnological application.

Anatomia foliar de Passiflora subgênero Decaloba (Passifloraceae): implicações taxonômicas

Resumo Passifloraceae possui 17 generos e cerca de 750 especies. O genero Passiflora, possui aproximadamente 525 especies, distribuidas nas regioes tropicais do Novo Mundo, Asia e Australia, e esta subdividido em quatro subgeneros: Astrophea, Decaloba, Passiflora e Deidamioides. Este trabalho teve por objetivo verificar a ocorrencia de caracteres diagnosticos e fornecer subsidios para a taxonomia do grupo. Para tanto, foram analisadas oito especies: Passiflora capsularis, Passiflora misera, Passiflora morifolia, Passiflora organensis, Passiflora pohlii, Passiflora suberosa, Passiflora tricuspis e Passiflora vespertilio. Foram estudados de tres a seis individuos de cada especie, obtidos a partir das colecoes herborizadas dos herbarios do Departamento de Botânica da UFPR (UPCB) e do Museu Botânico Municipal (MBM), ambos em Curitiba-PR. Para o estudo anatomico, as amostras foliares foram submetidas ao processo de reidratacao e, posteriormente, incluidas em historesina seguindo tecnicas usuais utilizadas em anatomia vegetal. Alguns caracteres se destacaram com valor taxonomico e com potencial uso em estudos filogeneticos, como a presenca de papilas epidermicas, cuticula ornamentada e sistema vascular em arco. Os resultados indicam que estudos mais detalhados sobre a estrutura das papilas epidermicas e dos tipos de tricomas tectores trarao mais informacoes para o entendimento das relacoes em Decaloba e os outros subgeneros. Palavras-chave: estruturas secretoras, folha, papilas, taxonomia. Abstract Passifloraceae comprises 17 genera and approximately 750 species. The genus Passiflora has about 525 species distributed in tropical regions of the New World, Asia and Australia. Passiflora is subdivided in four subgenera: Astrophea, Decaloba, Passiflora, Deidamioides. The goal of this work is to verify the utility of selected anatomical features as diagnose or taxonomical characters. Three to six individuals of eight species of Passiflora, subgenus Decaloba were used: Passiflora capsularis, Passiflora misera, Passiflora morifolia, Passiflora organensis, Passiflora pohlii, Passiflora suberosa, Passiflora tricuspis and Passiflora vespertilio. Samples were obtained from Herbarium collections of the Herbarium of the Departamento de Botânica da Universidade Federal do Parana (UPCB) and Museu Botânico Municipal (MBM), Curitiba-PR. For the anatomical study, leaf samples were embedded in Historesin following usual anatomical procedures. Some features can be highlighted as taxonomic useful, and of potential use in phylogenetic studies, such as ornamented cuticle, presence of epidermal papillae and the shape of central vascular system. Results have indicated that detailed studies of papillae structure and types of trichomes might bring additional relevant information for the better understanding of the relations within Decaloba and other subgenera. Key words: secretory structures, leaf, papillae, taxonomy.

The bioindicative potential evaluation of Tabebuia alba (Cham.) Sandwith, Bignoniaceae, in urban atmospheric pollution

This study aimed to evaluate the existence of leaf anatomic characteristics in Tabebuia alba changed by air pollutants, which could be used as tool for a bioindication program. The quantification of mutagenic events on pollen grains also were measured. For this, median leaves and pre-anthesis flowers were collected from the adult plants from three places of Curitiba and one place in Araucaria, all nearby to the air monitoring stations. The comparison of the four study sites showed a reduction in leaf area, an increasing of stomatal density, subepidermic layer, epidermis in both faces and the amount of micronucleus. Also, there was reduction of chlorophyllian parenchymas at the site where there was the higher average for the ozone level. It was concluded that these modifications might be a consequence of the effect of troposferic pollution on T. alba plants. However, further studies with this species would be necessary to confirm its potential for bioindication.

Importance of the review on floristic and phytosociological studies of the arboreal stratum of the seasonal deciduous forest of the Serra Geral slope, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, to support proposals for sustainable management

The Seasonal Deciduous Forest (FED) is a deciduous and human-caused impacted vegetation, occurring at the Upper Rio Uruguay basin and at the southern slope of Serra Geral plateau, Rio Grande do Sul state. The aim of this study is to compile results of tree layer floristics and phytosociological surveys on FED of Serra Geral escarpment with the intention of supporting future interventions for the recovery of degraded areas and sustainable management projects. To obtain the data, was held a narrative review from 62 selected works from the digital libraries of CAPES, Scielo and Google Scholar. For quantitative variables, was calculated the median, standard deviation and amplitude. The hodgepodge of methods used in the surveys conducts to difficulties in comparing data. The median species richness is 54 and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index median is 3.10 nats. The analyzed surveys show very important information to define methods and planning for conservation, degraded area recovery and sustainable use of forest resources.

Dissolved Heavy Metal Determination and Ecotoxicological Assessment: A Case Study of the Corumbataí River (São Paulo, Brazil)

The aim of this one-year study (August 2009 to July 2010) was to evaluate the Corumbataí River water polluted by anthropogenic sources and see how it affects the reproduction of the microcrustacean Ceriodaphnia dubia (Richard, 1984) in laboratory conditions over seven days of exposure to water samples collected monthly at six different locations. We determined the concentrations of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd), as well as physicochemical parameters such as dissolved oxygen, conductivity, water temperature, and pH. Dissolved oxygen and conductivity demonstrated anthropogenic influence, as dissolved oxygen concentration decreased and conductivity increased from the upstream to the downstream stretch of the river. The effects on C. dubia were observed in the months with high precipitation, but the toxicity cannot be associated with any particular contaminant. Heavy metal levels kept well below the limit values. Zn and Pb had the highest concentrations in the water during the sampling period, probably due to the industrial and agricultural influence. However, these levels do not seem to be associated with precipitation, which suggests that their primary source was industry. Physicochemical parameters, the ecotoxicological assay, and determination of heavy metals proved to be efficient tools to evaluate aquatic environments.The aim of this one-year study (August 2009 to July 2010) was to evaluate the Corumbatai River water polluted by anthropogenic sources and see how it affects the reproduction of the microcrustacean Ceriodaphnia dubia (Richard, 1984) in laboratory conditions over seven days of exposure to water samples collected monthly at six different locations. We determined the concentrations of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd), as well as physicochemical parameters such as dissolved oxygen, conductivity, water temperature, and pH. Dissolved oxygen and conductivity demonstrated anthropogenic influence, as dissolved oxygen concentration decreased and conductivity increased from the upstream to the downstream stretch of the river. The effects on C. dubia were observed in the months with high precipitation, but the toxicity cannot be associated with any particular contaminant. Heavy metal levels kept well below the limit values. Zn and Pb had the highest concentrations in the water during the sampling period, probably due to the industrial and agricultural influence. However, these levels do not seem to be associated with precipitation, which suggests that their primary source was industry. Physicochemical parameters, the ecotoxicological assay, and determination of heavy metals proved to be efficient tools to evaluate aquatic environments.