Suzene Izídio da Silva

Floristic similarities between lowland and montane areas of Atlantic Coastal Forest in Northeastern Brazil

Studies undertaken in the Atlantic Coastal Forest have revealed a notable floristic heterogeneity within this vegetation type in NE Brazil. However, there is still a great need for detailed comparisons of the floristic relationships between the various forest types found there. This work presents an analysis of the floristic similarity (at the species level) of these forest as revealed by floristic surveys, with the aim of better understanding and defining this vegetation. Using a binary matrix, grouping, ordering, and TWINSPAN analysis were performed on 742 tree/shrub species listed in 35 different plant surveys. These tree/shrub species were divided by these analysis into two large floristic groups – ombrophilous and semideciduous. The semideciduous group was formed, in general, by forest areas located at altitudes above 700 m (montane forests), and could itself be divided into two subgroups. The first subgroup was located more inland (Pernambuco), while the second subgroup was located nearer the coast (within the states of Pernambuco and Ceará). The ombrophilous group was quite heterogeneous, but could also be divided into two floristic subgroups: i) lowland forests (below 100 m a.s.l) in the states of Pernambuco, Paraíba, and in two areas of Bahia, as well as some montane forests (in Pernambuco, between 640 and 900 m a.s.l.); ii) lowlands forests in the states of Alagoas and Bahia. This latter subgroup is the largest and best defined, and has the highest degree of internal similarity. Nonetheless, it can be further subdivided into two smaller classes, one in Alagoas and the other in Bahia State. The results of this study demonstrate that the concept of the Atlantic Coastal Forest could also include montane ombrophilous forests in Pernambuco State, as these forests form a single floristic unit together with lowland forests in that state.

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.

Diversidade de herbáceas em microhabitats rochoso, plano e ciliar em uma área de caatinga, Caruaru, PE, Brasil

Objetivou-se avaliar a influencia da heterogeneidade micro-espacial no aumento da fitodiversidade herbacea em uma area de caatinga de Caruaru, Pernambuco, Brasil. Microhabitats rochosos, planos e ciliares foram selecionados, e nesses foi realizado um levantamento quali-quantitativo das herbaceas ocorrentes em 35 parcelas de 1 m2, em cada microhabitat. Todas as ervas nas parcelas foram contadas, marcadas e identificadas, coletando-se tambem outras especies herbaceas ocorrentes entre as parcelas. A riqueza taxonomica total de herbaceas foi mais elevada ao se considerar o conjunto dos microhabitats. A flora total foi de 62 especies, 42 destas ocorrendo no microhabitat rochoso, 32 no plano e 39 no ciliar. O indice de similaridade floristica de Jaccard entre os microhabitats variou de 42% (plano × ciliar) a 57% (rochoso × plano). Isoladamente, as riquezas de especies nos microhabitats plano, rochoso e ciliar foram de 3,09; 3,88 e de 4,18 especies (ln ind.)-1 e as diversidades, pelo indice de Shannon-Wiener, foram de 2,08; 2,09 e de 2,52 nats.ind.-1, respectivamente. Malvaceae, Euphorbiaceae e Poaceae apresentaram maior numero de especies. A densidade total de herbaceas foi de 4.009 ind.105 m-2, sendo 1.749 individuos do microhabitat rochoso, 1.020 do ciliar e 1.240 do plano. Cerca de 19% das especies eram trepadeiras e foram consideradas como um grupo importante para conservacao da biodiversidade local. Evidenciou-se a importância da inclusao das herbaceas dos diferentes microhabitats, para a determinacao da riqueza floristica da caatinga.

A comparative study of nutritional composition and potential use of some underutilized tropical fruits of Arecaceae

In this study, pulp and kernel of fruits from six Arecaceae species were subjected to proximate analysis, fatty acid composition and total carotenoid content analysis. The species with the highest carbohydrate, lipid and protein values were Ptychosperma macarthurii(70.1 g/100 g in the kernel), Syagrus cearensis(40.6 g/100 g in the kernel), andS. coronata(20.6 g/100 g in the pulp). The ash content ranged from 0.61 to 7.51 g/100 g. Lauric, palmitic, and oleic acids were the major fatty acids identified. The total carotenoid contents and retinol activity equivalents were highest in the Pinanga kuhlii (180.3 µg/g) and Acrocomia intumescens (138.0 µg/g) pulp oils. Retinol activity equivalents varied between the investigated species (456 to 1515 μg RAE/100 g). Native species such as A. intumescens, S. coronata, and S. cearensis are good sources of fresh food for the underserved populations that inhabit poorly developed areas such as the semi-arid region of Brazil. P. macarthurii, an exotic species, is an excellent source of ash and carotenoids, demonstrating its potential both as a food source and as bioactive compounds. Pulp and kernel ofA. intumescens,could be a good alternative feedstock for soap and biodiesel production, respectively.

Fatty-Acid Composition of Seeds and Chemotaxonomic Evaluation of Sixteen Sapindaceae Species

Circumscriptions for the Sapindaceae family and its infrafamilial relationships have been widely discussed. Certain groups are highly morphologically similar; thus, it is difficult to identify certain taxa. DNA Analyses have also indicated complex phylogenetic relationships, and it is difficult to relate such analyses to morphological data. Given the above concerns, this study aimed to investigate the fatty‐acid profiles of the seed oils of 16 Sapindaceae species belonging to five tribes and to evaluate their potential chemotaxonomic significance. In total, eleven fatty acids were identified, and eicosenoic acid predominated in nine species. Multivariate analyses (principal component and cluster analyses) of the fatty‐acid profiles of the seed oils allowed to separate them in two major clusters. The first cluster, characterized by oils with high eicosenoic acid levels, included all species belonging to the Paullinieae tribe (Cardiospermum, Paullinia, and Serjania species). In the second main cluster, the chemical similarity of the oils was lower, and the species belonged to different tribes. Nevertheless, the tree investigated Allophylus species (Thouinieae tribe) constituted a separate subcluster. Thus, the results showed that the fatty‐acid composition of the seed oils of Sapindaceae species provide chemotaxonomic support for the separation of the Paullinieae tribe from the other tribes studied.

Caracterização de frutos, sementes, plântulas e germinação de Jeniparana

Gustavia augusta L., conhecida popularmente como jeniparana, e uma especie arborea neotropical, que ocorre nas florestas Atlântica e Amazonica. Considerando-se a abundância dessa especie na floresta Atlântica e a fragilidade e fragmentacao desse ecossistema, objetivou-se, com este trabalho, caracterizar seus frutos, sementes, germinacao e plântulas, acrescentando informacoes para subsidiar estudos sobre sua conservacao e utilizacao. Os frutos maduros foram coletados em fragmentos de floresta Atlântica, no municipio de Paulista, PE. Em seguida, foram realizadas analises morfologicas e biometricas dos frutos, sementes e plântulas da especie. O fruto de G. augusta e um pixidio globoso, anfissarcidio, pentalocular, indeiscente. A semente e exalbuminosa, estenospermica, trisseriada, bitegumentada e a massa de cem sementes desse lote foi de 47,95 g. A germinacao da especie e do tipo hipogea, com o tegumento aderido aos cotiledones na fase inicial do crescimento da plântula, que tem inicio a partir do quinto dia apos a semeadura, em condicoes de laboratorio. O tempo medio e o indice de velocidade de germinacao (IVG) foram de 14 dias e 0,87, respectivamente. A plântula com 40 dias apresenta todas as estruturas, sendo classificada no tipo morfofuncional fanerohipogeo-armazenador (PHR).

Natural forest regeneration in abandoned sugarcane fields in northeastern Brazil: floristic changes

Surveys were undertaken to examine the floristic changes during secondary succession in three areas of 12 and three of 20-year-old secondary forests in Pernambuco State, Brazil. Two hundred and six species were identified, with 136 being found in the 12-year-old secondary forest and 161 species in the 20-year-old forest. Fabaceae and Myrtaceae were the most important families, increasing in species numbers with regeneration age. Of the 216 species, 115 were trees, 48 shrubs, 16 herbaceous plants, and 24 woody lianas, without significant differences between the two regeneration site ages. NMDS analysis revealed a formation of two floristic groups, distinguishing secondary and mature forests, with a further division within secondary forests in accordance with the time since abandonment. Similarity analysis ANOSIM confirmed the significance of the groups, which had floristic composition significant distinct (R=0.96) and 63% of dissimilarity (SIMPER). However, the sharing of 68 arboreal species between the secondary and mature forests suggests a floristic convergence. DCA analysis of the arboreal component as well as the other plant habits suggested that the separation of the subgroups is correlated with physical and chemical variables of the soils. All of these results indicate that, within the chronosequence analyzed, the velocity and direction of the floristic composition during secondary succession was influenced not only by the time of their abandonment, but also by a wide range of environmental variables.