Invasions across secondary forest successional stages: effects of local plant community, soil, litter, and herbivory on Hovenia dulcis seed germination and seedling establishment

Species abilities for seed germination and seedling survival under different situations are good predictors of their capacity to colonize a broad range of habitats. Biotic conditions related to understory cover, and abiotic factors such as litter thickness and soil moisture can be determinants of plant establishment. We evaluated seed germination, seedling survival, and growth of the invasive tree Hovenia dulcis under experimental field conditions in three successional stages (open, semi-open, and closed vegetation) of a fragmented seasonal deciduous forest in southern Brazil. Our hypotheses were that H. dulcis seed germination, seedling survival, and seedling growth decrease along the successional gradient, that these factors are positively affected by soil moisture and percentage of bare soil, and negatively affected by understory cover and litter thickness. We also tested the hypothesis that herbivory on H. dulcis would decrease along the successional gradient. Our main finding was that H. dulcis can germinate and establish along all forest successional stages because it is shadetolerant. Abiotic factors were more important than biotic factors for seed germination. Soil moisture positively affected seed germination while litter thickness negatively influenced seed germination. Percentage of bare soil negatively influenced seedling survival. Germination rates were higher in closed vegetation, whereas seedling survival was higher in semi-open vegetation, and growth rates were higher in open vegetation. There was no difference in herbivory among successional stages. The results of our study show that intermediate forest succession stages congregate the most favorable conditions for H. dulcis establishment, likely making them more susceptible to invasion.Fil: Dechoum, Michele. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Zenni, Rafael D.. Universidade do Brasília; BrasilFil: Castellani, Tania. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Zalba, Sergio Martín. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rejmánek, M.. University of California at Davis; Estados Unido

Outcomes of Abrupt Switch to Bevacizumab of Patients Undergoing Aflibercept Intravitreal Injections for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in a Tertiary Center in Lombardy, Italy: A Real-Life Retrospective Analysis

To assess real-life anatomical and functional outcomes of switch to bevacizumab in patients undergoing aflibercept intravitreal injections for nAMD

Alquimia, Ocultismo, Maçonaria: o ouro e o simbolismo hermético dos cadinhos (Séculos XVIII e XIX)

Este artigo apresenta a arqueologia das enigmáticas marcas impressas na base de cadinhos dos séculos XVIII e XIX recuperados nas escavações da Casa da Moeda do Rio de Janeiro, na década de 1980, e a explanação do seu significado simbólico à luz da alquimia, do ocultismo e da Maçonaria. Espraiando-se extraordinariamente mundo afora através de uma bem-sucedida estratégia de comunicação visual, a Maçonaria utilizou símbolos herméticos para a difusão de seus princípios nos mais diferentes suportes. Aparentemente estamos diante de um sinal de reconhecimento maçônico, o sinal exterior de uma organização oculta, só partilhado por iniciados e incompreensível para os demais, que contribuiu para difundir veladamente a doutrina maçônica por diferentes pontos do globo

Estrutura e dinâmica populacional de Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R. Brown (Convolvulaceae) na Ilha de Santa Catarina

Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Instituto de Biologia

Estrutura e dinamica populacional de Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R. Brown (Convolvulaceae) na ilha de Santa Catarina

Orientador: Flavio Antonio Maes dos SantosTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de BiologiaDoutorad