Euterpe oleracea Mart (Açaizeiro) from the Brazilian Amazon: A Novel Font of Fungi for Lipase Production

Lipases (EC 3.1.1.3) are hydrolases that catalyze triglycerides hydrolysis in free fatty acids and glycerol. Among the microorganisms that produce lipolytic enzymes, the entophytic fungi stand out. We evaluated 32 fungi of different genera, Pestalotiopsis, Aspergillus, Trichoderma, Penicillium, Fusarium, Colletotrichum, Chaetomium, Mucor, Botryodiplodia, Xylaria, Curvularia, Neocosmospora and Verticillium, isolated from Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Açaizeiro) from the Brazilian Amazon for lipase activity. The presence of lipase was evidenced by the deposition of calcium crystals. The endophytic Pestalotiopsis sp. (31) and Aspergillus sp. (24) with Pz 0.237 (++++) and 0.5 (++++), respectively, were the ones that showed the highest lipolytic activity in a solid medium. Lipase activity was rated in liquid medium, in a different range of temperatures (°C), pH and time (days). The values obtained in the production of lipase by the endophytic fungi were 94% for Pestalotiopsis sp. (31) and 93.87% for Aspergillus sp. (24). Therefore, it is emphasized that the endophytic fungus isolated the E. oleracea palm may be a potential candidate to produce enzymes of global commercial interest

Growing knowledge: an overview of Seed Plant diversity in Brazil

Abstract An updated inventory of Brazilian seed plants is presented and offers important insights into the country's biodiversity. This work started in 2010, with the publication of the Plants and Fungi Catalogue, and has been updated since by more than 430 specialists working online. Brazil is home to 32,086 native Angiosperms and 23 native Gymnosperms, showing an increase of 3% in its species richness in relation to 2010. The Amazon Rainforest is the richest Brazilian biome for Gymnosperms, while the Atlantic Rainforest is the richest one for Angiosperms. There was a considerable increment in the number of species and endemism rates for biomes, except for the Amazon that showed a decrease of 2.5% of recorded endemics. However, well over half of Brazillian seed plant species (57.4%) is endemic to this territory. The proportion of life-forms varies among different biomes: trees are more expressive in the Amazon and Atlantic Rainforest biomes while herbs predominate in the Pampa, and lianas are more expressive in the Amazon, Atlantic Rainforest, and Pantanal. This compilation serves not only to quantify Brazilian biodiversity, but also to highlight areas where there information is lacking and to provide a framework for the challenge faced in conserving Brazil's unique and diverse flora