Aspectos morfológicos da unidade de dispersão de cajazeira

Morphological features of endocarps of five Brazilian yellow mombin plants were assessed. Plants selected to this study were as follow: Plant 1 (from Caucaia) and plant 2 (from Itaitinga), both in the State of Ceará; plants 3, 4 and 5 (from Areia, State of Paraíba). A total of 500 mature fruits were harvested from each plant, peeled, dried under shade and stored in paper bags. Random samples of 50 endocarps were taken from each batch, and the following characteristics were evaluated: weight, length and diameter in the median part, and the number of loci and seeds. Number of loci and seeds per endocarp ranged from two to five, and from zero to five, respectively. Highest frequencies observed were four loci and one seed. Endocarps of yellow mombin exhibit high frequency concerning the presence of more than one seed as well as low sterility.Foram estudados aspectos morfológicos dos endocarpos de cinco plantas de cajazeira (Spondias mombin L.): Planta 1, de Caucaia, CE; Planta 2, de Itaitinga, CE; Plantas 3, 4 e 5, de Areia, PB. Coletaram-se 500 frutos por planta. Após despolpados, os endocarpos foram secados à sombra e armazenados em sacos de papel. Em amostras aleatórias de 50 endocarpos de cada planta, foram avaliadas as seguintes características: peso, comprimento e diâmetro na parte mediana e número de lóculos e de sementes normais. O número de lóculos e de sementes por endocarpo variou de dois a cinco e de zero a cinco, respectivamente, e as maiores freqüências foram de quatro lóculos e de uma semente por endocarpo. Os endocarpos de cajá possuem alta freqüência de mais de uma semente e baixa esterilidade

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Physiological responses to salt stress in two cultivars of cowpea

O feijÃo-caupi, de origem africana, à uma das espÃces mais importantes no Nordeste brasileiro, principalmente no aspecto social, como geradora de empregos e garantia de subsistÃncia, utilizando mÃo-de-obra familiar e tÃcnicas de cultivo, que vÃo das rudimentares Ãs mais modernas. NÃo obstante, o feijÃo-caupi se desenvolve no semi-Ãrido brasileiro sob condiÃÃes ambientais adversas, nas quais predominam irregularidades hÃdricas, temperaturas elevadas e solos salinizados. O excesso de sais na soluÃÃo do solo pode causar estresse osmÃtico nas culturas, pela reduÃÃo do potencial hÃdrico do solo, e toxicidade iÃnica especÃfica, em funÃÃo do acÃmulo excessivo de Ãons salinos (Na+ e Cl-) no tecido vegetal. Os efeitos da salinidade sobre o metabolismo vegetal sÃo complexos e atingem processos metabÃlicos associados ao dÃficit hÃdrico, desbalanÃo nutricional e iÃnico, comportamento estomÃtico, eficiÃncia fotossintÃtica e capacidade de assimilaÃÃo e alocaÃÃo de carbono. Neste estudo, duas cultivares, (PitiÃba e PÃrola) de feijÃo-caupi foram comparadas quanto a mecanismos fisiolÃgicos ligados com a resistÃncia ao estresse salino. Sementes de feijÃo-caupi das cultivares foram utilizadas apÃs uma seleÃÃo entre 55 genÃtipos. A resistÃncia destas cultivares ao estresse salino foi averiguada durante a germinaÃÃo e o desenvolvimento inicial em condiÃÃes controladas (27Â2C, fotoperÃodo de 12 h, 240 mol.m-2 s-1) e de casa de vegetaÃÃo, nas quais as plantas foram submetidas a tratamentos com concentraÃÃes crescentes de NaCl (0, 25, 50, 75 e 100 mM). Em casa de vegetaÃÃo, as irrigaÃÃes foram baseadas em curva de absorÃÃo e retenÃÃo de Ãgua pelo substrato, mantendo-se a umidade equivalente à capacidade de campo (70%). Nos experimentos de germinaÃÃo, os efeitos dos tratamentos salinos foram verificados sobre a massa fresca, massa seca, porcentagem de umidade, conteÃdo de Na+ e K+, porcentagem de germinaÃÃo (%G) e Ãndice de velocidade de germinaÃÃo (IVG). Durante o desenvolvimento inicial, massa fresca, massa seca, porcentagem de umidade, CRA e particionamento de Na+ e K+ foram determinados na planta completa, ao passo que a atividade de enzimas antioxidativas (SOD, CAT, APX e POX), %VE e TBARS foi determinada em folhas. As cultivares PÃrola e PitiÃba apresentaram respostas diferenciais à salinidade causada pelo NaCl, especialmente durante a germinaÃÃo. Apesar de apresentar maior conteÃdo de reservas, a cultivar PÃrola se mostrou mais sensÃvel aos tratamentos salinos, possivelmente pela maior permeabilidade do tegumento, que permitiu rÃpida embebiÃÃo e maior acÃmulo de Na+. Assim, os tecidos desta cultivar estariam mais propensos a sofrer danos de membrana e distÃrbios metabÃlicos que os da cultivar PitiÃba. O conteÃdo de Na+ em folhas da cultivar PÃrola foi maior quando comparado com a cultivar PitiÃba. O estresse salino afetou severamente o crescimento de feijÃo-caupi durante o estÃdio de estabelecimento das plÃntulas. Esta restriÃÃo de crescimento ocorreu associada ao acÃmulo excessivo de Na+ e Cl- nos diferentes ÃrgÃos, sem alteraÃÃes significativas do conteÃdo de K+. Plantas de feijÃo-caupi apresentam carÃter excluidor de Na+ da parte aÃrea, acumulando este Ãon preferencialmente nas raÃzes. A cultivar PitiÃba acumulou mais Cl- nas folhas e apresentou melhor performance de crescimento, indicando que o conteÃdo de Cl- acumulado nas folhas nÃo atingiu concentraÃÃes tÃxicas, e que a toxicidade iÃnica na espÃcie està associada principalmente ao Na+. O efeito do NaCl no crescimento pode ser observado atravÃs da TCR das duas cultivares. As cultivares apresentaram reduÃÃo da taxa de crescimento em torno de 70%, quando tratadas com NaCl 100 mM. Apesar do %VE ter sido aumentado devido ao tratamento salino em folhas, o conteÃdo de TBARS sofreu aumento discreto. AlÃm disso, as atividades de SOD, APX e POX foram aumentadas em ambas as cultivares, enquanto a atividade de CAT foi reduzida, indicando um possÃvel efeito protetor dos tecidos foliares contra danos oxidativos. Assim, à provÃvel que os danos fisiolÃgicos causados por NaCl nÃo foram, na sua maioria, causados por estresse oxidativo. Inversamente, o conteÃdo de TBARS, juntamente com as atividades de SOD, CAT, APX e POX, podem nÃo ser bons indicadores fisiolÃgicos para explicar a intensidade dos danos oxidativos causados por NaCl em folhas de plantas de feijÃo-caupi. Contudo, a habilidade de folhas de feijÃo-caupi em resistir ao estresse oxidativo causado por salinidade, podem envolver diferentes vias de remoÃÃo de EROs.The cultivation of cowpea is fundamental in the Northeast of Brazil due to its social features in employment and subsistence. In this region, cowpea develops under adverse environmental conditions, including irregular precipitation, high temperatures and salinizated soils. The excessive soil salinity could lower the soil water potential, causing osmotic stress in plants, as well as salt stress could induce ionic toxicity due to the accumulation of saline ions (Na+ and Cl-) in the plant tissues. The effects of salinity in the plant metabolism are complex and include processes associated to water deficit, nutritional imbalance, photosynthetic efficiency and carbon assimilation and allocation. In this work, two cowpea cultivars were confronted in relation to physiological mechanisms associated to salt stress. Cowpea seeds of the PÃrola and PitiÃba cultivars were selected to this work after a preliminary screening among 55 genotypes. The resistance of these cultivars against NaCl-salinity were assessed during the germination and the initial growth under controlled (27Â2C, photoperiod of 12 h, 240 mol.m-2 s-1) and greenhouse conditions, subjecting plants to increasing external concentrations of NaCl (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 mM). At greenhouse conditions, watering were performed according to the substrate field capacity (70%). In the germination assays, the effects of the salt treatments were assessed in fresh weight, dry weight, Na+ , Cl- and K+ content, germination percentage (%G) and germination velocity index (GVI). During the initial growth, fresh weight, dry weight, relative water content and Na+, Cl- and K+ partitioning were determined in the whole plants, while electrolyte leakage, TBARS and the activity of antioxidative enzymes (SOD, CAT, APX e POX) were measured only in the leaves. The tested cultivars presented differential responses to NaCl-salinity, especially during seed germination. Although the PÃrola seeds contained more food reserves, they appeared more sensible to the salt treatments, probably due to tegument permeability, which allowed fast imbibition and higher Na+ accumulation. Then, the tissues of PÃrola seeds could be more exposed to membrane damages and metabolic disturbances caused by NaCl than that of the PitiÃba cultivar. Additionally, the salt treatments also affected severely the growth of both cultivars during the seedling establishment. This growth restriction was related to saline ion accumulation in the different organs of cowpea seedlings, without considerable changes in the K+ content. Cowpea seedlings excluded Na+ from the shoot and accumulated this ion preferentially in the roots. The PitiÃba seedlings accumulated more Cl- in the shoot than that of the PÃrola cultivar and presented better growth performance, indicating that the accumulated Cl- probably did not reach toxic concentrations. Then, ionic toxicity in this species could be related more to Na+ than to Cl- accumulation. Although the salt treatment induced a considerable increase of the electrolyte leakage in cowpea leaves, it provoked only a slight augment of TBARS in these organs. In addition, the activity of SOD, APX and POX was increased in salt-treated plants of both cultivars, while the CAT activity was reduced, indicating a possible protective effect against oxidative damages in leaf tissue. In this way, it seems that the physiological disturbances caused by NaCl stress were not attributable to a secondary oxidative stress. Conversely, the TBARS content jointly with the activity of SOD, CAT, APX and POX could not be recommendable parameters to assess the oxidative damages caused by NaCl in cowpea leaves. Finally, the ability of cowpea leave to overcome salt-induced oxidative stress could involve different pathways of ROS scavenge

Alternativa sustentável para descarte de resíduos de pescado em Fortaleza

Population growth in urban centers has worsened the problem of management of solid waste generated by residents, caused mainly by the volume of waste produced and the consumer lifestyle. In this context waste recycling, whether agricultural or industrial origin, originating from diverse supply chains, whose improper disposal can cause negative impacts to the environment, such as waste from the fishing industry, presents itself as an important tool for minimize the deficit of organic fertilizers to ecological production systems. Thus, this study aimed to propose a sustainable alternative for disposal of fish waste generated from kiosks and beach huts in Fortaleza - Ceará, thus producing organic compost made ​​from discarded material (viscera, head , spine and scales), thus adding, value to this waste, helping to break the dependence on chemical fertilizers by farmers and reducing the environmental impacts caused by its disposal in the city of Fortaleza. The chemical analysis of organic fertilizer from fish showed positive results, with rich Fe, Ca, P, K, Mg, Mn and N, claiming that this organic compound is an excellent alternative to get good yields in agriculture.O crescimento populacional nos centros urbanos tem agravado o problema do gerenciamento dos resíduos sólidos gerados pelos habitantes, causados principalmente, pelo volume de lixo produzido e pelo estilo de vida consumista. Neste contexto a reciclagem de resíduos, seja de origem agrícola ou industrial, oriundos das mais diversas cadeias produtivas, cujos descartes indevidos podem causar impactos negativos ao ambiente, como é o caso dos resíduos provenientes da indústria pesqueira, apresenta-se como uma importante ferramenta para minimizar o déficit de fertilizantes orgânicos para sistemas produtivos ecológicos. Desse modo, este trabalho teve por objetivo propor uma alternativa sustentável para o descarte de resíduos de pescados gerados a partir de quiosques e barracas de praia do município de Fortaleza – Ceará, produzindo assim, composto orgânico elaborado a partir do material descartado (vísceras, cabeça, espinha e escamas), agregando assim, valor a este resíduo, contribuindo para quebra de dependência de fertilizantes químicos pelos agricultores e reduzindo os impactos ambientais gerados pelo seu descarte na cidade de Fortaleza. A análise química do adubo orgânico de pescado mostrou resultados positivos, apresentando ricos teores de Fe, Ca, P, K, Mg, Mn e N, afirmando que este composto orgânico é uma excelente alternativa para obter bons rendimentos na agricultura