The complete genome sequence of Chromobacterium violaceum reveals remarkable and exploitable bacterial adaptability

Chromobacterium violaceum is one of millions of species of free-living microorganisms that populate the soil and water in the extant areas of tropical biodiversity around the world. Its complete genome sequence reveals (i) extensive alternative pathways for energy generation, (ii) ≈500 ORFs for transport-related proteins, (iii) complex and extensive systems for stress adaptation and motility, and (iv) wide-spread utilization of quorum sensing for control of inducible systems, all of which underpin the versatility and adaptability of the organism. The genome also contains extensive but incomplete arrays of ORFs coding for proteins associated with mammalian pathogenicity, possibly involved in the occasional but often fatal cases of human C. violaceum infection. There is, in addition, a series of previously unknown but important enzymes and secondary metabolites including paraquat-inducible proteins, drug and heavy-metal-resistance proteins, multiple chitinases, and proteins for the detoxification of xenobiotics that may have biotechnological applications

ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest

Epiphytes are hyper-diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non-vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer-reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non-vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non-vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ

Rubiaceae na Serra Geral de Licínio de Almeida, Bahia, Brasil

Resumo Entre as áreas que são reconhecidas pela carência de inventários florísticos no estado da Bahia, destaca-se a região sudoeste, mais precisamente as áreas que compreendem o Espinhaço Setentrional. O objetivo deste estudo foi realizar o levantamento florístico e taxonômico de Rubiaceae da Serra Geral de Licínio de Almeida (SGLA), Bahia. Foram realizadas dez expedições de campo para coleta entre julho de 2012 e maio de 2015, abrangendo todas as fitofisionomias existentes na área. Os materiais coletados foram processados e depositados nos herbários ALCB e HUEFS. Materiais de referência foram também analisados em visita aos herbários ALCB, CEPEC, HRB, HUEFS, RB, SPF. Foram reconhecidas 43 espécies, distribuídas em 28 gêneros, sendo Declieuxia (5 spp.), Borreria (3 spp.), Cordiera (3 spp.) e Psychotria (3 spp.) os gêneros mais diversos e, seguindo os estudos florísticos prévios na Cadeia do Espinhaço, houve um grande número de gêneros (19) com apenas uma única espécie. Psyllocarpus asparagoides, Psyllocarpus laricoides, Stachyarrhena reflexa são endêmicas da Bahia e Minas Gerais; Declieuxia passerina e Galianthe peruviana são novas ocorrências para a Bahia, e duas espécies (Randia sp. e Staelia sp.) são possivelmente inéditas para a ciência. São apresentados chaves de identificação genérica e específica, descrições, comentários taxonômicos para as espécies, além de fotos e ilustrações

Rediscovery of Chiococca insularis (Ridley) C.M.Taylor & M.R.V. Barbosa (Rubiaceae), a species presumed extinct, on the island of Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil

Chiococca insularis (Ridley) C.M.Taylor & M.R.V.Barbosa (Rubiaceae) was described by Henry Nicholas Ridley in 1890, based on a collection he made on the island of Fernando de Noronha (Pernambuco, Brazil) in 1887. Since then, this species had not been collected again and has been treated as probably extinct. After 130 years, we discovered two new populations in the southwestern portion of the island, and the conservation status of the species is reassessed. A full description of the species, with previously unseen or unmeasured characters, habitat information and photographs of the plant and environment are provided

Tetrapterys crispa

Angiosperm

Heteropterys sericea

Angiosperm