Composição química do óleo essencial das folhas de Croton heliotropiifolius Kunth (Euphorbiaceae) / Chemical composition of essential oil from Croton heliotropiifolius Kunth (Euphorbiaceae) Leaves

O gênero croton, pertencente à família Euphorbiaceae, engloba uma vasta gama de espécies, as quais despertaram o interesse científico devido as suas aplicações na medicina popular. O Croton heliotropiifolius, espécie estudada neste trabalho, é conhecido comumente como “marmeleiro” em algumas regiões. Na medicina popular, esta espécie é utilizada no tratamento de febres e problemas digestivos, e há também estudos acerca de sua eficácia no combate ao mosquito Aedes aegypti. Sendo assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo extrair o óleo essencial das folhas dessa espécie por hidrodestilação em aparelho Clevenger, e identificar a composição química desse óleo através da cromatografia gasosa acoplada a espectrometria de massas (CG/EM). Análise dos dados obtidos permitiu a identificação de uma mistura de monoterpenos e sesquiterpenos, sendo os compostos majoritários o biciclogermacreno (19,04%), o E-cariofileno (18,51%), o limoneno (15,65%) e o ?-pineno (13,24%). Esses resultados estão de acordo com os estudos encontrados na literatura. Outros compostos foram encontrados como traços, o ?-pineno (0,80%), por exemplo, enquanto na literatura foram encontrados como compostos majoritários, isso mostra que as plantas sofrem influência do ambiente em que foram coletadas.

Composição química dos óleos essenciais de Croton sonderianus Muell. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) / Chemical composition of Croton sonderianus Muell essential oils. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae)

As plantas do gênero Croton, pertencentes à família Euphorbiaceae, compõem o elenco de plantas usadas para fins medicinais. São plantas produtoras de óleos essenciais, cuja composição química é rica em mono- e sesquiterpenos e são conhecidos por apresentarem um grande leque de atividades biológicas. A espécie Croton sonderianus MUELL. ARG., conhecido pelo nome popular de marmeleiro preto, é encontrado na região nordeste e apresenta ação larvicida, antiinflamatória, antinociceptiva, entre outras. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar a composição química dos óleos essenciais de C. sonderianus do agreste paraibano. Os óleos essenciais das folhas e inflorescência foram extraídos pelo método da hidrodestilação e depois analisados por Cromatografia Gasosa Acoplada a Espectrometria de Massas (CG/EM). Análise dos dados obtidos permitiu a identificação de trinta e dois compostos, representando mais de 90% da composição química de cada óleo. Os principais constituintes do óleo das folhas foram o biciclogermacreno (34,0%), D-germacreno (19,0%) e trans-cariofileno (17,8%) e os principais componentes do óleo das inflorescências foram o óxido de cariofileno (27,9%), espatulenol (16,7%) e 1,8-cineol (8,0%). A presença do biciclogernacreno como constituinte majoritário do óleo essencial das folhas da referida espécie está em consonância com os dados descritos na literatura. É importante ressaltar que o sesquiterpeno, D-gemacreno, está sendo identificado pela primeira vez para óleo essencial das de C. sonderianus. Tais resultados mostram que fatores como temperatura e solo interferem diretamente na composição química dos óleos essenciais

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora

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