Banisteriopsis Species: A Source of Bioactive of Potential Medical Application

In recent years, interest in further development of herbal or botanical drug products derived from traditional preparations has been increasing steadily. Plants have been used for thousands of years to treat health disorders and to prevent diseases including epidemics. Several research works have been developed to search for new natural products to be used in pharmaceutical products. Active compounds produced during secondary metabolism are responsible for the biological properties of the plant species and may be used to most diverse purposes, including treatment of several diseases. Banisteriopsis species has been described showing interesting activities by its use in popular medicine. The mainly use was described to production of the Ayahuasca, an Amazonian psychotropic plant tea obtained from Banisteriopsis caapi, which contains  betacarboline alkaloids, mainly harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine. Other species of Banisteriopsis genus have been described with biological metabolites as antimicrobial, anticholinesterase, antianxiety and others. These biological activities were described chiefly by the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins. Thus, to stimulate the study into the Banisteriopsis genus, the purpose of the present review is to gather information on the use of the extracts and metabolites of Banisteriopsis species (Malpighiaceae) as a resource to diseases treatment or to pharmaceutical purposes

Influência dos fungos endofíticos sobre os herbívoros de Baccharis dracunculifolia (Asteraceae)

Endophytic fungi have an important role in the mediation of the plant-herbivores, plantpathogens and plant-environment interaction. To understand the interaction between endophytic fungi and Baccharis dracunculifolia (Asteraceae) and these with the herbivores, the following hypotheses were investigated: (i) the number of endophytic morphospecies (richness) increases with leaf age; (ii) the richness of endophytes varies with seasonality; (iii) the richness of endophytes varies with the plant gender; (iv) there is negative correlation between the richness of endophytes and richness of herbivores; and (v) there is negative correlation between the richness of endophytes and abundance of herbivores. Monthly, the leaves of B. dracunculifolia were collected in Estação Ecológica da UFMG from October, 2006 to August, 2007. In total, we found eight endophytic morphospecies, a low number when compared to the results found in other study in the same plant species. Mature leaves had higher richness, mainly during the wet season. In relation to gender, the richness was equal. It was also observed that the richness of endophytes found in leaves did not influence the richness and abundance of herbivores. All the results of this work indicated that the environment has fundamental role in the determination of the endophytic community and in the Baccharis-herbivores interaction. Key words: Baccharis, Cerrado, endophytic fungi, herbivores, Asteraceae.Os fungos endofíticos possuem um papel importante na mediação das interações plantaherbívoros, planta-patógenos e planta-ambiente. Para compreender a interação entre os fungos endofíticos e Baccharis dracunculifolia (Asteraceae) e deste com os herbívoros, foram investigadas as seguintes hipóteses: (i) o número de espécies de endofíticos (riqueza) aumenta com a idade foliar; (ii) a riqueza de endofíticos nas folhas varia com a sazonalidade; (iii) a riqueza de endofíticos varia conforme o sexo do vegetal; (iv) há correlação negativa entre a riqueza de endofíticos e a riqueza de herbívoros; e (v) há correlação negativa entre a riqueza de endofíticos e a abundância de herbívoros. Para este estudo, folhas de B. dracunculifolia foram coletadas mensalmente na Estação Ecológica da UFMG, de outubro de 2006 a agosto de 2007. Ao todo, foram encontradas oito morfoespécies de endofíticos, um número baixo, quando comparado com os resultados obtidos em outro estudo, analisando a mesma espécie vegetal. As folhas maduras apresentaram maior riqueza, principalmente durante a estação chuvosa, mas não houve diferenças em relação à riqueza equivalente ao sexo. Observou-se, também, que a riqueza endofítica encontrada nas folhas não influenciou a riqueza e a abundância de herbívoros. Os resultados do estudo indicaram que o ambiente exerceu um papel fundamental na determinação da comunidade endofítica e nas interações Baccharis-herbívoros. Palavras-chave: Baccharis, Cerrado, fungos endofíticos, herbívoros, Asteraceae

Engendering ecosystem services for urban transformation:the role of natural capital in reducing poverty and building resilient urban communities

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005) recognises a number of concerns in the relationship between human development and ecosystem services. People are integral parts of ecosystems, and a dynamic interactive relationship exists between human activity and ecosystems, with changing human activity driving ecosystem changes, and ecosystem changes causing changes in people's well-being. Ecosystems have rapidly changed over the last 50 years, largely to meet growing demands for related services such as food, water, timber, fibre, and fuel. Human demands on ecosystem services (ES) has resulted in a substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of species on the planet. The challenge of reversing the degradation of ecosystems while meeting increasing demands for their services may involve significant changes in policies, institutions, and practices for themanagement of ecosystems. The MEA notes the pattern of ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ associated with ecosystem changes has not been adequately taken into account in management decisions, in particular the impact of these changes on poor people, women, and indigenous peoples.Degradation of ecosystem services are often being borne disproportionately by the poor, women, and indigenous peoples, and are contributing to growing inequities and disparities across groups of people, and are sometimes the principal factor causing poverty, conflicts, or the migration of refugees in developing countries. Growing urbanisation and climate change present further important challenges for the future, and how urban development is undertaken and managed has implications for present and future wellbeing. However, cities can be planned and built to ensure sustainability for people and planet and ES can be used to improve wellbeing and reduce poverty. The MEA suggests the notion of ES encapsulates the dynamic processes through which natural capital when mobilised, provides a range of services, goods and benefits that are critical to sustaining life e.g. oxygen, food, water, recreational and psychological benefits. Ecosystem Services frameworks allow us to conceptualise environmental functions as an explicit link between natural capital and human wellbeing.This report focusses on how natural capital and its associated ecosystem services (ES) can be understood within the context of the urban environment. It focuses on how different ES can be incorporated into sustainable urban development and planning, as a natural asset that can reduce peoples risk and vulnerability, and improve their wellbeing

Guidance for engendering ecosystem services for urban transformation

Growing urbanisation and climate change present a number of important challenges to ensuring more sustainable development in the future. All human activities impact on the natural environment, especially cities. How urban development is undertaken and managed has implications for present and future wellbeing. This guidance focusses on how natural capital and its associated ecosystem services (ES) can be understood within the context of the urban environment. It focuses on how different ES can be incorporated into sustainable urban development and planning, as a natural asset that can reduce peoples risk and vulnerability, and improve their wellbeing.This summary guidance aims to highlight how natural capital based ES can be seen as an ‘asset’ which can improve the well-being of communities, and the women and men, girls and boys that live within them.It draws on existing findings about how environmental assets such as parks, street trees, water features and private gardens can contribute to human well-being, applied to the Brazilian context through an exploratory study centred in Nova Contagem, a peripheral suburb of Belo Horizonte.It uses experience of undertaking the study to provide practical guidance in how to:-Undertake an assessment of the environmental assets present in a community-Evaluate the potential for urban environmental assets to yield ecosystem services - services such as Regulating (cooling shade), Provisioning (food and fuel), and Cultural (space for gathering / taking exercise) - and the nature of the goods, benefits, and at times dis-benefits, natural capital assets deliverThe findings of the study provide guidance around:-How people understand what the environment is, and how they value, or not, different types of urban environmental assets-The ecosystem services and dis-services they derive from the natural environment-How environmental assets interact with other assets to improve well beingThe premise of the study is that access to urban environmental assets and the ecosystem services they provide, is not equal for all within a community or a household, and in particular women and men will have different access to these and other assets. The study then also provides insights into:-Differences in women and men’s understandings of the environment and its potential for improving well being-Differences in women and men’s access to environmental assets and the ecosystem services they may provide-Actions that could be taken to improve gender equality of access to ecosystem servicesUltimately the guide seeks to provide recommendations on what local authorities and community organisations can do to ensure that the existing environmental assets are valued and protected and the beneficial services are maximised and made accessible to all, while the dis-services are minimised

Impacto de uma tempestade de granizo em diferentes táxons vegetais: queda foliar em um ambiente de montanha

Natural catastrophes in the planet increased over 400% from 1970 to 2005, causing severe impact on natural ecosystems, and are sought to increase in the forthcoming decades due to climate change driven events. However, the descriptions of the impacts caused by events as hailstorms on wild ecosystems are anecdotal in the tropical region. The occurrence of a severe hailstorm on a mountainous tropical environment in Brazil allowed, for the first time, to examine hailstorm impact on 32 plant species belonging to distinct families. The study was carried out in an area of rupestrian field located in Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The impact of hail on the vegetation was evaluated by an index of damage and the damage level was related to plant species architectural features. Hail impact differed strongly among the species and was influenced by plant height, growth form, leaf traits and stem type. Hailstorms are natural disturbance phenomena that have differential impacts on plants species in rupestrian fields. Key words: climate change, hailstorm damage, plant resistance, rupestrian fields, Serra do Cipó.As catástrofes naturais no planeta cresceram mais de 400% de 1970 a 2005, causando severo impacto sobre os ecossistemas naturais, sendo previsto um aumento destes eventos nas próximas décadas devido às mudanças climáticas. No entanto, as descrições dos impactos causados por eventos como os granizos sobre ecossistemas naturais na região tropical são inexistentes. A ocorrência de uma severa tempestade de granizo em um ambiente tropical montanhoso no Brasil permitiu, pela primeira vez, avaliar o impacto da chuva de granizo em 32 espécies de plantas pertencentes a diversas famílias. O estudo foi realizado em uma área de campo rupestre na Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brasil. O impacto da chuva de granizo foi avaliado a partir de um índice de danos e o nível de dano foi relacionado com as características arquitetônicas das espécies vegetais O impacto de granizo diferiu fortemente entre as espécies e foi influenciado por altura da planta, forma de crescimento, atributos foliares e do tipo de caule. As chuvas de granizo são fenômenos naturais de distúrbio com impactos diferenciados sobre as espécies vegetais no campo rupestre. Palavras-chaves: mudanças climáticas, danos da chuva de granizo, resistência vegetal, campo rupestre, Serra do Cipó

Strong relationships between soil and vegetation in reference ecosystems of a riparian atlantic rainforest in the upper Doce River watershed, southeastern Brazil

Habitat loss and fragmentation have been impacting ecosystem services essential for human survival. The Brazilian Atlantic rainforest, a biodiversity hotspot, has suffered from historical deforestation and, more recently, from an environmental disaster caused by the Fundão dam collapse that released ore tailings drastically affecting a large territory in the Doce River watershed. This work aims to assess the relationships between soil properties and vegetation in a reference ecosystem to provide guidelines for restoration projects in areas affected by the dam collapse. We conducted phytosociological (vegetation characteristic) and soil quality studies in three distinct natural sites and studied different vegetation strata to better understand plant species composition in reference sites along the impacted Doce River and their potential role in community structuring and functioning. We recorded 140 species, 78 in the tree stratum, and 90 in the sapling stratum. Furthermore, our results highlight the influence of soil on floristic composition in the Atlantic rainforest. Smallscale edaphic variation influenced species composition in both sapling and tree strata. We also identified species of the same genus with strong association with the extremes of the edaphic gradient. Therefore, we highlight that studies in various regions along the Doce River watershed are of utmost importance to evaluate the association between species and soils. The particularities of the species are crucial to the effectiveness of restoration processes since this plant-soil correlation should not be extrapolated even within the same genus. This knowledge is of strategic relevance to provide scientificbased guidance for restoring these environments, aiming at the recovery of biodiversity and ecosystem services.Fil: Ramos, Letícia. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Negreiros, Daniel. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Ferreira, Bárbara S. Silva. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Figueiredo, João Carlos Gomes. Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros; BrasilFil: Paiva, Dario C.. Florida International University; Estados UnidosFil: Oki, Yumi. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: De Souza Justino, Wénita. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Dos Santos, Rubens Manoel. Universidade Federal de Lavras; BrasilFil: Aguilar, Ramiro. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasil. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Nunes, Yule Roberta Ferreira. Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros; BrasilFil: Fernandes, G Wilson. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Brasi

Beware of scientific scams! Hints to avoid predatory publishing in biological journals

Our motivation for writing this editorial is to alert the academic community about the risks of predatory publishing in Biology. By piggy-backing on the open access (OA) movement and taking advantage of the “publish or perish” culture in a system that prioritises quantity over quality, predatory publishing has grown exponentially in recent years and spread across all areas of knowledge. Thousands of predatory journals and books have emerged and (provided a fee is paid) they publish scientific papers and chapters without submitting them to rigorous peer review. Now there are even predatory meetings, which promise to accept talks and publish complete works for a fee, also without reviewing them properly. These profit-making machines can damage both academia and society, putting at risk the quality of science and public trust in it, the well-being of the population, the conservation of biodiversity and the mitigation of climate change. We show the modus operandi behind invitations to contribute to predatory journals, books and meetings and suggest ways to separate the wheat from the chaff. Finally, we discuss the need to create regulatory agencies that perform a careful and systematic evaluation of the activities carried out by publishers

"Interactions between Lepidoptera larvae and Malpighiaceae species in two fragments of the Brazilian savanna in São Paulo State, Brazil"

A distribuição e a abundância das espécies de lepidópteros podem ser determinadas por vários fatores tais como disponibilidade de recursos, fatores genéticos, climáticos e inimigos naturais. Este estudo avaliou as relações entre espécies de Lepidoptera e de Malpighiaceae encontradas em dois fragmentos de cerrado do Estado de São Paulo. Para tanto, o trabalho procurou responder às questões: 1) Qual a similaridade da fauna de lagartas entre as espécies de Malpighiaceae?; 2) Quais as características vegetais que influenciam a diversidade de lepidópteros? 3) As mesmas relações se mantêm em fragmentos distintos? Os resultados encontrados demonstram que espécies de mesmo gênero de Malpighiaceae não apresentam necessariamente maior similaridade de fauna de lepidópteros, uma vez que houve maior similaridade entre Byrsonima intermedia, Byrsonima coccolobifolia e Banisteriopsis pubipetala. Não houve correlação direta entre algumas características vegetais como: a concentração de nitrogênio e taninos, a densidade de tricomas e a herbivoria. As defesas vegetais das Malpighiaceae parecem influenciar a diversidade destes herbívoros, uma vez que a riqueza e abundância estão relacionadas à essas características. A presença de alcalóides e a fauna associada a Banisteriopsis stellaris reforça essa sugestão. A similaridade da fauna de lagartas entre os dois fragmentos de 42,2% e algumas diferenças observadas nas concentrações de nitrogênio e taninos nas mesmas espécies vegetais nas duas áreas sugerem que fatores ambientais influenciam o fenótipo das plantas e as associações com seus herbívoros. Com base nos resultados encontrados, são sugeridos estudos complementares para melhor compreensão das complexas relações entre lepidópteros e as espécies de Malpighiaceae.Species distribution and abundance are determined by several factors such as resource availability, genetics, weather and natural enemies. The present study focused on the relationships between Lepidoptera and Malpighiaceae species on two Cerrado fragments at São Paulo State. The following questions were addressed: 1) How similar is the caterpillar fauna among Malpighiaceae species?; 2) What are the plant characteristics influencing Lepidoptera diversity? 3) Are plant-Lepidoptera relationships kept on distinct fragments? Present data suggests that plants of different species of same genus have not, necessarily, the highest faunal similarity, e.g., the highest similarity among Byrsonima intermedia, Byrsonima coccolobifolia and Banisteriopsis pubipetala. No direct correlations were found among some plant characteristics such as nitrogen and tannin concentrations, trichome density and herbivory. However, Malpighiaceae defenses probably influenced herbivore diversity, because Lepidoptera species´ richness and abundance were related to these characteristics. Alkaloids and the specific fauna of Banisteriopsis stellaris support this suggestion. The caterpillar fauna similarity of 42,2% between fragments and some differences on nitrogen and tannin concentrations of same species from distinct fragments suggest that environmental factors affect, considerably, plant phenotype and plantherbivore interactions. Based on these results, some complementary studies were suggested to approach the complex relations between Lepidoptera and Malpighiaceae species