Journal of Environmental Analysis and Progress

1-12

Authors: Josiclêda Domiciano Galvíncio, Rejane Magalhães de Mendonça Pimentel

Typical vegetation of arid environments consists of few dominant species highly threatened by climate change. Jurema preta (Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poiret) is one of these successful species that now is dominant in huge semi-arid areas in the world. The development of a simple bioclimatic model using climate change scenarios based on optimistic and pessimistic predictions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shown as a simple tool to predict possible responses of dominant species under dry land conditions and low functional biodiversity. The simple bioclimatic model proved satisfactory in creating climate change scenarios and impacts on the canopy temperature of Jurema preta in semi-arid Brazil. The bioclimatic model was efficient to obtain spatially relevant estimations of air temperature from determinations of the surface temperature using satellite images. The model determined that the average difference of 5oC between the air temperature and the leaf temperature for Jurema preta, and an increase of 3oC in air temperature, promote an increase of 2oC in leaf temperature. It leads to disturbances in important physiological mechanisms in the leaf, mainly the photosynthesis and efficient use of water.

24-33

Authors: Larissa Fernandes Costa, Antonio Celso Dantas Antonino, Richard John Heck, Artur Paiva Coutinho, Rejane Magalhães de Mendonça Pimentel, Fernando José Ribeiro Sales, Cássia Bezerra Machado, Thiago Campos Vasconcelos, Daniel Amancio Duarte

Soil particles arrangement, orientation and organization determine soil structure and soil porosity. The porosity has a strong influence on aeration, flux of water/solute/gas/heat, roots resistance to penetration, microorganism development and is important to determining the soil quality. The morphometric analysis of the pore space of a Regossols using the X-rays computed microtomography is the objective of this study, where the soil physical attributes and the sizes, shapes and slopes of the intra-aggregate voids were analyze. The Regossol had a porosity of 28% (27% inter-aggregate void and 1% intra-aggregate void) and 73% of aggregates. About 73% of intra-aggregate voids have volumes of 1,278 x 6,545 x 10-4 to 10-2 mm³. There is a greater volume of complex and elongated voids, which favor the driving water through the soil. In addition, a larger volume of flattened pores that may indicate a certain compression that medium. Intra-aggregate voids showed mostly as nearly horizontal or inclined, as a result of resistance to root penetration due to presence of clay bridges ('lamellic') in the soil. The application of X-rays computed microtomography is efficient for micromorphometric characterization of soil porosity.

43-51

Authors: Jarcilene Silva de Almeida-Cortez, Fernanda Meira Tavares, Katharina Schulz, Rita de Cássia Araújo Pereira, Arne Cierjacks

A floristic survey was conducted in eighteen areas in the municipalities of Itacuruba and Floresta, Pernambuco, northeast Brazil. The objective was to investigate if the species richness of terrestrial plant species of the Caatinga is affected by grazing intensity. Eighteen 20 × 20 m2 plot were established in areas of low grazing intensity (9), and areas with high grazing intensity (9). We recorded 136 species belonging to 97 genera and 43 families. The most species-rich families were Poaceae (14), Fabaceae (13), and Asteraceae (11). The most species-rich genera were Aristida (Poaceae), Sida (Malvaceae) and Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae). The number of species in each study area (Itacuruba and Floresta) varied according to the distribution of the precipitation, the soil types, and the actual land-use. Areas with a low grazing pressure show a higher species richness of plant species than areas with a higher grazing intensity.

61-69

Authors: Gyslainne Vanderley da Paz, Kleber Andrade da Silva, Jarcilene Silva de Almeida-Cortez

Arid and semi-arid area characterizes the Caatinga due to its irregularity of precipitation and characterized by long periods of drought. The investigation of the seed bank in these regions allows predicting a future scenario of plant communities on anthropogenic pressures, in addition to the information about the current flora. This study aims at comparing the density and floristic composition of the seed bank of the seeds accumulated during the dry season from different areas of Caatinga. Fourteen areas of Caatinga were selected according to the degree of human disturbance, water gradient and different intensities of herbivory at Floresta and Itacuruba, both at Pernambuco. We collected five samples of litter in 14 plots. The material was taken to the greenhouse of the UFPE, arranged directly in trays and watered daily and observed up three months. The peak of germination was in the first four weeks of the material from all plots. We identified forty-four seedlings morphospecies of grass, herbaceous and tree. The highest richness and most abundant species germinated was the herbs species. There was no significant difference between species richness and herbivory pressure according to GLM analysis, but there was significant difference between density and herbivory pressure at all distances from watercourses and NMDL analysis it was observed that there was only difference significant between areas with permanent watercourse and areas without a nearby watercourse (Rglobal = 0.155; p = 0.014).

84-95

Authors: drade Masrua, Maria da Conceição Prado de Oliveira, Ariadna Valentina de Freitas Lopes, Gardene Maria de Sousa

Cenostigma macrophyllum Tul. is popularly known as caneleiro, has an arboreal habit, stem ridged, considered plant symbol of the capital Teresina (PI). The objective of this study was to investigate the floral and reproductive biology of Cenostigma macrophyllum the Zoobotanical Park of Teresina, Piauí. We selected 15 individuals and analyzed for morphology and floral morphometry, anthesis period, stigmatic receptivity, anther dehiscence, nectar volume behavior of floral visitors in the effectiveness of pollination and reproductive system. The flowers are hermaphrodite, have about 81.28±25.74 flowers per racemose inflorescence. Nectar produced and stored in hypanthium with an average production of 1.75 μL. The floral anthesis lasted two days, with fully distended petals at 6 AM, receptive stigma 7 AM and dehiscence-starting 9 AM, opening in groups throughout the day. The pollinators and thief began visits around 6 AM until 17 PM flowers the first day of anthesis foraging in search of nectar. The effective pollinators were bees, more frequently (64%), Xylocopa spp., Apis mellifera and Centris sp., which used the standard petal to access the nectar. Occasional pollinators were Lepidoptera with no touch always the reproductive parts. The thief, Trigona spinipes bees and hummingbird Amazilia Fimbriata that did not touch the reproductive organs to collect nectar. The species is xenogamic and presents reproductive dichogamy and protoginic system because occurs the temporal separation of maturation of the reproductive structures. Treatment of mechanical scarification is a higher potential for a rapid seed germination.

106-110

Authors: Maria do Rosário Fátima Padilha, Neide Kazue Sakugawa Shinohara, Emanuella de Paula Rodrigues Pereira, Rejane Magalhães Mendonça Pimentel, Samara Alvachian Cardoso Andrade, Fábio Henrique Portela, Allan Victor Souza Bernardino

New research has stimulated a substantial reevaluation of species related regards to the use of fruits from native plants. Araçá (a small Brazilian guava-like fruit) is found scattered in the wild in Pernambuco/Brazil. There is a scarcity of detailed studies on such regional fruit trees, especially the Psidium araca Raddi species, whereas there is an enormous possibility to explore the potential offered by these fruits, such as in the field of gastronomy, where the search for new ingredients and exotic flavors associated with functional properties has been increasing. This article aimed to evaluate the physical, physicochemical and taxonomic characterization of araçá obtained from different agricultural regions of Pernambuco to investigate the possibility of developing new products from this native fruit. The taxonomic identification confirmed that all collected material belonged to the species P. araca Raddi. An average weight of 7.45 g/fruit was observed. On pH, values between 3.17 and 3.48 were found, and the acidity as a percentage of citric acid was on order of 0.96% to 0.99%. It was shown that the P. araca Raddi fruit has a desirable quality for the food industry, presenting excellent conditions for the development of formulations of high commercial value and promising application in the national gastronomy.