Journal of Environmental Analysis and Progress

01-06

Authors: Jean Carlos Santos, Rodrigo de Queiroga de Miranda, Jarcilene Silva de Almeida-Cortez

Galls are characterized by inducing cellular differentiation (hyperplasia or hypertrophy) resultant of the action of some organisms, mainly insects, on structures/organs of their host plants. The galls cause physiological changes in host plants, altering host traits, and their growth and survival. The early abscission of galled plant organs can be a form of plant defense. Therefore, the galls decayed more slowly than the healthy leaves, or the surrounding healthy leaf tissue in some abscised galled leaves, forming “green island galls”. This study reported an instance where the host plant Miconia cinnamomifolia (Melastomataceae) abscises leaves galled by an unidentified coleopteran’s gall on the soil of a fragment of Atlantic Forests, Brazil. Once on the forest soil galls were exposed to a new set of potential natural enemies, as pathogens and predators. Consequently, larval survival decrease of 79% to 36% in four months and fungal infestation increase of 2% to 21%. Neither size nor the weight of the galls differed between categories of mortality factors and larval survival. It was discussed the adaptive nature of the “Green Island Effect” as a counter-response of gallers to leaf abscission, which is a known plant defense strategy.

11-15

Authors: Wanessa Rejane de Almeida, Walkiria Rejane de Almeida, Jonas José Mendes Aguiar

In tropical forests, the edge effect is considered one of the factors that affect the balance of the ecosystem. As a result of this disorder, many groups of organisms have their affected populations. Lichens are particularly sensitive to microclimatic changes since they remove nutrients from the atmosphere and have a small capacity loss and gain adjustment water. They are classified according to the forms and growth. The objective of this study was to test whether lichens with different morphological and anatomical characteristics have different tolerance to the conditions of forest edge. The hypothesis is that lichens with morpho-anatomical features that minimize water loss are less likely to edge effect. The sampled trees were sampled 389 points with lichens type "A" (corticolous lichens with the smooth cortex and without protalos) and 123 with lichens Type B (lichens hydrophilic without defined cortex, which retain water in protalos). Although no relationship between the edge distance and lichens cover type "A", the relative coverage of type B lichens decreased with increasing distance from the edge. There was a negative relationship between the distance from the edge and the temperature at noon and found a connection between the distance from the edge and the relative humidity. In the first 10 meters from the edge, type B lichens showed increased coverage relative, since in the subsequent distances there was an inversion, where the lichens type A began to have greater relative coverage.

23-35

Authors: Hian de Assis Monteiro, André Luís Alves de Lima, Ana Carolina Borges Lins-e-Silva, Maria Amanda Menezes Silva, Maria Jesus Nogueira Rodal

Influence of functional traits on the demographic rates of 47 arboreal species in a tropical forest in northeastern Brazil. Based on the premise that species use different strategies for acquiring and maintaining resources, it is possible to identify similarities as determined by particular trade-offs between traits, the present work examined the specific leaf area (SLA), basic wood density (BWD), maximum height (Hmax) and seed shape (SS) of 47 arboreal species in an moist semievergreen tropical forest in northeastern Brazil and investigated the influence of those traits on plant mortality rates (MR) and growth (BAG). BWD and Hmax were the best predictors of mortality rates. Factorial analysis explained 70.4% of the total variability, distributed among three factors composed of traits and rates. MR and Hmax were found to be more readily observed when orthogonally rotated by the varimax method, with the first factor explaining 26.9% of the variance. Cluster analyses and principal component analyses, whose matrices contained the variables MR, BAG, SLA, and Hmax for each species, confirmed the discriminant analysis and allowed the identification of four functional groups. The fact that some of the correlations encountered differed from previously published results (such as the negative relationship between maximum height and mortality) may reflect regional climatic seasonality or indicate that this strategy benefits plant species that reach the upper canopy and thus become well-established.

44-49

Authors: Aline Carla Costa do Nascimento, Iranildo José da Cruz Filho, Valmir Felix de Lima, Agrinaldo Jacinto do Nascimento Junior, Olga Martins Marques, Manuella Virginia Salgueiro Gondim

Textile industries must treat their wastewater before discharge into hydric bodies. This treatment aims at removing the majority of colorants, whose interaction with the environment can cause great damage to nature. The biosorption has often shown an economical and effective technique in removing many of these dyes. Thus is proposed to apply as biosorbent, the Pennisetum purpureum Schumach, 1827 (Poales: Poaceae). (Elephant grass), to treat wastewater containing the dye índigo carmine. The assays of dye removal were conducted in batch mode under the following conditions: varying temperatures (30, 40, 60 and 100 ± 2°C); constant agitation of 150 rpm; pH 5.5; 0.5 g of biosorbent; and different concentrations of dye, 25 to 65 mg.L-1. The biosorption mechanism was well described by the Langmuir model. The maximum biosorption capacity was 17.51 mg.g-1 of elephant grass dry mass. Thermodynamics investigation indicated that favorable and spontaneous process at temperatures up to 60°C, above that, the system showed a reduction in adsorption capacity. Thus, the use of P. purpureum Schumach, 1827 (Poales: Poaceae) as biosorbent for the removal of indigo carmine dye textile effluents showed as a new effective and economical alternative.

61-71

Authors: Ranilson Emmanuel Aquino, Hiram Marinho Falcão, Jarcilene Silva Almeida-Cortez

Resources availability and human disturbance are relevant in the responses to the actions of herbivores. Throughout the evolution plants have developed defense strategies against herbivory, such as chemical defenses. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between herbivory rates and biometric traits in Aspidosperma pyrifolium Mart, and leaf concentration of defense metabolites and nutrients in areas of Caatinga, with and without anthropic disturbances in the micro region of Itaparica, Pernambuco. There were carried out measurements of herbivory rates, biometrics, and leaf carbon, nitrogen and phenolic compounds/tannin contents. Data were submitted to factorial ANOVA followed by Tukey's test (5%), and to correlation and simple linear regression analysis. The biometric parameters did not differ between areas, and were not related to phenolic compounds concentration. The nitrogen content was higher in the driest month, while carbon was higher at the end of the rainy season. Concentrations of phenolic compounds / tannin showed a negative relationship with herbivory in the disturbed areas, but in preserved areas, this relationship was not observed. The previous consumption of leaves by goats may have stimulated the increase in defense compounds in the disturbed areas, which caused a drop in herbivory by insects. In the preserved areas, the reduction in herbivory in June may be linked to the end of the growth cycle of some invertebrates. Although the influence of extensive livestock farming can be noticed in impacted areas, it cannot be considered the sole cause of the relationship herbivory/defense metabolites production.

87-97

Authors: Mayara de Sousa Dantas, Nadjacleia Vilar Almeida, Iara dos Santos Medeiros, Milena Dutra da Silva

Habitat loss and fragmentation are a major threat to biodiversity conservation and environmental services provided. Through Landscape metrics, changes in vegetation remnant pattern patterns can be measured and monitored. The present research aimed to perform the Diagnosis of the Remaining Vegetation of Atlantic Forest and Associated Ecosystems in Urban Spaces of João Pessoa-Paraíba. For this purpose, RapidEye satellite images were obtained from GeoCatálogo of the Ministry of the Environment, corresponding to the year 2015, supporting the elaboration and editing of vector data. The landscape metrics were calculated using the V-LATE extension (Vector Based Landscape Analysis Tools Extension), a free version for study. Thematic maps of edge and the average index of form were elaborated, thus generating the environmental diagnosis of the vegetation. The remaining vegetation of Atlantic forest is fragmented in 48 spots, with reduced area and a high density of edges. The mean index of form was equivalent to 2,698, evidencing that the spots had more linear forms, often, not containing core areas inside the fragments. It is concluded that the remnant vegetation of Atlantic forest in João Pessoa presents a form and structure that raise a worrisome degree of environmental fragility, making it necessary to expand the inspections in the area, as well as the implementation of environmental recovery and preservation measures.