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Eucalyptus spp. is known to be part of most forests planted for commercial use in Brazil. However, when intercropped with Pitaya (Hylocereusundatus), few studies report this interaction. The objective of this studywas to evaluate the effects of shading and the existence of allelopathic interactions between Eucalyptus spp. and pitaya (H. undatus) in the field, as well as the action of eucalyptus leaf extract in the germination of pitaya seeds underlaboratory conditions. In the field experiment, a randomized block design (DBC) was used, with the use of adult pitaya and eucalyptusplants, evaluating the following variables: number of sprouts in the shoot; number of flowers; crown diameter; circumference of the cladode; number of fruits and variation in the amount of light reaching the plants. It was observed that the plants outside the eucalyptus forest showed better results. In the second experiment, the allelopathic action of different concentrations of aqueous extracts of eucalyptus leaves on the germination of pitaya seeds was evaluated. This experiment was carried out in a CRDwith four replications of 60 pitaya seeds. These seeds were then subjected to treatments with different dilutions, varying from 0% (control), 12.5%, 25% and 50% of the stock solution. It was observed that, as the leaf extract concentrations increased, germination decreased. The concentrations 0% (control) and 12.5% showed better results. In conclusion, eucalyptus showedan allelopathic action on pitaya plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Most coral reefs have recently experienced acute changes in benthic community structure, generally involving dominance shifts from slow-growing hard corals to fast-growing benthic invertebrates and fleshy photosynthesizers. Besides overfishing, increased nutrification and sedimentation are important drivers of this process, which is well documented at landscape scales in the Caribbean and in the Indo-Pacific. However, small-scale processes that occur at the level of individual organisms remain poorly explored. In addition, the generality of coral reef decline models still needs to be verified on the vast realm of turbid-zone reefs. Here, we documented the outcome of interactions between an endangered Brazilian-endemic coral (Mussismilia braziliensis) and its most abundant contacting organisms (turf, cyanobacteria, corals, crustose coralline algae and foliose macroalgae). Our study was based on a long (2006-2016) series of high resolution data (fixed photoquadrats) acquired along a cross-shelf gradient that includes coastal unprotected reefs and offshore protected sites. The study region (Abrolhos Bank) comprises the largest and richest coralline complex in the South Atlantic, and a foremost example of a turbid-zone reef system with low diversity and expressive coral cover. Coral growth was significantly different between reefs. Coralalgae contacts predominated inshore, while cyanobacteria and turf contacts dominated offshore. An overall trend in positive coral growth was detected from 2009 onward in the inshore reef, whereas retraction in live coral tissue was observed offshore during this period. Turbidity (+) and cyanobacteria (-) were the best predictors of coral growth. Complimentary incubation experiments, in which treatments of Symbiodinium spp. from M. braziliensis colonies were subjected to cyanobacterial exudates, showed a negative effect of the exudate on the symbionts, demonstrating that cyanobacteria play an important role in coral tissue necrosis. Negative effects of cyanobacteria on living coral tissue may remain undetected from percent cover estimates gathered at larger spatial scales, as these ephemeral organisms tend to be rapidly replaced by longerliving macroalgae, or complex turf-like consortia. The cross-shelf trend of decreasing turbidity and macroalgae abundance suggests either a direct positive effect of turbidity on coral growth, or an indirect effect related to the higher inshore cover of foliose macroalgae, constraining cyanobacterial abundance. It is unclear whether the higher inshore macroalgal abundance (10-20% of reef cover) is a stable phase related to a longstanding high turbidity background, or a contemporary response to anthropogenic stress. Our results challenge the idea that high macroalgal cover is always associated with compromised coral health, as the baselines for turbid zone reefs may derive sharply from those of coral-dominated reefs that dwell under oligotrophic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is the fourth most consumed oleaginous plant in the world, producing seeds with high contents of lipids, proteins, vitamins, and carbohydrates. Biological activities of different extracts of this species have already been evaluated by many researchers, including antioxidant, antitumoral, and antibacterial. In this work, the allelopathic activity of extracts from different Brazilian peanut cultivars against lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and two weed plants (Commelina benghalensis and Ipomoea nil) was studied. Aerial parts, roots, seeds, and seed coats were used for the preparation of crude extracts. Seed extract partitioning was performed with n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and aqueous residue. Germination and growth of hypocotyls and rootlets were evaluated after one and five days of incubation with plant extracts, respectively. Crude seed extract and its dichloromethanic partition displayed highest allelopathic activity. These results contribute for the study of new potential natural herbicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Mesosphaerum suaveolens is a herbaceous plant native to the Caatinga, and has the ability to change the plant composition of surrounding areas, possibly through to the action of allelochemicals. In this study, the effect of M. suaveolens leaf decomposition on the germination and initial growth of two columnar cacti endemic to Brazil, Cereus jamacaru subsp. jamacaru and Pilosocereus gounellei subsp. gounellei , and the existence of autotoxicity were evaluated. The decomposing leaves of M. suaveolens negatively affected the germination and growth parameters of the two cacti, notably reducing the size and dry weight of cladodes. A reduction in photosynthetic pigment content was also observed. Furthermore, autotoxic effects were also observed. UPLC – MS of the soil revealed the presence of five diterpenes, three triterpenes, and one sugar. Considering that terpenoid compounds were the predominant components, our results suggest that they may be some of the allelochemicals used by M. suaveolens to reduce species competition. Thus, we demonstrate that M. suaveolens can negatively impact the growth and development not only of the two cacti studied, but also of the own species through autotoxicity. In areas with spontaneous presence of M. suaveolens , monitoring is recommended due to the negative impact of this plant. • Allelopathic effects of Mesosphaerum suaveolens were investigated. • Leaf decomposition negatively affected the germination and growth of the two cacti. • Leaf decomposition of Mesosphaerum suaveolens also showed autotoxicity. • Terpenoids are possibly responsible for phytotoxic effects observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Araucaria forest, named due to the high abundance of Araucaria angustifolia, occurs mainly in the southern Brazilian highlands, and the abundance of A. angustifolia in the forest is a current forest issue. The present study aimed at evaluating a potential allelopathic effect of A. angustifolia needle extracts that could mediate plant successional dynamics in the Araucaria forests. Senescent araucaria needles from A. angustifolia were evaluated for their allelopathic potential on Lactuca sativa through an in vitro study. The effect was evaluated by determining the germination of seeds, length of seedling and germination rate. The allelopathic potential of the A. angustifolia was confirmed for the highest doses tested (187.5 and 250 mg of the extracts). The potential allelochemical compounds identified were ent-kaurene and phyllocladene. In conclusion, A. angustifolia showed a potential allelophatic effect that may play an important role in successional dynamics of Araucaria forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The allelopathy is a process for which products of the secondary metabolism, as terpenes phenolic, of a certain vegetal intervene significantly, generally of antagonistic form, in the development of other species of plants. The objective of this work was to chemically characterize the essential oil of Lippia sidoides Cham. Growing in the Cariri cearense region Brazil, and evaluate the allelopathyc effect of this oil on the germination of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), arugula (Eruca sativa Mill.), and cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L.), in pre-plantation application. The monoterpene thymol (84.90%) ha been identified as the principal constituent in the essential oil. The experiment was done in randomized complete block, in 4 x 3 factorial; being used four essential oil combinations applied in three different species in pre-plantation applications. Emergence velocity index (EVI) germination percentage and mean time to germination (MTG), had been analyzed through daily counting carried out until the 14th day after sowing. Through qualitative analysis performed by gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were identified seven chemical constituents representing 97.82% Of essential oil of L. sidoides, being that the constituent present in greater concentration in oil was the thymol (84.90%). Could be verified the occurrence of the negative allelopathyc effect of lettuce crop, because its present low EVI and greater MTG. for the other vegetable species there were no allelopathic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Biociencias is the property of Revista Brasileira de Biociencias and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, family farmers modified the conventional no-till system by flattening cover crop mixtures on the soil surface as a strategy to reduce soil erosion and lower fluctuations in soil moisture and temperature, improve soil quality, and enhance weed suppression and crop performance. During 2007 and 2008, we conducted three experiments aimed at understanding the processes and mechanisms at play in successful organic conservation tillage systems (OCT), especially the underpinnings of ecological weed suppression, a key advantage of OCT systems over conventional no-till systems. Our results, as well as farmers observations, suggest that cover crops can enhance weed suppression and hence crop productivity through physical interference and allelopathy and also a host of effects on soil quality, fertility, and soil moisture that we did not measure. Results from the three trials indicate that the best cover crop mixture should include a significant proportion of rye, vetch, and fodder radish as these mixtures produce large biomass, and are readily killed by rolling forming a thick mulch sufficient to provide effective weed control in the subsequent vegetable crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Biociencias is the property of Revista Brasileira de Biociencias and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Psychotria leiocarpa is an understorey woody shrub native to the forests of southern Brazil, which occurs in groups of relatively high density. Leaves of field-grown plants contain approximately 2.5% of their dry weight as the N-glycosylated indolic alkaloid N,β-d-glucopyranosyl vincosamide (GPV). To find out if allelopathy could play a role in the distribution pattern of the species, several assays were performed. Aqueous extracts of dried powdered leaves at 4% (w/v) collected during the winter of 2004 inhibited the germination and/or early growth of three different test species. Lactuca sativa plantlets were affected when grown in soil containing dried P. leiocarpa leaves and on plates containing aqueous extracts of leaves of the same species. Partial chemical characterization of the extract was carried out and an allelopathic effect of the purified major leaf alkaloid GPV was not observed at the highest concentration tested of 10 ppm. Experiments with different organic extracts and sequential extractions were also performed. The data suggested that polar phenolic compounds or iridoids are responsible for the phytotoxic effect observed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article describes the assessment of possible allelopathic potential of organic extracts obtained from leaves of Canavalia ensiformis under laboratory conditions. Furthermore, a systematic evaluation of these extracts was carried out using specific protocols developed in capillary electrophoresis (CE) to determine some groups of secondary metabolites. After the identification and quantification of compounds, the effects of compounds on germination of some common weeds was investigated, which are becoming a real problem in pastures in the state of Path, Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomanipulation is an efficient tool to control eutrophication and cyanobacterial blooms in temperate lakes. However, the effects of this technique are still unclear for tropical ecosystems. Herein, we evaluated the effects of the biomanipulation on cyanobacterial biomass in a tropical shallow reservoir in Northeast Brazil. A mesocosm experiment was conducted in Tapacurá reservoir (Pernambuco) with eight treatments, in which we factorially manipulated the presence of submerged macrophytes (Ceratophyllum demersum), large herbivorous zooplankton (Sarsilatona serricauda), and nutrients (0.4 mg L -1 of nitrogen and 0.5 mg L -1 of phosphorus). On the first, fifth, and tenth days, we analyzed the total biomass of cyanobacteria, and the morphotypes coccoid, heterocyted filamentous, and non-heterocyted filamentous cyanobacteria; these components were compared through a three-way ANOVA. The bloom was composed mainly of five Microcystis morphospecies (coccoids) and Raphidiopsis raciborskii (heterocyted filaments). On the fifth day of the experiment, the combined addition of macrophytes and zooplankton was more efficient at controlling cyanobacterial biomass. On the tenth day, all macrophyte treatments showed significant cyanobacterial biomass reduction, decreasing up to 84.8%. On the other hand, nutrients and zooplankton, both isolated and combined, had no significant effect. Macrophytes also reduced the biomass of coccoids, heterocyted filaments, and non-heterocyted filaments when analyzed separately on the tenth day. Ceratophyllum demersum was more efficient at controlling the bloom than the addition of large herbivorous zooplankton, which could be related to allelopathy since cyanobacterial biomass was also reduced when nutrients were added. The addition of submerged macrophytes with allelopathic potential, associated with the increase of large herbivorous zooplankton, proved to be an efficient technique for controlling tropical cyanobacterial blooms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Declarations of interest: none., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Erythrina fusca is a dominant species in the Brazilian Pantanal. We hypothesized that E. fusca possess allelopathic potential and we evaluated effects of extracts on germination and development of Lactuca sativa, a bioindicator species. We tested the effect of leaves, bark, roots, and seeds extracts of E. fusca on germination and speed index, using high, moderate and low concentration (0.2, 1 and 5 mg mL -1 ). To evaluate effects on development, we subjected seedlings of L. sativa to the same treatments and measured root and aerial part length. High concentration of extracts reduced L. sativa germination; leaves extract caused the maximum reduction on germination of L. sativa, similar to 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D); this extract has flavonoids and saponins as main compounds, classes that also occur in the bark and roots extracts in lower concentrations; bark and roots (5 mg mL -1 ), leaves and roots (1 mg mL -1 ) decreased these traits as well, but in lower magnitude. A significant reduction in root length was induced by highest concentration of all extracts (5 mg mL -1 ); the results suggest that erythrinic alkaloids should interfere in the root length once the seeds accumulate almost exclusively this class of compounds. Our results showed that all parts of E. fusca had adverse effects on germination or development of L. sativa, showing that different class of compounds secondary metabolites is involved in this activity. Possibly, this phytotoxicity influences monodominance of E. fusca in Pantanal, but studies are essential to evaluate effects of it on other native species.

Allelopathy is an important ecological mechanism in natural and managed ecosystems. Its study is critical to understand natural plant behaviors, to isolate allelochemicals with herbicide potential, and to use the allelopathic genes in transgenic studies. Poaceae is an ecologically dominant plant family and it is economically important worldwide because its chemical diversity represents an important source to discover new molecules. From this viewpoint, Brazil is an interesting place to study, encompassing 197 genera of the Poaceae family, many of them being dominant in various biomes and some being native to Brazil. Here, we review the literature describing allelopathic activities involving grasses of the Poaceae family. We evaluate the experimental conditions used in these studies, we identify the allelochemicals involved, and, finally, we assess the applicability of allelopathy. Our main findings are (1) among the 47 Brazilian species studied for their allelopathic effects, only Bothriochloa barbinodis, Bothriochloa laguroides, Paspalum notatum, and Paspalum urvillei are native to Brazil; (2) 51% of the reviewed studies prepared extracts from the leaves and used lettuce as the target plant; and (3) 64% of the papers identified allelochemicals, of which 67% were phenolic acids. This first bibliographical survey on allelopathy in Poaceae species present in Brazil shows that less than 3% of the Brazilian species have been studied, suggesting it is an incipient research subject. Since this plant family is a valuable source of unknown natural products, refining such studies should contribute to a better understanding of the ecosystem relationships. Identification and isolation of grass allelochemicals should promote environmentally safer compounds with bioherbicide properties, in sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Propolis is a resinous material produced by honeybees, containing mainly beeswax and plant material. Despite the wide spectrum of biological activity of propolis, to our knowledge no studies have been carried out about phytotoxic properties of Brazilian propolis and its constituents. The aims of this study were to analyze the chemical composition and to evaluate the phytotoxic activity of the volatile fraction of a sample of Brazilian green propolis., Results: Main constituents are the phenylpropanoid 3-prenylcinnamic acid allyl ester (26.3%) and the sesquiterpene spathulenol (23.4%). Several other sesquiterpenes and phenylpropanoids, in addition to linalool and α-terpineol (monoterpenes), were also detected. The activity of solutions of the volatile fraction at 1.0, 0.5 and 0.1% was tested on lettuce seeds and seedlings. The solution at 1% inhibited completely the seed germination and solutions at 0.1 and 0.5% reduced the germination rate index. The solution at 0.5% reduced the growth of the hypocotyl-radicle axis and the development of the cotyledon leaf., Conclusions: The chemical composition of the volatile fraction of this Brazilian green propolis is different from those previously described, and these results may contribute to a better understanding about the chemical variations in propolis. The volatile fraction of Brazilian green propolis influences both germination of seed lettuce and the growth of its seedlings, showing an phytotoxic potential., (© 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.)