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Background and AimsRock outcrop vegetation is distributed worldwide and hosts a diverse, specialised, and unique flora that evolved under extremely harsh environmental conditions. The germination ecology in such ecosystems has received little attention, especially regarding the association between seed traits, germination responses and adult plants ecology. Here, we provide a quantitative and meta-analytical review of the seed functional ecology of Brazilian rocky outcrop vegetation, focusing on four vegetation types:campo rupestre, canga, campo de altitudeand inselbergs.MethodsUsing a database with functional trait data for 383 taxa and 10,187 germination records for 281 taxa, we calculated the phylogenetic signal of seven seed traits and tested whether they varied among growth forms, geographical distributions, and microhabitats. We also conducted a meta-analysis to understand the effects of light, temperature, and fire-related cues on the germination ofcampo rupestrespecies and how the beforementioned ecological groups and seed mass affect such responses.Key ResultsAll traits showed a strong phylogenetic signal.Campo rupestrespecies responded positively to light and had optimal germination between 20-30°C. The effect of temperatures below and above this range was modulated by growth form, with shrubs requiring and tolerating higher temperatures to germinate. We only found evidence of a moderating effect of seed mass for responses to heat shocks, with larger, dormant seeds tolerating heat better. Heat shocks above 200°C killed seeds, but smoke accelerated germination. No consistent differences in germination responses were found between restricted and widespread species or microhabitats. Still, species from xeric habitats evolved phenological strategies to synchronise germination with higher soil water availability.ConclusionsEvolutionary history plays a major role in the seed ecology of Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation. However, seed traits and germination responses did not explain species’ geographic distribution and microhabitats, suggesting other traits are more likely to explain such differences.

Advancing functional ecology depends fundamentally on the availability of data on reproductive traits, including those from tropical plants, which have been historically underrepresented in global trait databases. Although some valuable databases have been created recently, they are mainly restricted to temperate areas and vegetative traits such as leaf and wood traits. Here, we present Rock n' Seeds, a database of seed functional traits and germination experiments from Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation, recognized as outstanding centers of diversity and endemism. Data were compiled through a systematic literature search, resulting in 103 publications from which seed functional traits were extracted. The database includes information on 16 functional traits for 383 taxa from 148 genera, 50 families, and 25 orders. These 16 traits include two dispersal, six production, four morphological, two biophysical, and two germination traits-the major axes of the seed ecological spectrum. The database also provides raw data for 48 germination experiments, for a total of 10,187 records for 281 taxa. Germination experiments in the database assessed the effect of a wide range of abiotic and biotic factors on germination and different dormancy-breaking treatments. Notably, 8255 of these records include daily germination counts. This input will facilitate synthesizing germination data and using this database for a myriad of ecological questions. Given the variety of seed traits and the extensive germination information made available by this database, we expect it to be a valuable resource advancing comparative functional ecology and guiding seed-based restoration and biodiversity conservation in tropical megadiverse ecosystems. There are no copyright restrictions on the data; please cite this paper when using the current data in publications; also the authors would appreciate notification of how the data are used in publications.O avanço da ecologia funcional depende fundamentalmente da disponibilidade de dados sobre traços reprodutivos, incluindo dados de plantas tropicais, que têm sido historicamente subrepresentados em bancos de dados de traços funcionais globais. Embora alguns bancos de dados valiosos tenham sido criados recentemente, eles são restritos principalmente a áreas temperadas e a traços vegetativos, como traços de folhas e madeira. Neste artigo apresentamos Rock n’ Seeds, um banco de dados de traços funcionais de sementes e experimentos de germinação de vegetações associadas a afloramentos rochosos do Brasil, os quais são reconhecidos como centros notáveis de diversidade e endemismo. Os dados foram compilados através de uma revisão sistemática na literatura, resultando em 103 publicações das quais foram extraídos os traços funcionais das sementes. O banco de dados inclui informações de 16 traços funcionais para 383 taxa de 148 gêneros, 50 famílias e 25 ordens. Estes dezesseis traços incluem dois traços de dispersão, seis de produção, quatro morfológicos, dois biofísicos e dois germinativos; os eixos principais do espectro ecológico da semente. O banco de dados também fornece os dados brutos para 48 experimentos de germinação para um total de 10.187 registros para 281 taxa. Os experimentos de germinação no banco de dados avaliaram o efeito de uma ampla gama de fatores abióticos e bióticos sobre a germinação e diferentes tratamentos de quebra de dormência. Particularmente, 8.255 desses registros incluem a contagem diária da germinação. Estas informações facilitarão a síntese de dados de germinação e a utilização deste banco de dados para uma grande variedade de questões ecológicas. Dada a variedade de traços das sementes e as amplas informações sobre germinação disponibilizadas por este banco de dados, esperamos que ele seja um recurso valioso para o avanço da ecologia funcional comparativa e para orientar a restauração baseada em sementes e a conservação da biodiversidade em ecossistemas tropicais megadiversos. Não há restrições de direitos autorais sobre os dados; favor citar este artigo ao utilizar os dados nas publicações e os autores agradeceriam uma notificação de como os dados são utilizados nas publicações.El avance de la ecología funcional depende fundamentalmente de la disponibilidad de datos sobre rasgos reproductivos-incluyendo los de las plantas tropicales-los cuales han estado poco representados en las bases de datos globales de rasgos. Aunque recientemente se han creado algunas bases de datos valiosas, estas se encuentran restringidas principalmente a las zonas templadas y a los rasgos vegetativos, como los de las hojas y la madera. En este artículo presentamos Rock n' Seeds, una base de datos de rasgos funcionales de semillas y experimentos de germinación de la vegetación asociada a afloramientos rocosos de Brasil, los cuales son destacados centros de diversidad y endemismo. Los datos se recopilaron mediante una búsqueda bibliográfica sistemática, que dio como resultado 103 publicaciones de las que se extrajeron los rasgos funcionales de las semillas. La base de datos incluye información de dieciséis rasgos funcionales para 383 taxones de 148 géneros, 50 familias y 25 órdenes. Estos rasgos incluyen dos rasgos de dispersión, seis de producción, cuatro morfológicos, dos biofísicos y dos de germinación; siendo estos los principales ejes del espectro ecológico de las semillas. La base de datos también proporciona los datos brutos de 48 experimentos de germinación, para un total de 10.187 registros de 281 taxones. Dichos experimentos de germinación evaluaron el efecto de una amplia gama de factores abióticos y bióticos sobre la germinación y de diferentes tratamientos para romper la dormancia. En particular, 8.255 de estos registros cuentan con conteos diarios de germinación. Esto facilitará la síntesis de los datos de germinación y el uso de esta base de datos para una gran diversidad de preguntas ecológicas. Dada la variedad de rasgos de las semillas y la amplia información sobre germinación que ofrece esta base de datos, esperamos que sea un recurso valioso para el avance de la ecología funcional comparativa y para orientar la restauración basada en semillas y la conservación de la biodiversidad en ecosistemas tropicales megadiversos. No hay restricciones de derechos de autor sobre los datos; se solicita citar este documento cuando se utilicen los datos en publicaciones y los autores agradecerán ser notificados sobre cómo se utilizan los datos en las publicaciones.

O objetivo desta monografia é analisar os limites ao exercício da soberania monetária em países periféricos. Discute-se a existência de uma hierarquia de moedas no sistema monetário internacional e as suas possíveis consequências para a gestão das políticas cambial, monetária e fiscal em países periféricos. Argumenta-se que a condição periférica não é imutável. E que diante do reconhecimento de que um país se encontra em posição desfavorável na hierarquia de moedas, ao menos dois caminhos podem ser adotados: aceitar que cabe a esse país seguir apresentando baixa relevância internacional, altos índices de pobreza e estrutura produtiva voltada para atividades primário-exportadoras de baixo valor agregado; ou investigar quais providências precisam ser adotadas para que o país assuma maior relevância internacional, ofereça melhores condições de vida para a sua população e desenvolva uma estrutura produtiva mais diversificada e sofisticada tecnologicamente

The three core domains of delirium (Cognitive, Higher Level Thinking, Circadian) do not include the less common noncore psychotic symptoms. However, psychosis might inform about perturbations of neural circuitry, outcomes or suggest tailored clinical management.We assessed for the first time the relationships between psychosis and other characteristics of delirium in patients without confounders for delirium phenotype, such as dementia or antipsychotics treatment.Cross-sectional analysis of 366 adults with delirium per the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (DRS-R98), whose items distinguish hallucinations and delusions from other types of misperceptions and abnormal thought content, assessed during the preceding 24 hours to capture symptom severity fluctuation. The relationship of psychosis with other delirium characteristics was assessed using bivariate comparisons and ANOVA as appropriate for groups with no psychosis and any psychosis (hallucinations and/or delusions), and subgroups with only hallucinations, only delusions, or both. A discriminant logistic model assessed variables associated with presence of any psychotic features vs none.Delirium with any psychotic features occurred in 44.5% (163/366). Of the 366, 119 (32.5%) had only hallucinations (Hall), 14 (3.8%) had only delusions (Del) and 30 (8.2%) had both (Both). In the Psychotic group (n=163), 73.0% were Hall, 8.6% Del and 18.4% Both. All psychotic patient groupings had significantly greater delirium severity on the DRS-R98. Delusions and hallucinations were discordant for occurring together. The discriminant model found increased odds of having psychosis as three symptom severities increased (visuospatial ability, thought process, and sleep-wake cycle) where these each represented a delirium core domain. The noncore symptom of lability of affect had high OR for psychosis while motor retardation reduced odds of psychosis in this model.Consistent with prior reports, psychosis occurred in less than half of delirious patients with delusions being infrequent, and an association with affective lability was found. We are the first to report that psychotic features are a marker for more severe delirium affecting all core domains. Given that previous fMRI research found a correlation between neural network dysconnectivity with greater severity of delirium, psychotic symptoms might be a clinical marker for greater underlying cerebral cortical neural circuitry dysfunction.

Environmental filtering and niche differentiation are often invoked to explain species coexistence at local scales. The ironstone campo rupestre of Brazil provides a biodiverse natural experiment in which edaphic gradients represent filters to test the hypothesis that plant community functional composition, despite converging on extreme stress tolerance, exhibits a co-structure with environmental parameters. At the Serra do Rola-Moça State Park, soil physico-chemical parameters were characterized alongside community-weighted mean plant functional traits and Grime’s competitor, stress-tolerator and ruderal strategies for species at each sampling site. In general, species exhibited a high degree of stress tolerance (between 72.6% and 100%), while ruderalism was 0% for all species. Soil nutrients related to plant metabolism (e.g. P, Ca, Mg) were associated with the stress-tolerant strategy and with traits involved in the leaf economics and size spectra. Despite a major edaphic filter selecting stress tolerance, fine-scale microhabitat variability represented by soil parameters related to fertility (i.e. P, Ca, Mg) and water retention capacity (i.e. clay content) was associated with subtle variation in ecological strategies and functional traits of species in the ironstone campo rupestre.

Old, climatically buffered and infertile landscapes (OCBILs) are remarkably species-diverse, but the assembly of their ecological communities is largely unknown. Our goal was to understand how edaphic filters drive the functional structure of plant communities in an ancient and nutrient-impoverished ecosystem. We carried out a functional screening across four types of campo rupestre habitats with different edaphic conditions. We investigated trait–soil relationships for ironstone and quartzitic substrate to obtain the optimal trait values of each condition. In addition, we built unipartite networks to explore trait–trait relationships to assess functional coordination among organs. Lower soil pH and less soil water retention potential increased the proportion of smaller leaves, tissue dry mass and tissue density, resulting in more resource-conservative plant species and communities. Trait functions were tightly correlated among organs at both the plot and the individual level, indicating a trend of phenotypic integration. Architectural traits were central to coordination, suggesting their key role in integrating sap transport, mechanical support and leaf display. We conclude that the trait adjustments in response to soil parameters are important for the coexistence of a large number of species in the campo rupestre ecosystem.

Stress tolerance is the predominant strategy among the plant species that colonize the Brazilian rupestrian grassland (Campo rupestre) and is a response to edaphic conditions involving specific morphological and physiological adaptations. Motivated by the need to increase the efficiency in the production of seedlings, we experimentally evaluated whether these plant species are naturally limited in terms of optimum development and if they could have their survival and growth increased when cultivated under enhanced nutrient and water conditions and reduced iron concentration. To experimentally test this hypothesis, we cultivated seedlings of nine plant species in six distinct substrates for 150 days. The percentage of seedling survival had great variation among species (ranging from 40 to 100% survival). Eight out of the nine studied species showed higher growth and higher biomass accumulation as well as greater investment in aerial parts when grown in nursery or organic substrate (up to 10 times greater than the control treatment). This study provides evidence that these species also present reversible adjustment to cope with the poor soil conditions and are able to improve their performance in more fertile soils. Thus, seedling production for the restoration of ironstone rupestrian grasslands can be more efficient.

The construction of shelters on plants by arthropods might influence other organisms via changes in colonization, community richness, species composition, and functionality. Arthropods, including beetles, caterpillars, sawflies, spiders, and wasps often interact with host plants via the construction of shelters, building a variety of structures such as leaf ties, tents, rolls, and bags; leaf and stem galls, and hollowed out stems. Such constructs might have both an adaptive value in terms of protection (i.e., serve as shelters) but may also exert a strong influence on terrestrial community diversity in the engineered and neighboring hosts via colonization by secondary occupants. Although different traits of the host plant (e.g., physical, chemical, and architectural features) may affect the potential for ecosystem engineering by insects, such effects have been, to a certain degree, overlooked. Further analyses of how plant traits affect the occurrence of shelters may therefore enrich our understanding of the organizing principles of plant-based communities. This data set includes more than 1000 unique records of ecosystem engineering by arthropods, in the form of structures built on plants. All records have been published in the literature, and span both natural structures (91% of the records) and structures artificially created by researchers (9% of the records). The data were gathered between 1932 and 2021, across more than 50 countries and several ecosystems, ranging from polar to tropical zones. In addition to data on host plants and engineers, we aggregated data on the type of constructs and the identity of inquilines using these structures. This data set highlights the importance of these subtle structures for the organization of terrestrial arthropod communities, enabling hypotheses testing in ecological studies addressing ecosystem engineering and facilitation mediated by constructs. There are no copyright restrictions and please cite this paper when using the data in publications.

A phylogenetic framework explaining plant secondary metabolite diversity is lacking, but metabolite classes could represent adaptations to habitat resource availability. We test the hypothesis that primary adaptive strategies (competitors, C; stress-tolerators, S; ruderals, R) are associated, respectively, with nitrogenous metabolites synthesized in persistent organs (alkaloids), nitrogen-lacking aromatic terpenes and phenolics, and nitrogenous compounds prevalent in reproductive tissues (cyanogenic glucosides and glucosinolates). A matrix was compiled of 1019 species for which secondary metabolite pathways and CSR strategies are known. Accounting for phylogenetic relatedness and native biomes, we found that most phytochemical pathways did not correlate with strategy axes, but certain key associations were evident. C-selection was positively associated with amino acid-derived phenylpropanoids (low phylogenetic relatedness; λ

One hypothesized invasion strategy (“try-harder”) predicts that invaders exhibit functional traits that are better adjusted to the environment than native species. Alternatively, the “join-the-locals” hypothesis predicts trait convergence between invasive and native species due to environmental filtering with increasing resource limitation. We hypothesized that invasions strategies shift from “try-harder” to “join-the-locals” with increasing elevation. We used an elevational gradient to detect possible trait convergences between alien invaders and native plant species in Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae. We found a significant trait convergence with elevation only in Asteraceae, suggesting a species-specific pattern, but also an important phenotypic variability of the alien invader. This supports the idea that the more resource-limited the environment, the more it filters out traits substantially diverging from the locally-adapted native community, thereby entailing a shift from “try-harder” to “join-the-locals” strategies. The invasive grass was also more acquisitive but did not exhibit any relation to the native community, supporting the “try-harder” hypothesis. The size of the invasive Fabaceae species decreased with elevation, mirroring the native Fabaceae species, but not the overall native community. Including more replicates and a thorough quantification of environmental conditions, offers a promising avenue for improving the understanding the seemingly idiosyncrasies of invasion pathways.

Background: Inselbergs (granitic and gneissic rock outcrops) are common elements in the Atlantic Forest and present large taxonomic (TD), functional (FD) and phylogenetic (PD) diversity.Aims: We in...

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T10:28:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-08-01 Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) The vegetation of ironstone rupestrian grasslands (canga) is of significant conservation concern due to the rapid encroachment of mining activity and urbanization on the remnants of this ecosystem. Ecological studies that address the phenological patterns of this vegetation are still scarce, although they are essential for its conservation, management, and restoration. The present study investigated the vegetative and reproductive phenology of 11 species (five herbaceous and six woody) in two distinct habitats of rupestrian grasslands (campo rupestre), canga couraçada and capão forest, both located in the Iron Quadrangle in Catas Altas, Minas Gerais, Southeast Brazil. Monthly phenological monitoring of populations of the selected species was performed over two consecutive years. Circular statistical analysis was used to evaluate the degree of synchrony and the significance of seasonality on deciduousness, leaf flushing, flowering, and fruiting of each species. Additionally, phenophases were compared between growth forms and between habitats of occurrence. Most herbaceous species were classified as evergreen and showed seasonal flowering in the rainy season, while woody species exhibited greater variability in leaf change pattern. There were significant differences in the phenological behavior between different growth forms for the four phenophases evaluated, while the comparison between habitats indicated differences in phenology only for deciduousness and flowering. Phenological differences between growth forms can be attributed to physiological strategies and seasonal water availability, the latter of which limits the phenology of most herbaceous species to the rainy season. Ecologia Evolutiva e Biodiversidade Departamento de Genética Ecologia e Evolução CP 486 Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Laboratório de Fenologia Departamento de Botânica Universidade Estadual Paulista UNESP Laboratório de Fenologia Departamento de Botânica Universidade Estadual Paulista UNESP

Global sustainability rests on a myriad of benefits provided by natural ecosystems that support human livelihoods and well-being, from biodiversity persistence to climate regulation. The undeniable importance of conserving tropical forests has drawn most of the conservation spotlight towards it. However, open ecosystems such as the Brazilian Campo Rupestre (rupestrian grassland), have been historically overlooked despite their high diversity and key associated ecosystem services. We highlight major current threats to the persistence of the Campo Rupestre emphasizing its ecological, social, cultural, geo-environmental, and economic importance. We call attention to the importance of the Campo Rupestre as a reservoir of biodiversity and ecosystem services and offer priority actions that resulted from discussions involving scientists, industry representatives, environmental managers, and other members of civil society. Proposed actions include efforts related to ecological restoration, sustainable ecotourism, protection of traditional ecological knowledge, identification of emerging research questions, and development of tailored public policies. Such issues are integrated into a framework that collectively represents a road map to safeguard the Campo Rupestre from further degradation and steer its historical overexploitation towards sustainable management. Safeguarding the future of non-forest biomes like this poses a challenge to current paradigms of nature conservation. By establishing priorities and guidelines, we propose an actionable plan, which we hope can support informed decision-making policy towards a sustainable use of the Campo Rupestre. Long Term Ecological Research PELD-CRSC-17 Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas CNPq/MCTI Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo 2013/50155-0, 2010/51307-0, 2019/07773-1

A prevalência da obesidade vem aumentando e apresentando alterações ao longo dos anos com predominâncias nas populações mais pobres, principalmente entre as mulheres. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a correlação entre circunferência de cintura e renda em mulheres de 18 a 60 anos em uma clínica escola de Belo Horizonte-MG. Trata-se de um estudo quantitativo, de caráter transversal, descritivo, retrospectivo, com dados coletados de fichas de anamnese inicial de pacientes que procuraram atendimento nutricional. Como critério de inclusão utilizou-se: idade, sexo, circunferência de cintura (CC), índice de massa corporal (IMC), ter informado renda individual, renda familiar e escolaridade. Com o fim de investigar os fatores que podem estar relacionados com índices morfométricos observados, foram consideradas como variáveis preditoras a renda familiar e o nível de escolaridade, e como variáveis resposta a classificação de CC e IMC. Os resultados mostram que a maior parte dos indivíduos com pré-obesidade (n=39, 32,5%), obesidade grau I (n=23, 35,38%), grau II (n=12, 41,37%) e III (n=5, 41,66%) tem idade acima dos 40 anos. Assim como mostram que a classificação da CC aumenta em consonância com a idade, onde a maior parte das mulheres classificadas com risco muito elevado tem idade entre 41 a 60 anos (n=54, 40,90%). As mulheres com rendas menores apresentam maior CC, observada através da classificação, sendo 74,60% (n= 47) das classificadas com risco elevado e 85,60% (n= 113) das com risco muito elevado. A predominância de obesidade em mulheres de baixa renda, constatada no presente estudo, evidencia o atual modelo de pobreza urbana.

The authors aimed to evaluate whether the clinical phenotype of delirium differs if dichotomized either by sex or age (cutoff age, 65 years old) in a pooled sample of 406 nondemented adult patients with delirium as defined by DSM-IV criteria. Delirium characteristics were measured with the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (DRS-R-98). DRS-R-98 items were subgrouped to represent subscores representing the three core domains of delirium (cognitive, higher-order thinking, and circadian), noncore accessory symptoms (psychotic and affective), and diagnostic characteristics (temporal onset, fluctuation, and physical disorder). The authors compared means of the DRS-R-98 subscores and medians of individual items. Exploratory factor analyses evaluated delirium characteristics for each subgroup for each of the four groups-male, female, nongeriatric, and geriatric-while taking into account active medical diagnoses. Males had higher scores on motor agitation and affective lability (behavioral), whereas females had a higher frequency of hypoactive delirium. Delirium had a two-factor structure that emerged in all four study groups, and all its core domains loaded (i.e., correlated together) onto some of these two factors and with circadian domain correlating with accessory symptoms. Although the influence of a variety of active diagnoses on delirium was small and complex, traumatic brain injury had a clear influence on cognitive domain and abrupt onset. Age had a mild influence over delirium characteristics for both males and females. In conclusion, the authors confirmed a two-factor structure for delirium phenomenology, regardless of age and sex, with few significant differences between etiological groups.

The introduction of plant species is a central topic in restoration ecology research. It is an effective technique to restore degraded ecosystems that present low resilience, such as the rupestrian grasslands. Once implemented, the transplantation of native species is monitored only in the short term, whereas long‐term monitoring should be preferred to identify potential changes in the restoration results. Our study is the first assessment of the transplantation success of 10 native shrub species in a degraded area of rupestrian grasslands, 8.5 years after transplantation. Survival, growth, and recruitment were assessed in 2004, 2008, and 2012. For all species, survival, growth, and recruitment varied over time. Although some species exhibited great mortality during the last 4 years, they also showed a great resprouting ability. Our results highlighted a trade‐off between survival and recruitment capacity. Most of the studied species showed remarkable ability to adapt to the extreme environment of the degraded area, persisting either through surviving or recruiting new individuals. We list nine native species, which are well appropriated for rupestrian grasslands restoration. In constrained environments, survival and resistance should represent criteria to select species for restoration project rather than fast growth and ground cover.

Canopy species can act changing abundance, survival and spatial distribution of other species below. The present study investigated the potential of four native species from the Atlantic Forest (Bixa arborea Huber, Inga laurina (Sw.) Willd., Joannesia princeps Vell. and Senna multijuga var. verrucosa (Vogel) H.S. Irwin & R.C. Barneby) at two spacings (2 × 2 and 3 × 3 m) in facilitating natural regeneration in areas undergoing forest restoration in southeastern Brazil. Circular plots were established under the canopies of each individual of these species and in open areas. All regenerating tree species were counted and identified. Joannesia princeps and S. multijuga var. verrucosa supported a greater richness of species under their canopy compared to the control area, but did not differ from the other species. The richness of regenerating trees under Bixa arborea and Inga laurina canopy did not differ from the control area. A greater abundance of regenerating trees was found below Inga laurina, Joannesia princeps and S. multijuga var. verrucosa. Trees planted at 2 × 2 m spacing sheltered a greater richness of regenerating tree species than at 3 × 3 m spacing. The species Joannesia princeps and S. multijuga var. verrucosa and the use of 2 × 2 m spacing are therefore recommended for accelerating the natural succession of degraded areas. Knowledge of the best combinations of species and spacing schemes to use to restore Atlantic rain forest is valuable because this design can guide the structuring and composition of regenerated forests.

South America harbors the highest plant diversity on Earth. The causes of such exceptionally high diversity remain poorly understood, despite great attention devoted to the ecology and evolution of biota in productive and geologically recent ecosystems such as the Amazon forest and the Andes. Evidence suggests ancient and extremely nutrient-poor landscapes are major centers of plant diversity and endemism, and acted as interglacial refugia, but singularities of their evolutionary history have been overlooked. Here, we examine to what extent Ocbil theory (old, climatically-buffered, infertile landscapes) may prove useful in explaining diversification patterns in some of the most diverse Neotropical ecosystems. We propose a theoretical framework that encompasses a mechanistic explanation for the predictions of Ocbil theory, and links ecological and evolutionary processes to vegetation patterns and functional traits. We review diversification patterns and population genetics in campos rupestres vegetation in light of Ocbil theory. We propose areas of future research that will accelerate and improve our understanding on the ecology and evolution of Neotropical biota on ancient, nutrient-poor vegetation. This knowledge is expected to shed light on the complex history of Neotropical plant diversification and, ultimately, provide tools for their sustainable use and conservation.

Patterns of termite richness along elevation gradients may be related to different responses by termite functional groups to changes in environmental conditions. We investigated the distribution of termite species richness along an elevational gradient of cerrado and rupestrian grasslands in the Espinhaco Mountain Range, in Brazil. Fifty termite species were recorded, with the family Termitidae being dominant; 16 species are endemic to open areas of cerrado and 1 species, Cortaritermes rizzinii, is endemic and restricted to mountaintop grassland habitats. Termite richness declined with increasing elevation, with the main factors associated with the reduction being climactic (air temperature, air and soil humidity, and radiation) and vegetation variables. Different termite communities were found along the elevational gradient, which were also strongly influenced by changes in climate and vegetation. On the other hand, the same functional groups were present at the different elevations, although represented by different species.

The growth–survival trade-off plays a central role in the coexistence of species-rich plant communities. While recurrently described in forest tree communities primarily limited by light availability, this trade-off is still poorly documented in grassland and savanna vegetation. In this comparative study we planted in a quartzitic degraded site eight-month-old saplings of eleven shrub species native from constrained mountain grassland (Brazilian rupestrian grassland). We measured the relative growth rate (RGR) during a 30-week time interval, leaf water potential under dry and wet conditions, and related these traits to the species survival. The interspecific comparison between the saplings performance clearly showed the classic growth–survival trade-off. The RGR expressed in stem diameter and aboveground biomass explained respectively 62% and 40% of the variation in saplings' survival one year after planting, and respectively 65% and 44% of the variation in survival 4.5 years after planting. This trade-off was not related to either leaf water potential or final size in aboveground biomass and basal stem diameter. Our results corroborate the view that the growth–survival trade-off is universally applicable, even in non-forest communities such as grasslands and savannas subjected to severe nutritional deficiency, pronounced seasonal drought, and high light incidence. The environmental differences in micro-habitats that compose rupestrian grasslands should distinctly favour species with contrasting strategies of growth and survival, thus contributing to niche partitioning and coexistence in this species-rich ecosystem.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Models of costs and benefits of dormancy (D) predict that the evolutionarily stable strategy in long-term stable environments is for non-dormancy (ND), but this prediction remains to be tested empirically. We reviewed seed traits of species in the climatically buffered, geologically stable and nutrient-impoverished campo rupestre grasslands in Brazil to test the hypothesis that ND is favoured over D. We examined the relative importance of life-history traits and phylogeny in driving the evolution of D and assessed seed viability at the community level. METHODS Germination and viability data were retrieved from 67 publications and ND/D was determined for 168 species in 25 angiosperm families. We also obtained the percentage of embryoless, viable and dormant seeds for 74 species. Frequencies of species with dormant and non-dormant seeds were compared with global databases of dormancy distribution. KEY RESULTS The majority of campo rupestre taxa (62·5 %) had non-dormant seeds, and the ND/D ratio was the highest for any vegetation type on Earth. Dormancy was unrelated to other species life-history traits, suggesting that contemporary factors are poor predictors of D. We found a significant phylogenetic structure in the dormancy categorical trait. Dormancy diversity was highly skewed towards the root of the phylogenetic tree and there was a strong phylogenetic signal in the data, suggesting a major role of phylogeny in determining the evolution of D versus ND and seed viability. Quantitative analysis of the data revealed that at least half of the seeds produced by 46 % of the surveyed populations were embryoless and/or otherwise non-viable. CONCLUSIONS Our results support the view that long-term climatic and geological stability favour ND. Seed viability data show that campo rupestre species have a markedly low investment in regeneration from seeds, highlighting the need for specific in situ and ex situ conservation strategies to avoid loss of biodiversity.

The unique vegetation of rupestrian grassland (Campo Rupestre) is finely tuned to the strong environmental and edaphoclimatic filters that resulted in important adaptations and high levels of endemism. In this study, we intend to give another focus to the understanding of the identity of the rupestrian grasslands by observing their floristic relationships with other surrounding vegetation types and to present for the first time a functional approach and zeta similarity to try to understand the differences and similarities of this ecosystem with other adjacent ones. We have compiled 1790 plant species in 7 vegetation types. Based on the species composition, we can infer that the most similar vegetation types were Tepuis and Altitudinal Grasslands, and this group is closer to Inselbergs. Subsequently, the most similar were Ironstone Grasslands and the Atlantic Forest grouped with Quartzite Grasslands. Finally, Cerrado was the lesser similar. But, these groupings are modified when analyzed at genus or family level. Considering the zeta diversity decline at the species level, the vegetation types showed an almost complete turnover in species assemblage, sharing only a small suite of species between them. This pattern is similar at the genus level, but the number of genera shared across vegetation types is comparatively higher. On the other hand, at the family level, there is a common core of families shared between vegetation types. When we evaluated the similarity considering functional attributes we found differences in composition regarding growth and life forms. However, in this case, Quartzitic and Ironstone Rupestrian Grasslands showed very similar functional attributes. They are inhabited by plant species with shrub, epiphytic, parasitic and succulent forms with rupicolous growth form. In general, the quartzitic grasslands have singular vegetation, but its affinity with other vegetation types does not translate in any way the most relevant aspects associated with endemism and biodiversity. The true landscape identity to a certain ecosystem is given by functional characteristics.

Elevation creates a variety of physical conditions in a relatively short distance, which makes mountains suitable for studying the effects of climate change on biodiversity. We investigated the importance of climate and vegetation for the distribution of butterflies from 800 to 1400 m elevation. We sampled butterflies, and woody and rosette plants and measured air temperature and humidity, wind speed and gust, and solar radiation. We partitioned diversity to assess the processes underlying community shifts across altitudes – species loss versus replacement. We assessed the strength of the association among butterfly, vegetation, and climate. Butterfly richness and abundance decreased with altitude, and species composition changed along the elevation. Changes in butterfly composition with altitude were mainly through species replacement and by abundance increases in some species being compensated by decreases in others. Since the floristic diversity decreased with altitude due to soil conditions, and butterflies are closely related to their host plants, this could explain species replacement with altitude. Overall, we found a stronger association of butterfly community with vegetation than climate, but plant community and climate were also strongly associated between them. Butterfly richness was more strongly associated with plant richness than with temperature, while the reverse was true for butterfly abundance, which was more strongly associated with temperature than with plant richness. We must consider the complementary roles of resource and conditions in species distribution.

A utilizacao da fitoterapia e comum desde os primordios da humanidade. Pesquisadores se ocupam com pesquisas voltadas para o rastreamento fitoquimico de vegetais utilizados pela medicina fitoterapica. O presente trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar o potencial antibacteriano do extrato aquoso da folha de Caryocar brasiliense frente aos microrganismos Enterococcus faecalis , Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus e Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Foram realizados testes com disco de difusao em agar, logo apos aferido o halo e comparado com padroes estabelecidos. O extrato aquoso da folha do C. brasiliense apresentou bioatividade inibitoria somente sobre a bacteria S. aureus em concentracao de 50g/mL, nao demonstrando atividade sobre as demais bacterias, E. coli , E. faecalis e P. aeruginosa . A inibicao provocada no crescimento de S. aureus foi classificada como uma inibicao intermediaria (i.e., halo maior que 12,5mm e menor que 17,5mm; p < 0,001).

Rupestrian grasslands over ironstone outcrop, locally named canga, are montane ecosystems with restricted distribution known to harbor an unusually a large number of endemic plant species. These communities are highly threatened due to their high sensitivity to habitat conversions and extreme low resilience derived from anthropogenic pressure. Ecological restoration attempts on degraded rupestrian grassland areas have not yet been successful. Mimosa calodendron is an endemic canga shrub thought to play a facilitator role and, therefore, may enhance seedling recruitment in degraded areas. Since dormancy and slow germination are key factors of the biology of seeds and may hamper their use in ecological restoration, this study aimed to investigate the environmental control of seed dormancy and germination of M. calodendron seeds. We tested the effect of mechanical scarification, light and different incubation temperatures on seed germination. The effect of scarification on water uptake by seeds was also measured. M. calodendron seeds have physical dormancy and scarification was an effective treatment to promote high and rapid germination. Heat treatment also increased germination percentage of non-scarified seeds, but was less efficient than scarification. Once water uptake occurred, germination took place under a broad thermal gradient, regardless of light condition. Therefore, the germination profile of M. calodendron seems to be suitable for uncomplicated use in restoration projects, requiring only a pretreatment for dormancy release.

International audience; 1. Ontogenetic shifts in plants are ubiquitous, but their ecological and evolutionary significance remain largely unknown. Juveniles have few opportunities to accumulate sufficient biomass to withstand damage, whereas adults allocate resources to reproduction. Thus, age-specific environmental filters are expected to drive selection towards specific resource-investment strategies for each developmental stage. 2. We tested whether species exhibited strategies that favour faster rates of biomass accumulation during early developmental stages to cope with vulnerability, shifting towards habitat-dependent strategies to optimise resource acquisition and use later on. We also hypothesised that juveniles exhibit greater intraspecific variability of strategies than adults, as a result of continuous filtering of traits throughout the plant's development towards adulthood. 3. We measured key leaf traits-leaf area (LA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and specific leaf area (SLA)-and calculated scores for competitor (C), stress-tolerator (S), ruderal (R) strategies of the CSR system for juveniles of 54 species and conspecific adults of 27 species naturally occurring either in unproductive (grassland) or productive (forest) habitats. 4. Juveniles exhibited higher SLA and LA and lower LDMC, and thus a more R-strategy in both habitats when compared with adults, but were not necessarily "R" in absolute terms. We also found smaller intraspecific variation for the R-strategy in adults compared with juveniles in both habitats, whereas the variation of the other strategies was habitat dependent. 5. Ontogenetic shifts in ecological strategies appear to have been selected as a response to ontogeny-dependent filters. Thus, strategies that favour less costly leaves and faster growth rates (relatively R-selected) in juveniles shift towards C and/or S strategies in adulthood, depending on habitat productivity. Nevertheless, habitat-dependent specialisation seems to be a major driver of ecological strategy selection in juveniles. Our study reveals ontogeny-dependent strategies, offering a new approach to integrate plant development and functional specialisation.

The Atlantic forest is among the hottest hotspots for biodiversity conservation. Within this biome, inselbergs are isolated granitic and gneiss rocks that rise sharply above the lowland surrounding forests. Due to prevailing stressful conditions and resource paucity of inselbergs, distinguished plant communities are formed in these rocky-associated vegetation, which comprise unusually high levels of endemic and threatened species. Here, we evaluated the importance of competitiveness:stress-tolerance:ruderalism ecological strategies in different vegetation patches on the inselberg, tested for a connection between patch structure and functional traits, and compared the variation in functional traits between native and an exotic species, which represents a major threat to inselberg communities. Despite the stressful conditions of inselbergs, we found a relatively high diversity of ecological strategies, but most species and patches lied between the S and C strategy. The invasive Melinis repens, in turn, was functionally distinctive from native communities, with the predominance of traits associated with ruderalism. We also found that most functional traits significantly correlated with at least one environmental driver, highlighting their role in structuring plant communities in this heterogeneous environment. Since inselberg patches were spatially heterogeneous, and the variation in resource availability implies in favouring different ecological strategies, some patch types were more invasive-prone than others. Our data provide significant advances for identifying the environmental drivers of biological invasion in resource-limited environments. We argue that further trait-based approaches will become critical for developing conservation and management strategies for inselberg plant communities, especially in the context of rapid habitat loss and fragmentation of the Atlantic forest.