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The Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) in southern Brazil is impacted by high ozone levels posing significant threats to its urban forests and the Atlantic Forest remnants. These green areas, covering 540 km 2 and constituting 30% of MASP's territory, necessitate an urgent assessment of air pollution impacts on their flora. Our study investigates the effects of atmospheric pollution on the morphoanatomical and physiological responses of four native tree species (Alchornea sidifolia, Casearia sylvestris, Guarea macrophylla, and Machaerium nyctitans) across two Atlantic Forest remnants in MASP. We examined visual and morphoanatomical changes in leaves, gas exchange, photosynthetic pigments, and plant volatile organic compounds to identify markers for biomonitoring urban environments. Our results reveal that MASP vegetation is adversely affected by tropospheric ozone. Species with porous mesophyll structures, such as M. nyctitans and G. macrophylla, exhibited greater visual and structural damage. In contrast, species with compact mesophyll, such as A. sidifolia and C. sylvestris, demonstrated higher tolerance. This suggests that anatomical architecture critically influences species' responses to atmospheric pollutants, such as tropospheric ozone. Additionally, we propose that ozone influx occurs through both stomatal pathways and as a result of direct and indirect injuries to the plant tissues. Additionally, our study identifies non-visual markers, including anatomical and physiological parameters and plant volatile organic compounds (e.g., presence of salicylates), as effective tools for monitoring plant species in urban environments. These insights highlight key anatomical and metabolic markers that help distinguish ozone-tolerant species from sensitive species, providing valuable information for monitoring air pollution in urban forests., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: Not applicable. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent to publish: All the authors agreed to publish the data in this journal. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Many species of mushroom-forming fungi have been harvested in the wild and used for food and medicine for thousands of years. In Brazil, the knowledge of the diversity of wild edible mushrooms remains scattered and poorly studied. Based on new samples, bibliographic records revision, and searches through the GenBank, we recorded 409 species of wild edible mushrooms in Brazil, of which 350 can be safely consumed and 59 are edible but with conditions. Additionally, other 150 species represent taxa with unclear evidence of consumption or unconfirmed edibility status. A total of 86 of the 409 edible species represents consistent records in Brazil based on molecular data and/or Brazilian nomenclatural types. Other 323 names represent species that need further taxonomic investigations to confirm their identity and occurrence in the country, with 41 of them having some record of consumption by part of the Brazilian population. The remaining 282 species can represent new food resources for the country. We generated 143 DNA sequences, representing 40 species within 29 genera. Edible mushrooms are an important non-wood forest product and the knowledge about them adds value to the local biodiversity and the population, increasing the incentive to conservation allied to sustainable rural development., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Adherence to national and international regulations: This study is according to the Brazilian legislation on access to genetic biodiversity heritage and is registered in the ‘Sistema Nacional de Gestão do Patrimônio Genético e do Conhecimento Tradicional Associado’ (SisGen #A1886D5). Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

There are about 80 species of wild edible mushroom that certainly occur in Brazil and can be used as a natural source of food and medicine. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro mycelial development in culture media at different temperatures and substrates for cultivation of the edible mushroom species Auricularia fuscosuccinea and Laetiporus gilbertsonii. Additionally, the cultivation and the nutritional composition of A. fuscosuccinea mushrooms were evaluated. The two best wild strains of each species were selected for the in vitro cultivation experiment in two different substrates. Furthermore, an axenic cultivation on sawdust was conduct and the basidiomata produced were evaluated on their nutritional composition. The temperatures that best favored the mycelial growth were 30 °C for A. fuscosuccinea and 25 °C and 30 °C for L. gilbertsonii. The mycelium of both species developed better in the sterile Eucalyptus sawdust substrate. Despite the success in cultivating the mycelium of L. gilbertsonii, it was not possible to obtain basidioma for this species. On the other hand, it was possible to produce basidiomata of the two tested wild strains of A. fuscosuccinea.

This study examined the taxonomic composition and ecological aspects of planktonic green algae (Chlorophyta) in four urban ponds (Parque da Lagoa, Lagoa Grande, Laguneville, and Pindoba) in Feira de Santana, Bahia State, Brazil. We analyzed 96 samples collected bimonthly in 2022 and identified 54 taxa, with the majority (42) classified as uncommon or sporadic. The most common species were Monoraphidium circinale and Lemmermannia komarekii, found in 100% and 95.8% of samples, respectively. Parque da Lagoa had the highest number of taxa (43), followed by Lagoa Grande (40), Laguneville (31), and Pindoba (30). Most taxa were found in water with high levels of oxygenation (5.8-12.3 mg L-1) and conductivity (400-1000 μS cm-1), neutral to slightly alkaline conditions (pH 7-8), and moderate water temperature (26-27 °C). Significant differences in the composition of planktonic green algae and limnological variables were observed among ponds. These studies underscore the importance of implementing actions aimed at the restoration and conservation of urban ponds in Feira de Santana to avoid biodiversity loss and eutrophication while ensuring the provision of critical ecosystem services, such as local climate regulation.

The main objective of the present work was to assess the phenolic profile of bracatinga (Mimosa scabrella) bee pollen, and its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities after gastrointestinal digestion in vitro and epithelial transport in a Caco-2 cell monolayer model. The botanical origin of bee pollen was confirmed by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. As major results, 34 phenolic compounds (13 phenylamides, 14 flavonols, and 7 flavanones) were tentatively identified in the extract of bracatinga bee pollen by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS. The aglycone forms of quercetin and p-coumaric acid were identified only after digestion, indicating the breakage of flavonols and phenylamides, respectively. These compounds may have contributed to the decrease in NF-κΒ activation up to 54% and in the release of TNF-α and CXCL2/MIP-2 by 26% and 21%, respectively, in raw 264.7 murine macrophages activated with microbial lipopolysaccharide and treated with the digested fraction. Among all tentatively identified phenolic compounds, five of them were found in the basolateral fraction. These compounds, represented by four aglycone flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, naringenin, and herbacetin methyl ether) and a phenolic acid (p-coumaric acid) may be responsible for its outstanding antioxidant activity in Caco-2 cells, as well as for its remaining capacity in mitigating CXCL2/MIP-2 release after transport through the Caco-2 cell monolayer, as an intestinal barrier model. Therefore, our work sheds light on the phenolic profile and bioactivities of an interesting functional food produced by bees throughout a simulated gastrointestinal system., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Ana Sofia Martelli Chaib Saliba reports financial support was provided by National Council for Scientific and Technological Development. Severino Matias de Alencar reports financial support was provided by Coordination of Higher Education Personnel Improvement. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To ensure unbiased tree-ring radiocarbon ( 14 C) results, traditional pretreatments carefully isolate wood cellulose from extractives using organic solvents, among other chemicals. The addition of solvents is laborious, time-consuming, and can increase the risk of carbon contamination. Tropical woods show a high diversity in wood-anatomical and extractive composition, but the necessity of organic-solvent extraction for the 14 C dating of these diverse woods remains untested. We applied a chemical treatment that excludes the solvent step on the wood of 8 tropical tree species sampled in South-America and Africa, with different wood-anatomical and extractive properties. We analyzed the success of the extractive removal along with several steps of the α-cellulose extraction procedure using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and further confirmed the quality of 14 C measurements after extraction. The α-cellulose extracts obtained here showed FTIR-spectra free of signals from various extractives and the 14 C results on these samples showed reliable results. The chemical method evaluated reduces the technical complexity required to prepare α-cellulose samples for 14 C dating, and therefore can bolster global atmospheric 14 C applications, especially in the tropics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Auricularia cornea has become one of the most important cultivated mushrooms worldwide. Although not remarkably flavorful, Auricularia species are very versatile and rehydrate easily after drying, adding a unique and pleasing texture to the dishes. In this study, we collected, identified, and domesticated a wild strain of A. cornea from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. The wild strain was evaluated for mycelial growth at different temperatures and substrates, biological efficiency, and nutritional composition. The temperature that best favored the A. cornea mycelium growth was 30 °C, and the substrate was sterile Eucalyptus sawdust. The highest biological efficiency value obtained was 106.90 ± 13.28%. Nutritional analysis showed that the produced wood ears contained 71.02% carbohydrates, 19.63% crude fiber, 11.59% crude protein, 10.19% crude fat, and 4.24% ash on dry matter basis. For the mineral content profile, the elements K and P were the most abundant. This is the first report on cultivation of a wild strain of A. cornea from Brazil., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The Atlantic Forest is one of the most diverse and threatened phytogeographical domains in the world. Despite that, it includes regions with poor floristic knowledge, even in protected areas. Although the importance of protected areas in conserving the Atlantic Forest hotspot is undisputed, it is necessary to recognise the floristic richness of these areas to propose effective conservation actions. In this sense, online databases have proved to be a promising tool for compiling species lists with relevant biodiversity information. This study is based on the list of vascular plants of the "Parque Estadual da Pedra Selada", published in the "Catálogo de Plantas das Unidades de Conservação do Brasil". It summarises the species richness, endemism and conservation status of this protected area., New Information: The published list of vascular plants was based on data obtained from herbarium collections available in online databases. A total of 303 species have been recorded for the "Parque Estadual da Pedra Selada," of which 297 are native to Brazil, 78 are endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, and seven are endemic to the State of Rio de Janeiro. More than 60% of the species are woody, and more than 40% are trees. Eight threatened species (Endangered - EN and Vulnerable - VU), of which five are endemic to the State of Rio de Janeiro, are housed in this protected area. One species was classified as Data Deficient (DD). Our results increase the knowledge of the Atlantic Forest flora in the State of Rio de Janeiro and support effective conservation planning for this protected area., (Isabela Maciel Waga, Andrea Ferreira da Costa, Claudine Massi Mynssen, Eduardo Pinheiro Fernandez, Elsie Franklin Guimarães, Fernanda Saleme, George Azevedo de Queiroz, Guilherme Medeiros Antar, Haroldo Cavalcante de Lima, Hemily Oliveira Marques, Lara Serpa Jaegge Deccache, Leandro Jorge Telles Cardoso, Leandro Lacerda Giacomin, Maria Regina de V. de Vasconcellos Barbosa, Mario Gomes, Marli Pires Morim, Otávio Luis Marques da Silva, Pedro Fiaschi, Pedro Luís Rodrigues de Moraes, Rafaela Campostrini Forzza, Renon Santos Andrade, Thaís Andrade Ferreira Dória, Thiago Serrano de Almeida Penedo, Thuane Bochorny, Marcio Verdi.)

Background: The "Serra da Concórdia" is part of the Atlantic Forest phytogeographical domain in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro and it has a predominant phytophysiognomy of Semideciduous Seasonal Forest. This region underwent intense habitat loss and fragmentation during the 19 th century, due to coffee plantations and later pastures. With the decline of these activities, the areas were abandoned, triggering secondary succession. In 2002, the "Parque Estadual da Serra da Concórdia" was established in this region to preserve the remaining forest fragments. The updated list of vascular plants recorded in this protected area, published in the "Catálogo de Plantas das Unidades de Conservação do Brasil", is presented here, along with information on richness, endemism, and conservation status., New Information: The "Parque Estadual da Serra da Concórdia" houses 231 vascular plant species, of which 90% are angiosperms, 10% ferns and lycophytes, and 27% endemic to the Atlantic Forest. Ten species are threatened with extinction, three are categorized as Endangered, and seven as Vulnerable. Although there have been expeditions in the "Parque Estadual da Serra da Concórdia", they have been limited, resulting in a low number of records and the species richness for a protected area. This is notable considering the 2,130 Brazilian native vascular plant species recorded in the semideciduous seasonal forest of Rio de Janeiro. Our data indicates that floristic inventories of Brazilian protected areas could help highlight gaps in flora knowledge and support the proposal of effective conservation actions., (Lara Serpa Jaegge Deccache, Claudine Massi Mynssen, Claudio Nicoletti de Fraga, Eduardo Pinheiro Fernandez, Elsie Franklin Guimarães, Elton John de Lírio, Fabiana Luiza Ranzato Filardi, Fernanda Ribeiro de Mello Fraga, Fernanda Saleme, Gustavo Hiroaki Shimizu, Haroldo Cavalcante de Lima, Helen Ayumi Ogasawara, Hemily Oliveira Marques, Isabela Maciel Waga, Isabella Cristina de Castro Silva, Jenifer de Carvalho Lopes, Leonardo Biral, Lucas Vieira Lima, Maria Liris Barbosa, Mario Gomes, Massimo Giuseppe Bovini, Miriam Kaehler, Nádia Roque, Otávio Luis Marques da Silva, Pedro Luís Rodrigues de Moraes, Rodrigo Lopes Borges, Ronaldo Marquete, Thuane Bochorny, Thiago Fernandes, Marcio Verdi.)

Araucaria angustifolia is a species known for its valuable wood and nuts, but it is threatened with extinction. The plantation of forests for genetic resource conservation is a complementary strategy designed to reduce the species' genetic variability loss. This study aimed to evaluate the technical and economic viability of A. angustifolia for genetic conservation through use. The analyzed provenance and progeny trial was established in 1982 in Itapeva, Brazil. It was structured using a compact family blocks design with 110 open-pollinated progenies from five natural populations, three replicates, ten plants per subplot, and 3.0 m × 2.0 m spacing. After 33 years, the trial was evaluated for total height, diameter at breast height, wood volume, and survival. The variance components and genetic parameter estimates were performed using Restricted Maximum Likelihood/Best Linear Unbiased Prediction methods (REML/BLUP) methods with the Selegen software (version 2014). The production and management scenarios were obtained using the SisAraucaria software (version 2003). Sensitivity analysis and economic parameter estimates were obtained through various economic evaluation methods using the Planin software (version 1995). In general, the genetic parameters indicated that the population has enough variability for both conservation and breeding purposes, suggesting technical viability for the establishment of a seed orchard. The economic parameters indicated that the commercialization of wood and araucaria nuts proved to be more profitable than wood production by itself. In conclusion, araucaria genetic conservation through use is a technically and economically viable ex situ conservation strategy.

Pseudohydnum , commonly known as cat's tongue mushrooms, is a monophyletic assemblage within Auriculariales, which encompasses species with gelatinous basidiomata, spathulate, flabellate, or shell-shaped pileus, hydnoid hymenophore, globose to ellipsoidal basidiospores, and longitudinally cruciate-septate basidia. According to the available literature, 16 species have been described in Pseudohydnum , mostly represented in temperate-boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. However, the limited morphological, molecular, and ecological information, especially from the Southern Hemisphere ecosystems, does not presently allow a reliable assessment of its taxonomic boundaries nor provide a complete picture of the species diversity in the genus. In an ongoing effort to examine specimens collected in dense and mixed ombrophilous forest fragments (Atlantic Rainforest domain) from Southeastern and Southern Brazil, additional taxa assigned to Pseudohydnum were identified. Four new species are recognized based mostly on characters of the pileus surface, stipe, hymenium, and basidiospores. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS barcode), partial nuc rDNA 28S, and partial RNA polymerase II largest subunit ( RPB1 ) sequences supported the description of these new taxa. Here, we propose Pseudohydnum brasiliense, P. brunneovelutinum, P. cupulisnymphae , and P. viridimontanum as new species. Morphological descriptions, line drawings, habitat photos, and comparisons with closely related taxa are provided. A dichotomous key for identification of currently known Southern Hemisphere Pseudohydnum species is presented.

Changes in temperature and the deposition of potential pollutants in the soil, such as heavy metals, may damage plant communities, altering their physiological processes. High temperature may also cause a series of morpho-anatomical, physiological and biochemical changes in plants. However, tolerant plant species tend to restrict these harmful effects. The present study investigates the impact of atmospheric warming on the accumulation capacity of heavy metals (Zn, Ni, Cu) in the roots and leaves of a pioneer species (Croton floribundus) and a non-pioneer species (Esenbeckia leiocarpa) native to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil. The experimental design involved exposing the plants to two soil treatments: without excess metals (-M) and with excess metals (+M), along with varying thermoperiods of 26 °C day/19 °C night and 32 °C day/20 °C night in growth chambers. Over a 28-day period, we assessed weekly metal content, translocation, growth parameters, a non-enzymatic antioxidant (glutathione) and indicators of cell damage or oxidative stress (chlorophylls a and b, total chlorophyll (a+b), carotenoids, malondialdehyde and conjugated diene hydroperoxide contents). Both species exhibited increased metal accumulation under excess metals, employing distinct translocation strategies. C. floribundus showed high translocation rates of Ni to leaves and E. leiocarpa immobilized Ni in the roots. Atmospheric warming reduced Cu and Ni translocation from roots to leaves in both species. C. floribundus displayed lower physiological damage compared to E. leiocarpa, demonstrating robust growth. We concluded that the pioneer species possessed greater tolerance to oxidative stress induced by temperature and metal-related environmental factors than the non-pioneer species, confirming our hypothesis. In addition, our finding provides valuable insights for conservation and management of ecosystems affected by climatic and pollutant changes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Strychnos (Loganiaceae, Gentianales) is a large and pantropical genus of woody plants, ethnobotanically important as a source of many toxic alkaloids, including strychnine. Unfortunately, the status of numerous names at various ranks of Strychnos remains unresolved, including that of many specific or infraspecific taxa in the Neotropics. In this study, we address Strychnosbredemeyeri (basionym Lasiostomabredemeyeri ), a species described in 1827 based on type material collected in Venezuela during the poorly documented Austrian Märter expedition (1783-1788). Strychnosbredemeyeri is an unarmed liana with solitary tendrils and axillary inflorescences that occurs in Neotropical rainforests and savannas in Brazil, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. We clarify here the nomenclatural status of Lasiostoma Schreb., an illegitimate and superfluous genus currently in synonymy under Strychnos , and its former species Lasiostomabredemeyeri [= Strychnosbredemeyeri ]. Also, we lectotypify S.pedunculata and S.trinitensis , both taxa currently synonyms of S.bredemeyeri ., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Robberson Bernal Setubal, Lena Struwe, Jefferson Prado, Rafaela Campostrini Forzza.)

Premise: Conservation policies typically focus on biodiversity hotspots. An alternative approach involves analyzing the evolutionary history of lineages in geographic areas along with their threat levels to guide conservation efforts. Mountains exhibit high levels of plant species richness and micro-endemism, and biogeographic studies commonly point to recent and rapid evolutionary radiations in these areas. Using a nearly endemic clade of legumes, our study evaluates conservation prioritization approaches in the campo rupestre, a Neotropical ecosystem associated with mountaintops that is located between two biodiversity hotspots., Methods: We compared the EDGE and EDGE2 metrics, which combine the evolutionary distinctiveness and the extinction risk of a species in a single value. These metrics are compared with traditional metrics used to assess conservation priority, such as phylogenetic diversity., Results: The EDGE values reported are lower than those of other studies using this metric, mostly due to the prevalence of threatened species with short phylogenetic branch lengths (low values of evolutionary distinctiveness). Certain areas of campo rupestre with relatively high phylogenetic diversity and EDGE values do not correspond to areas with high species richness, agreeing with previous studies on biodiversity hotspots., Discussion: Our study highlights the necessity of conservation of the campo rupestres as well as advantages and disadvantages of using EDGE, EDGE2, and phylogenetic diversity for appropriate selection of conservation areas with rapid evolutionary radiations. The selection of the metrics will depend primarily on the life history of the focus group and the data availability, as well as the conservation approach., (© 2024 The Authors. Applications in Plant Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Botanical Society of America.)

Brazil harbors the highest richness of Convolvulaceae with 424 species recognized mainly distributed in the Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga and Cerrado phytogeographic domains. Seventeen of these species are representatives of Bonamia, with ten endemic to the country. The aim of the study was to map the distribution of this group to understand its richness, its sampling and detecting areas of endemism, valuable information for conservation. We collected data gathered from herbaria and from the online database. The data were refined (1) excluding of records not at the species level; (2) records with no identification of collection site or with only the identification of the state of collection. There was calculated the richness, the number of records and an estimate of richness per cell. We conducted a parsimony analysis of endemism for distribution analysis. Finally, the knowledge of richness for the species was analyzed. There were gathered 420 occurrence records, in 87 grid cells. Most grid cells observed in the study presented one species. Two endemic areas were found for the genus. The results contribute to the understanding of the distribution of the group in Brazil, highlighting shortfalls in collections.

In southeastern Brazil, the city of Ipatinga is inserted in the Steel Valley Metropolitan Region, which hosts the largest industrial complex for flat-steel production in Latin America, while also having one of the largest vehicle fleets in the entire country. Since potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are not emitted solely by industries, yet also by vehicular activity, the predominant emission source can be determined by evaluating the ratio between different elements, which are called technogenic tracers. We performed a biomonitoring assay using two tropical legumes, Paubrasilia echinata and Libidibia ferrea var. leiostachya, aiming to assess chemical markers for the origin of emissions in the region, distinguishing between different anthropogenic sources. Plants were exposed for 90 days in four urban sites and in a neighboring park which served as reference. After the experimental period, plants were evaluated for trace-metal accumulation. L. ferrea var. leiostachya retained lower amounts of metals associated with vehicular and industrial emission. The opposite was found with P. echinata, a species which should be recommended for biomonitoring of air pollution as a bioaccumulator. Plants of P. echinata were enriched with Fe, Al, Ni, Cr, and Ba, whereas plants of L. ferrea var. leiostachya were enriched with Fe, Cu, and Co. In both species, Fe was the element with which plants were enriched the most. Plants showed highest iron enrichment at Bom Retiro, the site downwind to the steel industry, which has shown to be the main particle emission source in the region., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Areas of endemism (AoE) comprise regions host to two or more endemic taxa, whose distributional limits are congruent and not random. These areas are important for two reasons: they comprise the smallest geographic units for biogeographic analyses and they are priority targets for conservation actions. Ferns are a monophyletic group that despite having a wide geographic distribution, concentrates great species richness and endemism in some regions (centres). The southern and southeastern regions of Brazil comprise one of these centres for the Neotropics. This study aims to verify the AoE of Pteridaceae in Brazil and examine whether the results obtained here are congruent with areas already delimited for other groups and whether there is spatial correspondence between the AoE and Conservation Units. To this end, a database was created with collection records of the 205 Pteridaceae species occurring in Brazil based on a review of herbaria. We analysed 23 815 records for 205 Pteridaceae species using Endemicity Analysis (NDM-VNDM), selecting the fill and assumed parameters, and 1°, 2° and 3° grid-cells. The consensus of 158 AoE, using different grid sizes, was calculated, and subsequently, generalized AoE were established. The Guiana Shield, southern Brazil, southeastern Brazil, and southeastern Bahia were considered generalized AoE. These areas correspond to those found for animals and angiosperms, and in previous studies with ferns. Furthermore, two areas, Acre and Mato Grosso do Sul, were recovered only on grids with 2° and 3°. It will be essential to conduct more research to confirm the persistence of both AoE (Acre and Mato Grosso do Sul), especially after expanding sampling. Most endemic species distribution points occur outside protected areas, demonstrating an alarming situation regarding the conservation of these taxa. In addition, fern distribution data could (and should) be used in conservation practices, programmes and policies, given that they are good ecological indicators and that the distribution of ferns may not reflect that of angiosperms and animals., (© 2023 Willi Hennig Society.)

Organisms use diverse strategies to thrive in varying habitats. While life history theory partly explains these relationships, the combined impact of resource availability and disturbance frequency on life form strategy evolution has received limited attention. We use Chamaecrista species, a legume plant lineage with a high diversity of plant life forms in the Neotropics, and employ ecological niche modeling and comparative phylogenetic methods to examine the correlated evolution of plant life forms and environmental niches. Chamaephytes and phanerophytes have optima in environments characterized by moderate water and nutrient availability coupled with infrequent fire disturbances. By contrast, annual plants thrive in environments with scarce water and nutrients, alongside frequent fire disturbances. Similarly, geophyte species also show increased resistance to frequent fire disturbances, although they thrive in resource-rich environments. Our findings shed light on the evolution of plant strategies along environmental gradients, highlighting that annuals and geophytes respond differently to high incidences of fire disturbances, with one enduring it as seeds in a resource-limited habitat and the other relying on reserves and root resprouting systems in resource-abundant habitats. Furthermore, it deepens our understanding of how organisms evolve associated with their habitats, emphasizing a constraint posed by low-resource and high-disturbance environments., (© 2024 The Authors New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.)

Plants should be probably thought of as the most formidable chemical laboratory that can be exploited for the production of an incredible number of molecules with remarkable structural and chemical diversity that cannot be matched by any synthetic libraries of small molecules. The bryophytes chemistry has been neglected for too long, but in the last ten years, this scenery is changing, with several studies being made using extracts from bryophytes, aimed at the characterization of interesting metabolites, with their metabolome screened. The main objective of this study was to analyze the metabolome of Brittonodoxa subpinnata , a native Brazilian moss species, which occurs in the two Brazilian hotspots. GC-MS and LC-MS 2 were performed. All extracts were analyzed using the molecular networking approach. The four extracts of B. subpinnata (polar, non-polar, soluble, and insoluble) resulted in 928 features detected within the established parameters. 189 (20.4%) compounds were annotated, with sugars, fatty acids, flavonoids, and biflavonoids as the major constituents. Sucrose was the sugar with the highest quantity; palmitic acid the major fatty acid but with great presence of very long-chain fatty acids rarely found in higher plants, glycosylated flavonoids were the major flavonoids, and biflavonoids majorly composed by units of flavones and flavanones, exclusively found in the cell wall. Despite the high percentage, this work leaves a significant gap for future works using other structure elucidation techniques, such as NMR.

RNA editing is a post-transcriptional process that challenges the central dogma of molecular biology by modifying RNA sequences, introducing nucleotide changes at specific sites, and generating functional diversity beyond the genomic code, especially when it concerns organellar transcripts. In plants, this phenomenon is widespread, but its extent varies significantly among species and organellar genomes. Among land plants, the heterosporous lycophytes (i.e., Isoetes and Selaginella ) stand out for their exceptionally high numbers of RNA-editing sites, despite their morphological stasis and ancient lineage. In this study, we explore the complete set of organellar protein-coding genes in the aquatic plant group Isoetes , providing a detailed analysis of RNA editing in both the mitochondrial and plastid genomes. Our findings reveal a remarkable abundance of RNA editing, particularly in the mitochondrial genome, with thousands of editing sites identified. Interestingly, the majority of these edits result in non-silent substitutions, suggesting a role in fine-tuning protein structure and function. Furthermore, we observe a consistent trend of increased hydrophobicity in membrane-bound proteins, supporting the notion that RNA editing may confer a selective advantage by preserving gene functionality in Isoetes . The conservation of highly edited RNA sequences over millions of years underscores the evolutionary significance of RNA editing. Additionally, the study sheds light on the dynamic nature of RNA editing, with shared editing sites reflecting common ancestry whereas exclusive edits matching more recent radiation events within the genus. This work advances our understanding of the intricate interplay between RNA editing, adaptation, and evolution in land plants and highlights the unique genomic features of Isoetes , providing a foundation for further investigations into the functional consequences of RNA editing in this enigmatic plant lineage., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Pereira, Oliveira, Vasconcelos, Dias, Caldeira, Quandt, Oliveira and Prado.)

Stress memory is the development of altered responses to stress due to previous exposure, which might result in increased tolerance. Biochemical and physiological parameters shown to be positively affected by stress memory include those of the antioxidant and nitrosative metabolism, photosynthetic pigments and osmolyte content. Epiphytic bromeliads likely present stress memory since they experience frequent droughts in the canopies. Thus, we aimed to evaluate if the epiphytic bromeliad Acanthostachys strobilacea (Schult. & Schult.f.) Klotzsch shows improved metabolic stress defence responses to a second drought and rewatering cycle compared to a single exposure. In a controlled environment chamber, 90-day-old plants were exposed to one or two drought-rewatering cycles of 14 days without irrigation and 5 days of rewatering each. Sampling occurred after the final drought and rewatering periods for one or two cycles treatments. The free amino acid, chlorophyll, and carotenoid levels and S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) activity were higher at the second drought than at the first exposure. The rise in nocturnal acidification (indicative of increased CAM activity) caused by the initial drought persisted through the second drought-rewatering cycle, implying a lasting memory effect on CAM activity. Furthermore, the second recovery did not induce glutathione accumulation, as in the first rewatering event, suggesting the pre-exposure to drought reduced this thiol's demand during a later recovery. Our results evidence metabolic changes related to drought stress memory in A. strobilacea, supporting this mechanism might be involved in the tolerance of epiphytic bromeliads to intermittent droughts., (© 2024 German Society for Plant Sciences, Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.)

The genus Magnolia (Magnoliaceae) has a wide and disjunct geographic distribution ranging from Eastern and South Asia to Malaysia, extending across the Neartics and reaching into the Neotropics. Regarding its infrageneric classification, the genus is divided into three subgenera: Yulania , Gynopodium and Magnolia , the latter including the section Talauma in which the native Brazilian taxa are classified. The species of Magnoliasect.Talauma can be recognized by two parallel longitudinal scars on the petiole formed by the shedding of the stipules, in addition to a woody syncarp that breaks into irregular plates at dehiscence. Currently, in Brazil, species recognition is not clear on national platforms that are widely used by the Brazilian botanical community (e.g. Flora do Brasil), with only two native Magnolia species being accepted: M.amazonica and M.ovata . The lack of knowledge about the species and their respective characteristics has resulted in many identification errors in Brazilian herbaria, which contributes to the lack of knowledge about their current conservation status. We conducted a complete taxonomic revision based on extensive fieldwork, a herbarium survey, along with literature study. Based on this, we propose to recognize three previously described species, supporting the acceptance of five native Magnolias occurring in Brazil, namely: M.amazonica , M.brasiliensis , M.irwiniana , M.ovata and M.sellowiana . However, we follow the Flora do Brasil in maintaining M.paranaensis as a synonym of M.ovata . Additionally, we designate a lectotype for M.sellowiana . We present morphological descriptions and the geographic distribution for each species, in addition to an identification key to all of these plus the two introduced ornamental species from Asia and North America, illustrations, photographs, ecological data, updated conservation status and taxonomic notes., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Juliana Cruz Jardim Barbosa, Maria Beatriz Rossi Caruzo, Ana Rita G. Simões, Marie-Stéphanie Samain.)

Knowledge about the fate of beebread bioactive compounds throughout the human gastrointestinal tract are scarce. The present study aimed at assessing the effects of gastrointestinal digestion followed by intestinal permeability in vitro on phenolic profile and anti-inflammatory activity of Baccharis beebread. Palynological analysis confirmed the beebread is predominantly composed by pollen grains from Baccharis species, which are endemic in south and southeast Brazil. Flavonols and phenylamides were found in beebread hydroalcoholic extract by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS analysis. Moreover, simulated digestion lead to compounds' breakage, releasing both aglycones from glycosylated flavonols and p-coumaric acid, but not caffeic acid from phenylamides. Only spermidines crossed the Caco-2 cell monolayer, possibly due to spermine oxidation. Free p-coumaric acid was released after digestion, and epithelial transport. Concomitantly, NF-κΒ activation and TNF-α level was decreased by beebread even after Caco-2 transport, which indicates spermidines conjugated with p-coumaric acid may be bioavailable compounds with anti-inflammatory activity., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ethnobotanical studies that use the participatory research approach seek to involve the residents of a community in different stages of the study, promoting the registration, dissemination and strengthening of local knowledge, as well as the empowerment of decisions related to the sustainable use and management of resources. Using the participatory methodology, this study recorded and made a comparative analysis on the use of plants in two quilombola communities (Quilombo do Cambury-QC and Quilombo da Fazenda-QF) in the State of São Paulo. After a training on anthropological and botanical methods, local researchers selected and interviewed the local experts, recording their knowledge on plant uses and collecting the indicated plants, to be identified and deposited in herbariums. In addition, participant observation and field diaries were used by the academic researchers, helping to analyze the data. To test the differences in the composition of species known to local community, a Jaccard dissimilarity matrix was created, and a Permanova test was employed. During the 178 days of fieldwork, three local researchers from the QC and two from the QF, selected nine and eight experts on the uses of the plants in each quilombo, respectively, corresponding to 214 plant species, indicated for eight ethnobotanical categories. Our hypothesis has been confirmed, since the traditional knowledge found in both quilombos, regarding plant uses and the number of plant species by category, are distinct, since each community occupies particular plant areas and different phytophysiognomies. Most of the indicated species are native to the Atlantic forest, and no significant differences were observed in the proportion of native species vs . introduced among quilombos for any of the categories of use studied. Furthermore, the innovative methodology used, participatory ethnobotany, contributed to the empowerment of community members with regard to the use of their available resources in the environment in which they live, while retaining the intellectual property rights over their own knowledge., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Ulysses Paulino de Albuquerque is an Academic Editor at PeerJ., (© 2023 Sauini et al.)

Connective glands are important morphological characters for the taxonomy of some genera of Malpighiaceae, with few recent studies having just elucidated these glands' anatomical and ecological functions. In order to test the systematic relevance of connective glands to the currently accepted phylogenetic informal clades of Malpighiaceae, we characterised the anatomy and/or histochemistry of two-thirds of Malpighiaceae genera and ten species from nine families of Malpighiales to test: 1. Do connective glands occur in the flowers of all informal clades of Malpighiaceae?; and 2. Are they taxonomically relevant to characterise those clades? We sampled 25 genera and 26 species of Malpighiaceae, processing their anthers using traditional anatomical methods and characterising their glands using light microscopy and SEM imaging. Selected species were subjected to histochemical tests, and an additional 21 genera and 33 species of Malpighiaceae and nine families (ten species) of Malpighiales were included in our sampling from the literature. Three anatomical characters were scored, coded and mapped using Maximum Likelihood methods onto the molecular phylogeny of Malpighiaceae. All sampled species of Malpighiaceae showed connective glands characterised as epidermal or trichomal elaiophores. Our character-mapping analyses recovered connective elaiophores as a new synapomorphy for Malpighiaceae. Different types of epidermal or trichomal elaiophores were recovered as homoplasies for the Christianella and Banisteriopsis clades and the genera Byrsonima , Camarea and Cottsia . Our analyses also recovered the glands' place of insertion in the stamen and the exudate type as potential new synapomorphies or homoplasies for the families of Malpighiales sampled. Our results propose the connective elaiophores as a new synapomorphy for Malpighiaceae and hypothesise the role that different staminal glands might play in the systematics of Malpighiales. Further comprehensive anatomical studies are still needed for the staminal glands of most families of this order to shed new light on the patterns recovered in our study., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Rafael Felipe de Almeida, Gustavo Arévalo-Rodrigues, Isa L. de Morais, Poliana Cardoso-Gustavson.)

Eutrophication is a worldwide problem. In eutrophic lakes, phosphorus release from stored sediment hinders restoration processes. The epipelon is a community that grows attached to the sediment surface and has the potential to help phosphorus retention by autotrophic organisms. This study evaluated epipelon responses to four lake restoration techniques. The responses of abiotic variables and phytoplankton biomass were also evaluated. Four simultaneous mesocosm experiments were performed in a shallow eutrophic lake. The applied techniques were aeration, flocculant, floating macrophytes, and periphyton bioreactor. Water and epipelon samples were taken on days 3, 10, 17, 27, and 60. The aeration treatment and macrophytes decreased light availability in the epipelon, which had a predominance of heterotrophic components. Flocculant and periphyton bioreactor treatments favored epipelon growth with a higher contribution of autotrophic components. Therefore, some techniques may favor the epipelon growth, while others may harm the community, resulting in less efficient restoration processes. For the complete restoration of a lacustrine ecosystem, the choice of techniques to be applied must consider the restoration and maintenance of the benthic environment., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Bioindicator species are used to assess the damage and magnitude of possible impacts of anthropic origin on the environment, such as the reckless consumption of antimicrobials. Chelonia mydas has several characteristics that make it a suitable bioindicator of marine pollution and of the presence of pathogens that cause diseases in humans. This study aimed to investigate the green sea turtle as a reservoir of resistant bacteria, mainly because C. mydas is the most frequent sea turtle species in Brazilian coastal regions and, consequently, under the intense impact of anthropic factors. Free-living green sea turtles ranging from 42.8 to 92 cm (average = 60.7 cm) were captured from Itaipú Beach, Brazil. Cloaca samples (characterizing the gastrointestinal tract) and neck samples (representing the transient microbiota) were collected. Bacterial species were identified, and their was resistance associated with the antimicrobials cephalothin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, tetracycline, and vancomycin. Citrobacter braaki , Klebsiella oxytoca , K. variicola and Proteus mirabilis were found resistant to cephalothin and Morganella morganii and Enterococcus faecalis tetracycline-resistant isolates in cloaca samples. In neck samples, species resistant to tetracycline were Salmonella sp., Serratia marcescens , S. ureylitica and Proteus mirabilis . This data reinforces that the green turtle is a bioindicator of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Tropical forest fragmentation from agricultural expansion alters the microclimatic conditions of the remaining forests, with effects on vegetation structure and function. However, little is known about how the functional trait variability within and among tree species in fragmented landscapes influence and facilitate species' persistence in these new environmental conditions. Here, we assessed potential changes in tree species' functional traits in riparian forests within six riparian forests in cropland catchments (Cropland) and four riparian forests in forested catchments (Forest) in southern Amazonia. We sampled 12 common functional traits of 123 species across all sites: 64 common to both croplands and forests, 33 restricted to croplands, and 26 restricted to forests. We found that forest-restricted species had leaves that were thinner, larger, and with higher phosphorus (P) content, compared to cropland-restricted ones. Tree species common to both environments showed higher intraspecific variability in functional traits, with leaf thickness and leaf P concentration varying the most. Species turnover contributed more to differences between forest and cropland environments only for the stem-specific density trait. We conclude that the intraspecific variability of functional traits (leaf thickness, leaf P, and specific leaf area) facilitates species persistence in riparian forests occurring within catchments cleared for agricultural expansion in Amazonia., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Sylvatic yellow fever (SYF) was recently a health issue in Brazil (2016-2019) because transmission was facilitated by a high density of vectors, amplifying hosts, and low vaccine coverage of the human population, especially in urban forests in the Southeast Region of Brazil. Moreover, urban forest edges are more likely to have contact between human and sylvatic vector mosquito populations. Here, we show the association between abiotic and biotic features of tree holes as Haemagogus leucocelaenus rearing sites in Cantareira State Park in Atlantic Forest edges. The analyzed physical features of the tree holes were diameter at breast height, tree hole opening diameter, depth, trunk diameter, tree hole volume, collected volume, height (varying from 0.02 to 4.2 m above ground), and the presence of Culicidae species other than Hg. leucocelaenus . We analyzed 105 positive and 68 negative water samples for larval presence and found no differences between them, suggesting the lack of specific physical characteristics in these categories. Hg. leucocelaenus larval abundance was correlated with the collected volume and opening diameter of tree holes. The tree species that most represented negative breeding sites were Euplassa cantareirae , Guarea macrophylla , Psychotria suterella , and Tibouchina pulchra . Four significant clusters as areas with a high risk of SYV were identified by Get-Ordis spatial analysis. Although Hg. leucocelaenus larvae were found in tree holes with high water levels, their occurrence was regulated by that of other mosquito species. Our findings contribute to clarifying immature vector ecology in tree holes related to human exposure to SYF in urban forest edges.

Given the scarcity of studies relating fire to deforestation in the Atlantic Forest and great economic and ecological importances of this biome, this work aimed to investigate this relationship in the Atlantic Forest of the State of São Paulo, trying to answer whether deforestation is related to fire events in up to three years, if there are regions most affected by this relationship and what land use and land cover predominates after fire and deforestation in these areas. The study was carried out in Evergreen Forest and Semideciduous Seasonal, along the time series from 2000 to 2019 using the MapBiomas Project database to survey deforested and burned sites with moderate to high severity fires. Burning positively influenced deforestation in EGF in eight of 19 years studied (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009, 2013 and 2015), while only for three years in the SSF. Burning followed by deforestation corresponded to only 3.2% of the total deforestation, located mainly in the eastern region of the state with the highest density in the EGF. Most of these areas have been converted to agriculture. This study provides the first indication that, generally, fire is not a driver of deforestation in the southeast Atlantic Forest., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 de Praga Baião et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Cystocloniacae is a highly diverse family of Rhodophyta, including species of ecological and economic importance, whose phylogeny remains largely unresolved. Species delimitation is unclear, particularly in the most speciose genus, Hypnea, and cryptic diversity has been revealed by recent molecular assessments, especially in the tropics. Here, we carried out the first phylogenomic investigation of Cystocloniaceae, focused on the genus Hypnea, inferred from chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes including taxa sampled from new and historical collections. In this work, molecular synapomorphies (gene losses, InDels and gene inversions) were identified to better characterize clades in our congruent organellar phylogenies. We also present taxon-rich phylogenies based on plastid and mitochondrial markers. Molecular and morphological comparisons of historic collections with contemporary specimens revealed the need for taxonomic updates in Hypnea, the synonymization of H. marchantiae to a later heterotypic synonym of H. cervicornis and the description of three new species: H. davisiana sp. nov., H. djamilae sp. nov. and H. evaristoae sp. nov., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In Brazil, more than 90% of steel mills are located in states that have Atlantic Forest which, together with the pollution of large urban centers, represent risk factors for the environmental quality of this important biome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of urban and industrial air pollution in a city in Minas Gerais that has a steel mill on the symptomatology, on the leaf chemistry, and on the anatomy and micromorphology of extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) of Joannesia princeps Vell. (Euphorbiaceae), a native species of the Atlantic Forest. For 126 days, seedlings of J. princeps were exposed on stand systems in the urban and industrial area of MG (Ipatinga city), in the following places: Bom Retiro, Cariru, Cidade Nobre, and Veneza. For anatomical analysis, EFNs were collected and processed for microscopic analysis. In the southern parts of the steel mill closest to the Rio Doce State Park (RDSP) (Bom Retiro and Cariru), there was a predominance of NO, NO X , SO 2 (Bom Retiro), naphthalene, benzene, and total suspended particulates (Cariru). In locations north of the steel mill (Cidade Nobre and Veneza), there was a predominance of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In the urban environment, intense anatomical and micromorphological damage to EFNs, leaf damage, leaf metal accumulation, and alterations in the histochemical tests of the plants were observed. The interior of the RDSP presented environmental quality, but the contribution of pollutants near the border between the RDSP and the city of Ipatinga is worrying, requiring constant monitoring of this area to verify the impact and threat that pollution can cause on these Atlantic Forest remnants., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Neofavolus teixeirae sp. nov. ( Basidiomycota ) is described and illustrated based on specimens collected from a reforestation area in southeastern Brazil. This new species is characterized by a lateral stipe up to 1.3 cm long, lacerate and angular pores measuring 0.5-2 (-2.5) per mm, and cylindrical to subcylindrical basidiospores. Phylogenetic analyses of the ITS and LSU regions confirmed its phylogenetic placement and taxonomic identity. A key to Neofavolus species is presented., (2023, by The Mycological Society of Japan.)

Ants represent one of the most diverse and ecologically important group of insects in tropical ecosystems, including in highly threatened ones such as the Brazilian Cerrado. Yet, a detailed understanding of the species diversity and composition of local Cerrado ant assemblages is lacking in many cases. Here we present the results of a comprehensive ant inventory performed within a region of the Cerrado (in São Paulo state) where most of the original vegetation has already been lost and where few conservation units exist. We performed consecutive surveys of the ant fauna that forage on the ground in replicated plots established in open savanna (campo sujo), dense savanna (cerrado sensu stricto), and forest (cerradão). Our surveys, with an estimated sample coverage of 99.4%, revealed a total of 219 species of ants from 60 genera, of which 36.1% were found in all the three vegetation types and 29.7% in just one. Rarefied species richness did not differ between vegetation types, but species composition differed markedly, especially between the two savannas in one hand and the forest in the other. Several species (60.1% of the 128 species analyzed) were significant "indicator" species due to their strong association with a given vegetation type. Overall, our findings reinforce the idea that habitat heterogeneity enhances ant diversity and that the mosaic of vegetation types that characterizes the Cerrado biome is one of the main factors explaining the elevated number of species that can be found at relatively small scales., (© 2022. Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil.)

We evaluated the effects of a periphyton bioreactor on phytoplankton by experimentally simulating oligotrophication in a shallow eutrophic system. The experiment had two 50% diluted treatments with and without a periphyton bioreactor. Sampling was performed on days 6, 9, 12, 15, and 20 of the experimental period. The periphyton bioreactor accumulated biomass (chlorophyll-a, AFDM) and TP during the experimental period. Despite the biomass and TP loss due to periphyton detachment from the substrate after community reaching the algal biomass peak, the gains exceeded the losses, and the net rate was positive for all attributes in the bioreactor. Based on the average, our findings suggest that periphyton bioreactors negatively affected the phytoplankton total biovolume. Cyanobacteria were the most abundant phytoplankton group. However, the periphyton bioreactor caused the biomass loss of the Raphidiopsis raciborskii in phytoplankton. Our results suggest that bioreactor influenced the phytoplankton structure, reducing cyanobacterial biomass, especially Raphidiopsis raciborskii. However, the bioreactor did not reflect a significant increase in the epipelon biomass during the experimental period. We conclude that the periphyton bioreactor has the potential to assist in the maintenance of restored shallow lakes and reservoirs, especially in controlling phytoplankton growth., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Approximately 2.5 × 10 6 square kilometers of the Amazon forest are currently degraded by fire, edge effects, timber extraction, and/or extreme drought, representing 38% of all remaining forests in the region. Carbon emissions from this degradation total up to 0.2 petagrams of carbon per year (Pg C year -1 ), which is equivalent to, if not greater than, the emissions from Amazon deforestation (0.06 to 0.21 Pg C year -1 ). Amazon forest degradation can reduce dry-season evapotranspiration by up to 34% and cause as much biodiversity loss as deforestation in human-modified landscapes, generating uneven socioeconomic burdens, mainly to forest dwellers. Projections indicate that degradation will remain a dominant source of carbon emissions independent of deforestation rates. Policies to tackle degradation should be integrated with efforts to curb deforestation and complemented with innovative measures addressing the disturbances that degrade the Amazon forest.

The subtribe Ditaxinae in the plant family Euphorbiaceae is composed of five genera ( Argythamnia , Caperonia , Chiropetalum , Ditaxis and Philyra ) and approximately 120 species of perennial herbs (rarely annual) to treelets. The subtribe is distributed throughout the Americas, with the exception of Caperonia , which also occurs in tropical Africa and Madagascar. Under the current classification, Ditaxinae includes genera with a questionable morphology-based taxonomy, especially Argythamnia , Chiropetalum and Ditaxis . Moreover, phylogenetic relationships among genera are largely unexplored, with previous works sampling <10% of taxa, showing Ditaxinae as paraphyletic. In this study, we inferred the phylogenetic relationships within Ditaxinae and related taxa using a dataset of nuclear (ETS, ITS) and plastid ( pet D, trn LF, trn TL) DNA sequences and a wide taxon sampling (60%). We confirmed the paraphyly of Ditaxinae and Ditaxis , both with high support. Following our phylogenetic results, we combined Ditaxis in Argythamnia and upgraded Ditaxinae to the tribe level (Ditaxeae). We also established and described the tribe Caperonieae based on Caperonia , and transferred Philyra to the tribe Adelieae, along with Adelia , Garciadelia , Lasiocroton and Leucocroton . Finally, we discuss the main morphological synapomorphies for the genera and tribes and provide a taxonomic treatment, including all species recognized under each genus.

Cyanobacterial blooms imperil the use of freshwater around the globe and present challenges for water management. Studies have suggested that blooms are trigged by high temperatures and nutrient concentrations. While the roles of nitrogen and phosphorus have long been debated, cyanobacterial dominance in phytoplankton has widely been associated with climate warming. However, studies at large geographical scales, covering diverse climate regions and lake depths, are still needed to clarify the drivers of cyanobacterial success. Here, we analyzed data from 464 lakes covering a 14,000 km north-south gradient in the Americas and three lake depth categories. We show that there were no clear trends in cyanobacterial biomass (as biovolume) along latitude or climate gradients, with the exception of lower biomass in polar climates. Phosphorus was the primary resource explaining cyanobacterial biomass in the Americas, while nitrogen was also significant but particularly relevant in very shallow lakes (< 3 m depth). Despite the assessed climatic gradient water temperature was only weakly related to cyanobacterial biomass, suggesting it is overemphasized in current discussions. Depth was critical for predicting cyanobacterial biomass, and shallow lakes proved more vulnerable to eutrophication. Among other variables analyzed, only pH was significantly related to cyanobacteria biomass, likely due to a biologically mediated positive feedback under high nutrient conditions. Solutions toward managing harmful cyanobacteria should thus consider lake morphometric characteristics and emphasize nutrient control, independently of temperature gradients, since local factors are more critical - and more amenable to controls - than global external forces., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study brings information on the dynamics of C and N in urban forests in a subtropical region. We tested the hypothesis that C and N isotopic sign of leaves and soil and physiological traits of trees would vary from center to periphery in a megacity, considering land uses, intensity of automotive fleet and microclimatic conditions. 800 trees from four fragments were randomly chosen. Soil samples were collected at every 10 cm in trenches up to 1 m depth to analyze C and N contents. Both, plants and soil were assessed for δ 13 C, δ 15 N, %C and %N. Physiological traits [carbon assimilation (A)], CO 2 internal and external pressure ratio (Pi/Pa) and intrinsic water use efficiency iWUE were estimated from δ 13 C and Δ δ 13 C in leaves and soil ranged from -27.42 ‰ to -35.39 ‰ and from -21.22 ‰ to -28.18 ‰, respectively, and did not vary along the areas. Center-periphery gradient was not evidenced by C. Emissions derived from fossil fuel and distinct land uses interfered at different levels in δ 13 C signature. δ 15 N in the canopy and soil varied clearly among urban forests, following center-periphery gradient. Leaf δ 15 N decreased from the nearest forest to the city center to the farthest, ranging from <3 ‰ to <-3 ‰. δ 15 N was a good indicator of atmospheric contamination by NO x emitted by vehicular fleet and a reliable predictor of land use change. %N followed the same trend of δ 15 N either for soils or leaves. Forest fragments located at the edges of the center-periphery gradient presented significantly lower A and Pi/Pa ratio and higher iWUE. These distinct physiological traits were attributed to successional stage and microclimatic conditions. Results suggest that ecosystem processes related to C and N and ecophysiological responses of urban forests vary according to land use and vehicular fleet., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are fructose-based oligosaccharides employed as additives to improve the food's nutritional and technological properties. The rhizosphere of plants that accumulate fructopolysaccharides as inulin has been revealed as a source of filamentous fungi. These fungi can produce FOS either by inulin hydrolysis or by biosynthesis from sucrose, including unusual FOS with enhanced prebiotic properties. Here, we investigated the ability of Fusarium solani and Neocosmospora vasinfecta to produce FOS from different carbon sources. Fusarium solani and N. vasinfecta grew preferentially in inulin instead of sucrose, resulting in the FOS production as the result of endo-inulinase activities. N. vasinfecta was also able to produce the FOS 1-kestose and 6-kestose from sucrose, indicating transfructosylating activity, absent in F. solani. Moreover, the results showed how these carbon sources affected fungal cell wall composition and the expression of genes encoding for β-1,3-glucan synthase and chitin synthase. Inulin and fructose promoted changes in fungal macroscopic characteristics partially explained by alterations in cell wall composition. However, these alterations were not directly correlated with the expression of genes related to cell wall synthesis. Altogether, the results pointed to the potential of both F. solani and N. vasinfecta to produce FOS at specific profiles., (© 2022. Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i.)

The development of a hydrophobic cuticle covering the epidermis was a crucial evolutionary novelty ensuring the establishment of land plants. However, there is little information about its structure and chemical composition, as well as its functional implications in avascular lineages such as Anthocerotophyta. The main goal of the present study was to compare the gametophyte and sporophyte cuticles of Phaeoceros laevis . Semithin sections were analyzed through light microscopy (LM), cuticle structure was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and epicuticular wax morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Total waxes were analyzed by CG/MS, and the components were identified based on the mass spectra. A thin lipophilic layer was detected on the sporophyte surface, structured as a stratified cuticular layer, similar to the well-known structure described for vascular plants. On the other hand, the gametophyte cuticle was observed only with TEM as a thin osmiophilic layer. SEM analyses showed a film-type wax on the surface of both life phases. The wax layer was eight-fold thicker on the sporophyte (0.8 µg cm -2 ) than on gametophyte (0.1 µg cm -2 ). Possible mechanical and/or drought protection are discussed. Fatty acids, primary alcohols, and steroids were identified in both life phases, while the kauren-16-ene diterpene (3%) was detected only on the sporophyte. Although no alkanes were detected in P. laevis , our findings unveil great similarity of the sporophyte cuticle of this hornwort species with the general data described for vascular plants, reinforcing the conservative condition of this character and supporting the previous idea that the biosynthetic machinery involved in the synthesis of wax compounds is conserved since the ancestor of land plants., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Matos, Cruz, Peralta, Melo-de-Pinna and Santos.)

Frost effects on savanna plant communities have been considered as analogous to those from fire, both changing community structure and filtering species composition. However, while frost impacts have been well-studied for the woody component of savannas, it is still poorly explored for the ground-layer community. Here, we investigated effects of frost in the Cerrado along a gradient of tree cover, focusing on ground-layer plant species, near the southern limit of the Cerrado in Brazil. We aimed to elucidate if the pattern already described for the tree layer also extends to the ground layer in terms of mimicking the effects of fire on vegetation structure and composition. We assessed how damage severity differs across species and across the tree-cover gradient, and we examined the recovery process after frost in terms of richness and community structure along the canopy cover gradient. Frost caused immediate and widespread dieback of the perennial ground-layer, with greatest impact on community structure where tree cover was lowest. However, frost did not reduce the number of species, indicating community resilience to this natural disturbance. Although frost mimicked the effects of fire in some ways, in other ways it differed substantially from fire. Unlike fire, frost increases litter cover and decreases the proportion of bare soil, likely hindering crucial processes for recovery of plant populations, such as seed dispersal, seed germination and plant resprouting. This finding calls attention to the risk of misguided conclusions when the ground layer is neglected in ecological studies of tropical savannas and grasslands., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

An overview of the total Arabidopsis thaliana transcriptome, described previously by our research group, pointed some noncoding RNA (ncRNA) as participants in the restoration of hair-root phenotype in A. thaliana rhd6 mutants, leading us to a deeper investigation. A transcriptional gene expression profiling of seedling roots was performed aiming to identify ncRNA responsive to nitric oxide (GSNO) and auxin (IAA), and their involvement in root hair formation in the rhd6 null mutant. We identified 3,631 ncRNAs, including new ones, in A. thaliana and differential expression (DE) analysis between the following: 1) GSNO-treated rhd6 vs. untreated rhd6 , 2) IAA-treated rhd6 vs. untreated rhd6 , 3) GSNO-treated rhd6 vs. IAA-treated rhd6 , and 4) WS-2 vs. untreated rhd6 detected the greatest number of DE genes in GSNO-treated rhd6 . We detected hundreds of in silico interactions among ncRNA and protein-coding genes (PCGs), highlighting MIR5658 and MIR171 precursors highly upregulated in GSNO-treated rhd6 and wild type, respectively. Those ncRNA interact with many DE PCGs involved in hormone signaling, cell wall development, transcription factors, and root hair formation, becoming candidate genes in cell wall modulation and restoration of root hair phenotype by GSNO treatment. Our data shed light on how GSNO modulates ncRNA and their PCG targets in A. thaliana root hair formation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Santos, Moro, Salgado, Braga and Gaspar.)

Most of the described species in kingdom Fungi are contained in two phyla, the Ascomycota and the Basidiomycota (subkingdom Dikarya). As a result, our understanding of the biology of the kingdom is heavily influenced by traits observed in Dikarya, such as aerial spore dispersal and life cycles dominated by mitosis of haploid nuclei. We now appreciate that Fungi comprises numerous phylum-level lineages in addition to those of Dikarya, but the phylogeny and genetic characteristics of most of these lineages are poorly understood due to limited genome sampling. Here, we addressed major evolutionary trends in the non-Dikarya fungi by phylogenomic analysis of 69 newly generated draft genome sequences of the zoosporic (flagellated) lineages of true fungi. Our phylogeny indicated five lineages of zoosporic fungi and placed Blastocladiomycota, which has an alternation of haploid and diploid generations, as branching closer to the Dikarya than to the Chytridiomyceta. Our estimates of heterozygosity based on genome sequence data indicate that the zoosporic lineages plus the Zoopagomycota are frequently characterized by diploid-dominant life cycles. We mapped additional traits, such as ancestral cell-cycle regulators, cell-membrane- and cell-wall-associated genes, and the use of the amino acid selenocysteine on the phylogeny and found that these ancestral traits that are shared with Metazoa have been subject to extensive parallel loss across zoosporic lineages. Together, our results indicate a gradual transition in the genetics and cell biology of fungi from their ancestor and caution against assuming that traits measured in Dikarya are typical of other fungal lineages.

Desiccation sensitive (DS) seeds are shed at high water contents (WC) and metabolically active, but WC thresholds vary broadly among species even in the same genus. Eugenia is an important ecological genus that has high occurrence in several Brazilian morphoclimatic domains. In this study, we assessed seed desiccation tolerance of five Eugenia species collected in specific meteorological conditions. We reported the species geographical ranges and verified the rainfall and temperature of species sites in the year prior to seed collection. We also assessed initial WC, seed germination and vigor and seedling growth upon desiccation. Eugenia uniflora was the widest spread among the five species, while E. astringens was the most restricted. In this specific study, widespread species showed a higher WC threshold than restricted species. In the same way, the WC of fresh seeds was not correlated to the desiccation tolerance threshold. Seed desiccation tolerance was species dependent and correlated with the environmental status of seed collection sites. Wetter and warmer conditions were correlated to the E. uniflora higher DS threshold. Low rainfall and temperature corresponded to a lower desiccation sensitivity of E. astringens seeds. Seeds of the five species lost half viability between 0.44 and 0.25 g H 2 O g DW - 1 and after 65-270 h of desiccation. Our results indicate that abiotic factors impact plant populations during the seed production season and can drive seed desiccation tolerance threshold and physiological behavior. These results should be taken into account in ex-situ plant conservation programs and tropical species management., (© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to The Botanical Society of Japan.)