Search

Tacinga inamoena is a cactus na``tive to the Northeast region of Brazil, used in popular medicine to treat disorders of the urethra as well as asthma and inflammation. Of the roots from T. inamoena, five previously unreleased compounds in the genus, β-sitosterol-3-O- d -glucopyranoside, N-trans-feruloyl-4-O-methyldopamine, N-cis-feruloyl-4-O-methyldopamine, N-trans-feruloyl tyramine and N-cis-feruloyl tyramine were isolated and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis (IR, MS and NMR). The antimicrobial activities of the partitioned phases were evaluated against bacterial and fungal strains, with promising results, especially of the ethyl acetate phase against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25,923. Furthermore, in the modulation tests between the phases and β-sitosterol-3-O- d -glucopyranoside with aminoglycosides, cephalosporins and quinolones, against the strains of E. coli 5A and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, there was a substantial increase of the activity of these antibiotics, with a significant decrease of MICs. The products from T. inamoena showed low toxicity in human erythrocytes. The present study presented relevant compounds and important antibacterial activities and suggests that the glycosylated β-sitosterol can be used to modulate the activity of antibiotics.

Climate change, together with human activities, impacts on natural and human systems on all continents and poses a major threat to biodiversity, especially in environments with a high rate of endemism and where species are profoundly adapted to specific environmental conditions, as is the case of the seasonally dry tropical forests, noticeably the Caatinga, an exclusively Brazilian biome. The objective of this study was to build spatial niche models of five species of Cactaceae (Arrojadoa penicillata, Brasilicereus phaeacanthus, Pereskia aureiflora, Stephanocereus leucostele and Tacinga inamoena) endemic to the Caatinga and with different traits, to evaluate the impact of climate change on their geographical distribution. The species records and environmental variable values were overlaid on a grid of 6818 cells with 0.5° spatial resolution. Niche models were obtained for five types of general circulation models between ocean and atmosphere and 12 different ecological models. The ensemble ecological niche model was calculated at present and projected to past (last glacial maximum – LGM, 21 000; and mid‐Holocene – Hol, 6000 years ago) and future climate conditions (average of 2080), under the effect of climate change, in the greenhouse gas emission scenario RCP4.5. The distribution pattern of the studied species indicates an area with less environmental suitability in the LGM, followed by an expansion that began in the Hol and continued until the present period. In the future (2080), the models predicted a retraction of areas of environmental suitability, in which P. aureiflora and B. phaeacanthus, given their more restricted, marginal habitat and woody habit, present a great risk of extinction, whilst S. leucostele, A. penicillata and T. inamoena present a smaller reduction in suitable area, partly reflecting their spreading, less woody habit. Regional conservation actions for Cactaceae species and their habitat need to take these findings into account if we are to ensure the survival of these species.

Florivory can alter plant reproductive success by damaging sexual reproductive structures and disrupting plant-pollinator interactions through decreased flower attractiveness. Here, we report new records of the cactus Tacinga inamoena flower consumption by the Tropidurus hispidus lizard in the Brazilian Caatinga. We monitored 53 flowers from 11 T. inamoena individuals with camera traps over a 1-year period, totalling 450 camera-days of sample effort. We detected four florivory events. In three of these events, flowers were entirely consumed or had their reproductive structures severely damaged, leading to no fruit formation. Florivory events occurred in the morning, right after anthesis, in flowers near the ground, and lizards did not climb the cactus. Our results suggest that T. hispidus florivory on T. inamoena could have a negative impact on fruit set, since the consumed flowers were entirely destroyed. However, the long-term effects of florivory by lizards on T. inamoena reproductive success in the Caatinga still needs to be elucidated.

Background: Cactaceae species are physiologically adapted to regions with arid and semi-arid climates, in which they are available and often used by traditional communities. This study aimed to analyze how ethnobotanical knowledge is influenced by socioeconomic factors such as age and gender in a semi-arid region of Paraiba, Brazil.Methods: This study was conducted in rural communities in the semi-arid region of Paraiba, northeastern Brazil. The data were collected by applying a semi-structured questionnaire to 44 informants (30 men and 14 women). The average age of the informants was 39 years; however, women were 39–77 and men were 31–80 years old. The chi-square test was used to analyze differences regarding knowledge, according to gender and age. The influence of gender (male and female) and age in the distribution of uses per category and species was assessed through the Poisson distribution model.Results: The following native species were recorded: Cereus jamacaru DC. subsp. jamacaru, Melocactus zehntneri, Pilosocereus gounellei (F.A.C. Weber) Byles & G.D. Rowley subsp. gounellei, Pilosocereus pachycladus F.Ritter, Tacinga inamoena (K. Schum.) N.P. Taylor & Stuppy, and Tacinga palmadora (Britton & Rose) N.P. Taylor & Stuppy, which had 436 citations in different categories of use (food, fuel, construction, fodder, medicinal, technology, and others). Our results indicated that residents cite more uses for fodder, food, and medicinal purposes. C. jamacaru had the highest UV and young men cited more uses for the species. Conclusions: Social variables tend to influence residents’ knowledge. Among the categories of use, the residents indicated a higher number of uses for fodder and C. jamacaru was the most prominent species.Keywords: Ethnobotany; Caatinga; Socioeconomic Factors; Use Value

During a survey of endophytic fungi from the cactus Tacinga inamoena in a Brazilian tropical dry forest (Caatinga) some undescribed ascomycetous fungi were isolated. These fungi are characterized by superficial and immersed, globose to subglobose, smooth or hairy ascomata, bitunicate asci, and muriformly septate, ellipsoidal ascospores. Multigene phylogenetic analyses using sequences from partial ITS, SSU and LSU nrDNA and the translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (tef1) demonstrated a monophyletic clade accommodating these endophytic fungi in the class Dothideomycetes, closely related to the order Tubeufiales. Based on morphological features and phylogenetic analyses, these fungi could not be placed in the order Tubeufiales, in the new order Wiesneriomycetales, or any other known genus in the class Dothideomycetes. Thus, two new genera (Bezerromyces, with B. brasiliensis and B. pernambucoensis, and Xiliomyces with X. brasiliensis), a new family (Bezerromycetaceae) and a new order (Bezerromycetales) are introduced to accommodate these novel taxa. Our phylogenetic analyses also demonstrated that the clade accommodating Wiesneriomycetaceae represents a new order, here introduced as Wiesneriomycetales.

One approach to improve sustainable agro-industrial fruit production is to add value to the waste generated in pulp extraction. The processing of cumbeba (Tacinga inamoena) fruits generates a significant amount of waste, which is discarded without further application but can be a source of bioactive compounds, among other nutrients. Among the simplest and most inexpensive forms of processing, convective drying appears as the first option for the commercial utilization of fruit derivatives, but it is essential to understand the properties of mass transfer for the appropriate choice of drying conditions. In this study, cumbeba waste was dried at four temperatures (50, 60, 70 and 80 &deg, C). Three diffusion models were fitted to the experimental data of the different drying conditions. Two boundary conditions on the sample surface were considered: equilibrium condition and convective condition. The simulations were performed simultaneously with the estimation of effective mass diffusivity coefficients (Def) and convective mass transfer coefficients (h). The validation of the models was verified by the agreement between the theoretical prediction (simulation) and the experimental results. The results showed that, for the best model, the effective mass diffusivities were 2.9285 &times, 10&minus, 9, 4.1695 &times, 9, 8.1395 &times, 9 and 1.2754 &times, 8 m2/s, while the convective mass transfer coefficients were 6.4362 &times, 7, 8.7273 &times, 7, 8.9445 &times, 7 and 1.0912 &times, 6 m/s. The coefficients of determination were greater than 0.995 and the chi-squares were lower than 2.2826 &times, 2 for all simulations of the experiments.

The Brazilian state of Bahia is home to 98 out of 260 species of the country's native Cactaceae. The Floresta Nacional Contendas do Sincora (FLONA Sincora), in the Municipio de Contendas do Sincora has vegetation, climate and temperatures typical of the Caatinga biome. The survey intended to increase the knowledge regarding the cacti of protected areas within the state of Bahia and was based on fieldwork carried out in April and July 2014 and February 2015, complemented by studies of herbarium material. The FLONA Sincora harbours 11 genera and 14 species within its area: Arrojadoa penicillata (Gurke) Britton & Rose; Brasilicereus phaeacanthus (Gurke) Backeb; Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis (Willd.) A. Berger; Cereus jamacaru DC.; Espostoopsis dybowskii (Rol.-Goss.) Buxb; Hylocereus setaceus (Salm-Dyck) R. Bauer; Melocactus concinnus Buining & Brederoo; Pereskia aureiflora F. Ritter; Pereskia bahiensis Gurke; Pilosocereus catingicola (Gurke) Byles & G.D. Rowley ssp catingicola; Stephanocereus leucostele (Gurke) A. Berger; Tacinga inamoena (K. Schum.) N.P. Taylor & Stuppy; Tacinga funalis Britton & Rose; and Tacinga palmadora (Britton & Rose) N.P. Taylor & Stuppy. Of these, Espostoopsis dybowskii, Pereskia bahiensis and Stephanocereus leucostele are endemic to Bahia. The east Brazilian genus Tacinga was the largest, with three species. An identification key for all taxa, together with descriptions, illustrations, taxonomic and conservation and threat statements are presented.

Tacinga inamoena (K. Schum.) [N. P. Taylor & Stuppy] is a native Cactaceae from the semiarid region of Northeastern Brazil whose fruit is eaten by the local population. It seems that there is a significant amount of functional compounds such as polyphenols and betalains in this fruit as reported for other well-known cacti. Although there are not enough studies that have been conducted, it has attracted interest regarding nutritional and functional viewpoints. In this sense, changes in bioactive compounds during maturation need to be evaluated as this fruit faces very unstable conditions during its development, which can lead to drastic changes of the constituents in the pulp and peel. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity during the maturation of Tacinga inamoena fruit from fruit bearing plants grown under Brazilian semiarid conditions. The contents of total chlorophyll declined parallel to an increase of the total carotenoids, yellow flavonoids, and betalains. However, a sharp difference between the content of these pigments in the peel and pulp was observed which characterized the main changes during fruit maturation. This fruit presented considerable carotenoid content, reaching 348 μg/100 g in the peel and 29 μg/100 g in the pulp when fully ripe. Total antioxidant activity (TAA) was higher in the pulp of more mature fruit. TAA was correlated with the bioactive compounds, with the exception of betacyanins, which were betalains present in smaller amounts in this fruit. Key words: Cactaceae, quipa, carotenoids, polyphenols, betalains, antioxidant activity.

Submitted by Lucienne Costa (lucienneferreira@ufcg.edu.br) on 2019-06-26T13:28:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ADELINO DE MELO GUIMARÃES DIÓGENES – TESE (PPGEA) 2018.pdf: 2481851 bytes, checksum: 9113fcfae6458be72af697ee30a00cc8 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2019-06-26T13:28:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ADELINO DE MELO GUIMARÃES DIÓGENES – TESE (PPGEA) 2018.pdf: 2481851 bytes, checksum: 9113fcfae6458be72af697ee30a00cc8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-27 Estimativas indicam que o número de espécies de cactáceas conhecidas no Brasil corresponde a aproximadamente 13% da biota mundial. Uma parte dessa diversidade está no semiárido nordestino conhecido como Caatinga. No entanto, estas espécies são pouco exploradas, especialmente em relação ao uso de frutos, como a cumbeba. O presente estudo formulou três diferentes espumas com a polpa de cumbeba [Tacinga inamoena (K. Schum.) N.P. Taylor e Stuppy] variando a concentração de Emustab® (3, 2,5 e 2%) e Liga Neutra® (2, 1,5 e 1%) em função do tempo de batimento (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 e 30 minutos). A espuma formulada (F2) com polpa de cumbeba e com adição de 2,5% de Emustab® e 1,5% de Liga Neutra e tempo de batimento de 15 minutos foi a que obteve melhor estabilidade e expansão volumétrica (over-run) e menor densidade, sendo então, submetida a secagem em camada de espuma nas temperaturas de 50, 60 e 70 °C e espessuras da camada de 0,5, 1 e 1,5 cm, e no liofilizador (espessura da camada de 1,5 cm) para obtenção de produtos em pó. O modelo de Midilli foi o que melhor se ajustou aos dados da cinética de secagem em camada de espuma. O tempo de secagem, a difusividade efetiva e a energia de ativação aumentaram com a elevação da temperatura de secagem e com o aumento da espessura da camada da espuma. A polpa de cumbeba integral, a espuma selecionada (F2) e os pós oriundos do método de secagem em camada de espuma e da liofilização foram avaliados quanto aos parâmetros químicos, físicos e físico-químicos. Observou-se a redução do teor de água e do pH, a elevação dos compostos bioativos, da acidez e do teor de ácido ascórbico com o aumento da temperatura de secagem. O pó de cumbeba secado em camada de espuma a 70 °C com 1,5 cm de espessura foi escolhido como o melhor e quando comparado com o pó de cumbeba liofilizada, obtiveram-se resultados melhores, com maiores teores dos compostos bioativos, solubilidade, molhabilidade e menor porosidade. Os modelos de GAB, Oswin e Peleg podem ser utilizados para estimar as isotermas de adsorção de água dos pós de cumbeba e estas foram classificadas como tipo II. O melhor pó de cumbeba secado em camada de espuma e o pó liofilizado foram armazenados a 30 e 40 °C, ocorrendo, com o decorrer do tempo, um aumento do teor de água, da atividade de água e do conteúdo de flavonoides e uma redução da solubilidade, ácido ascórbico e betaxantinas. Estimates indicate that the number of cactus species known in Brazil corresponds to approximately 13% of the world biota. A part of this diversity is in the northeastern semi-arid region called Caatinga. However, these species are little explored, especially in relation to the use of fruits, such as cumbeba. The present study has formulated three different foams with cumbeba pulp [Tacinga inamoena (K. Schum.) N.P. Taylor and Stuppy] just varying the concentration of Emustab® (3, 2.5 and 2%) and Neutral® (2, 1.5 and 1%) based on the beat time (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes). The formulated foam (F2) with cumbeba pulp and with addition of 2.5% of Emustab® and 1.5% of Neutral Alloy and time of 15 minutes was the one that obtained better stability and volumetric expansion (over-run) and lower density, then it was submitted to drying in a foam layer at temperatures of 50, 60 and 70 ºC and layer thicknesses of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 cm, and in the lyophilizer (layer thickness of 1, 5 cm) to obtain powdered products. Midilli model was the best that fit for the kinetics of foam layer drying. The drying time, the effective diffusivity and the activation energy increased with the increase of the drying temperature and with the increase of the thickness of the foam layer. The total cumbeba pulp, selected foam (F2) and powders from the foam-layer drying and freeze-drying method were evaluated for chemical, physical and physicochemical parameters. The reduction of the water content and the pH, the increase of the bioactive compounds, the acidity and the ascorbic acid content were observed with the increase of the drying temperature. The cumbeba foam-dried powder at 70 ° C with 1.5 cm thick was chosen as the best and when compared to lyophilized cumbeba powder, better results were obtained with higher bioactive compounds contents, solubility, wettability, and lower porosity. GAB, Oswin and Peleg models can be used to estimate the water adsorption isotherms of cumbeba powders and they were classified as type II. The best foam-dried cumbeba powder and freeze-dried powder were stored at 30 and 40 ºC, with increasing water content, water activity and flavonoid content over time, and a reduction solubility, ascorbic acid and betaxanthines.

Capuchin monkeys are well known for population variation in the use of stone tools and the types of food items consumed. In order to determine adaptability in stone tool use, we investigated a never before studied population of wild capuchin monkey (Sapajus libidinosus) displaying terrestrial habits in a Caatinga environment. To carry out this study we recorded physical evidence of the use of stone tools as well as made direct observations through trap cameras. During a 15-month period, we studied a group of Sapajus libidinosus in Serra Talhada, Pernambuco, Brazil. In total, 257 anvils and 395 hammers were identified, characterized, and monitored. We identified five types of food items exploited at these "tool use sites": Syagrus oleracea (catole palm), Manihot epruinosa (manioc), Pilosocereus pachycladus (facheiro), Tacinga inamoena (quipa), and Commiphora leptophloeos (imburana de cambao). Five hundred three video clips of capuchin monkeys were recorded, 43 of which involved the use of stone tools. The results indicated evidence of adaptability in tool use by the capuchins. We verified that the rigidity and size of the food item, along with the presence or absence of spines seem to influence the choice of stone tools made by the animals for processing the food. The recurring use of tools for the processing of cacti was especially noteworthy and it appears that the presence of spines predisposes the capuchins to use stones to process them. A significant difference was observed between the characteristics of the anvils and the weight of the hammers according to the food item consumed. The use of tools enabled the animals to access otherwise unavailable or difficult to acquire food items within a Caatinga habitat. Adaptability in the use of stone tools by the capuchin monkey population of Serra Talhada provides an example of the complexity that these primates demonstrate in food processing.

This study examines the variation in cacti species richness and abundance among sites with different average rainfall and soil types. We assessed a total of 3,660 individuals of six species of Cactaceae: Cereus jamacaru, Melocactus zehntneri, Pilosocereus gounellei, Pilosocereus pachycladus, Tacinga inamoena, and Tacinga palmadora. The greatest species richness and abundance of cacti were at locations with low rainfall and more clayey soils. The species studied differed in multidimensional representation, with some species being more positively related to soils with a higher proportion of fine particles (M. zehntneri and P. gounellei), while others were negatively related to soils with a higher proportion of coarser particles (T. inamoena) or positively related to areas with higher rainfall and vegetation cover (C. jamacaru and P. pachycladus). The differential responses of the species of Cactaceae studied in relation to the gradients analyzed demonstrates the need for more research into the relationship between cacti and environmental variables in semiarid ecosystems with high environmental heterogeneity.

Summary: A new subspecies of Tacinga inamoena, T. inamoena subsp. subcylindrica M. Machado & N. P. Taylor, is described. The new subspecies differs from the typical subspecies in its erect habit, by its oblong stem-segments and by being smaller in all its parts.

Resumo Maior parte do territorio do Ceara e semiarido, clima no qual as cactaceas sao abundantes. A despeito de sua representatividade, ha poucos estudos sobre a familia no estado, especialmente de carater taxonomico. O objetivo deste trabalho foi fazer um levantamento dos representantes de Cactaceae no Ceara, visando o conhecimento da flora local. A partir de consultas aos acervos botânicos dos herbarios EAC, HVASF e IPA, foram registrados 12 generos e 24 taxons especificos e infraespecificos: Arrojadoa rhodantha, Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis, Cereus albicaulis, C. jamacaru subsp. jamacaru, Discocactus bahiensis, D. zehntneri subsp. zehntneri, Epiphyllum phyllanthus, Harrisia adscendens, Hylocereus setaceus, Melocactus oreas subsp. oreas, M. violaceus subsp . violaceus, M. zehntneri, Pereskia aculeata, P. grandifolia subsp. grandifolia, Pilosocereus catingicola subsp. salvadorensis, P. chrysostele subsp. chrysostele, P. chrysostele subsp. cearensis, P. flavipulvinatus, P. gounellei subsp. gounellei, P. pachycladus subsp. pernambucoensis, Rhipsalis baccifera subsp. baccifera, Tacinga inamoena, T. palmadora e T. subcylindrica . Foram elaboradas chaves de identificacao e descricoes dos taxons. Apresenta-se ainda fotos e dados da distribuicao geografica de cada taxon no estado. Flora of Ceara, Brazil: Cactaceae Abstract Most of the state of Ceara is semi-arid, a climate in which cacti are abundant. Despite its significance, there are few studies on the family in this state, especially taxonomic studies. The aim of this study was to survey the family Cactaceae in Ceara, to increase our knowledge of the local flora. We recorded 12 genera and 24 taxa: Arrojadoa rhodantha, Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis, Cereus albicaulis, C. jamacaru subsp. jamacaru, Discocactus bahiensis, D. zehntneri subsp. zehntneri, Epiphyllum phyllanthus, Harrisia adscendens, Hy- locereus setaceus, Melocactus oreas subsp. oreas, M. violaceus subsp . violaceus, M. zehntneri, Pereskia aculeata, P. grandifolia subsp. grandifolia, Pilosocereus catingicola subsp. salvadorensis, P. chrysostele subsp. chrysostele, P. chrysostele subsp. cearensis, P. flavipulvinatus, P. gounellei subsp. gounellei, P. pachycladus subsp. pernambucoensis, Rhipsalis baccifera subsp. baccifera, Tacinga inamoena, T. palmadora and T. subcylindrica . We present identification keys and descriptions of the taxa, as well as photographs and geographic distribution data for each taxon in the state.

A Opuntia ficus-indica tem-se destacado como principal produtora de frutos e forragens, motivo pelo qual tem sido bastante pesquisada. Além desta espécie, no semi-árido do Nordeste é encontrada a Tacinga inamoena, planta nativa, cujo fruto, embora também utilizado pelo agricultor como alternativa alimentar, não foi objeto de nenhuma pesquisa até o momento, justificando este trabalho para avaliar seu potencial nutricional e industrial, por meio das características organolépticas, químicas e físicas, conteúdo nutricional e composição mineral. O quipá apresenta características organolépticas similares às de frutos de mesmo gênero, com rendimento da porção comestível, polpa e pericarpo carnoso de 62,87% do peso total do fruto. No que diz respeito à composição química, a polpa difere significativamente do pericarpo carnoso, com superioridade deste último, que apresenta maior teor de minerais, destacando-se dentre estes o cálcio, o magnésio e o potássio que apresentaram valores de 587,04mg, 257,02mg e 318,01mg, respectivamente. Os resultados evidenciam que o quipá é adequado para consumo in natura e apresenta potencial para aproveitamento industrial. Provided that the Opuntia fícus-indica is the main producer of fruit and forages, it has been the object of extensive research. Besides, another species Tacinga inamoena, native plant, which its fruit has been used as an alternative food source can also be found in the semi-arid northeastern region of Brazil. However, this native plant had not been the object of any research yet. The aim of this work is to evaluate its industrial and nutritional potential through the organoleptic, physical, chemical characteristics, nutritional content and mineral composition. The Quípa shows organoleptic characteristics similar to other fruit of the same gender. Its edible portion, pulp and fleshy pericarp, corresponds to 62, 8% of the total fruit weight. As regard to chemical composition, the pulp differs significantly from the fleshy pericarp, the latter showing higher content of minerals among them calcium, magnesium and potassium with values of 587,04mg, 257,02mg and 318,01mg, respectively. The results showed that Quípa is appropriate for consumption in natura and shows industrial potential.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico A Opuntia ficus-indica tem se destacado como principal produtora de frutos e forragens, motivo pelo qual tem sido bastante pesquisada. Além desta espécie, no semi-árido do Nordeste é encontrada a Tacinga inamoena, planta nativa, cujo fruto embora também utilizado pelo agricultor como alternativa alimentar, não foi objeto de nenhuma pesquisa até o momento, justificando este trabalho para avaliar seu potencial nutricional e industrial, por meio das características organolépticas: cor, aroma, flavor e textura; atributos físicos: peso, diâmetro longitudinal, diâmetro transversal e constituintes do fruto; físico-químicos e químicos: pH, acidez (% ácido cítrico), sólidos solúveis (ºBrix), relação ºBrix/acidez; nutricionais: umidade, cinzas, proteínas, lipídios, carboidratos, fibras, carotenóides totais, valor calórico total (contribuição percentual no consumo baseada em uma dieta de 2.500 calorias); composição mineral: Cu, Fe, Zn, Na, Mg, K, Ca, P. De acordo com os resultados: o fruto possui características organolépticas similares às de frutos de mesmo gênero. Apresenta rendimento da porção comestível, polpa e pericarpo carnoso de 63,78% do peso total do fruto e características organolépticas análogas a O. ficus-indica. No que diz respeito a composição química a polpa difere significativamente do pericarpo carnoso, com superioridade deste último, que apresenta maior teor de minerais, destacando-se dentre estes o cálcio, magnésio e potássio que apresentaram valores iguais 587,04mg, 257,02mg, 318,01mg, respectivamente. Os resultados obtidos evidenciam que o quipá é um fruto adequado para consumo in natura, e apresenta potencial para aproveitamento industrial

One dune habitat in the semi-arid Caatinga Biome, rich in endemisms, is described based on plant species composition, woody plant density, mean height and phenology and a multivariate analysis of the micro-habitats generated by variables associated to plants and topography. The local flora is composed mainly by typically sand-dweller species of Caatinga, suggesting the existence of a phytogeographic unity related to the sandy areas in the Caatinga biome, which seems to be corroborated by faunal distribution. Moreover, some species are probably endemic from the dunes, a pattern also found in vertebrates. The plant distribution is patchy, there is no conspicuous herbaceous layer and almost 50% of the ground represents exposed sand. Phenology is not synchronized among species, occurring leaves budding and shedding, flowers development and anthesis, fruits production and dispersion both in rainy and dry seasons. Leaf shedding is low compared to the level usually observed in Caatinga areas and about 50% of the woody individuals were producing leaves in both seasons. Spectrum of dispersal syndromes shows an unexpected higher proportion of zoochorous species among the phanerophytes, accounting for 31.3% of the species, 78.7% of the total frequency and 78.6% of the total density. The habitat of the dunes is very simple and homogeneous in structure and most of environmental variance in the area is explained by one gradient of woody plants density and another of increase of Bromelia antiacantha Bertol. (Bromeliaceae) and Tacinga inamoena (K. Schum.) N.P. Taylor & Stuppy (Cactaceae) toward valleys, which seem to determine two kinds of protected micro-habitats for the small cursorial fauna. Um ambiente de dunas no bioma Caatinga, rico em endemismos, é descrito a partir da composição florística, da densidade, altura média e fenologia das espécies lenhosas e de uma análise multivariada dos micro-hábitats criados por variáveis associadas às plantas e à topografia. A flora local é composta principalmente por espécies típicas de áreas arenosas da caatinga, sugerindo a existência de uma unidade fitogeográfica na caatinga relacionada a áreas arenosas, o que parece ser corroborado por dados faunísticos. Além disso, algumas espécies são provavelmente endêmicas das dunas, padrão também observado nos vertebrados. A vegetação possui distribuição agregada, não há estrato herbáceo conspícuo e quase 50% do solo representa areia nua. A fenologia das espécies não é sincronizada, ocorrendo brotamento e queda de folhas, desenvolvimento e antese de flores e produção e dispersão de frutos nas estações seca e chuvosa. A caducifolia é particularmente baixa em comparação com outras áreas de caatinga e cerca de 50% dos indivíduos lenhosos produz folhas nas duas estações. O espectro de síndromes de dispersão mostra uma proporção de espécies zoocóricas inesperadamente alta entre as fanerófitas, representando 31,3% das espécies, 78,7% da freqüência total e 78,6% da densidade total. O hábitat possui estrutura bastante simples e homogênea: a maioria da variância na área é explicada por um gradiente de densidade de lenhosas e outro de aumento de Bromelia antiacantha Bertol. (Bromeliaceae) e Tacinga inamoena (K. Schum.) N.P. Taylor & Stuppy (Cactaceae) em direção aos vales, determinando dois tipos de micro-hábitats protegidos para a fauna cursora de pequeno porte.

Background This study aimed to record the use, and knowledge that residents from São Francisco community (Paraiba, Brazil) have regarding the Cactaceae. Methods Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 118 informants; 50 men and 68 women. The cacti cited in this study were organised into use categories and use values were calculated. Differences in the values applied to species and use categories by men and women were compared via a G test (Williams). Results The nine species identified were: Cereus jamacaru DC., Melocactus bahiensis (Brtitton & Rose) Luetzelb., Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm-Dyck., Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill, Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw., Pilosocereus gounellei (F.A.C. Weber) Byles & Rowley, Pilosocereus pachycladus F. Ritter, Tacinga inamoena (K. Schum) N.P. Taylor & Stuppy, Tacinga palmadora (Britton & Rose) N.P. Taylor & Stuppy. In total, 1,129 use citations were recorded, divided into 11 categories. The use value categories with the highest scores were forage (0.42), food (0.30) and construction (building) (0.25). P. pachycladus showed the greatest use value, versatility and number of plant parts used. Conclusion The survey showed that the Cactaceae is extremely important for several uses and categories attributed to different species. Apart from contributing to the ethnobotanical knowledge of the Cactaceae, another important focus of this study was to reinforce the necessity for further studies that record the traditional knowledge about this plant family, which has been lost in younger generations.