Medicinal plants popularly used in the Brazilian Tropical Atlantic Forest

A survey of medicinal plants used by rural and urban inhabitants of the three cities of the Tropical Atlantic Forest, Region of Vale do Ribeira, State of S?o Paulo, Brazil was performed by means of 200 interviews with medicinal plant users and extractors and, traditional healers. One hundred fourteen herbal remedies were recorded and the following information reported: Latin, vernacular and English names, plant part used, forms of preparation and application of the herbal remedies, medicinal or food uses, areas of plant collection, economic importance (when available) and other data.     

Tropical dendrochronology applied to invasive tree species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

The Atlantic Forest is one of the largest and most biodiverse rainforests of South America but anthropogenic activities are drastically changing these landscapes.The invasion of alien or exotic species is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity.There are few studies of invasive species in tropical Brazilian ecosystems.This research examines growth and ecological aspects of Syzygium cumini and Clitoria fairchildiana,two invasive tree species in the Pedra Branca State Park,an Atlantic Forest remnant in southeastern Brazil.Both species were successfully dated,indicating an average age of 58 and 31 years,respectively.A positive relationship between growth and precipitation of the previous growing season suggests an ecological adaptive strategy,which could be facilitating their invasion into the environment.Cumulative growth diameter curves indicate slow and fast growth rates for S.cumini and C.fairchildiana,respectively.Growth release episodes detected in the tree rings indicate increased anthropogenic disturbances over the last 50 years.     

Aboveground biomass quantification and tree-level prediction models for the Brazilian subtropical Atlantic Forest

Forests are the largest biological reservoir of biomass and carbon on the planet. This fact turns them into the main tool to neutralise the CO₂ emitted by human activities. Despite such importance, the uncertainties associated with biomass estimates in forests, especially in (sub)tropical forests, are enormous. Facing this scenario, the objectives of this study were (1) to quantify through destructive sampling the aboveground biomass (AGB) of 105 trees of 47 species occurring in a secondary subtropical evergreen rainforest in Brazil; (2) to investigate the AGB distribution in different tree compartments; and (3) to fit tree-level models to improve biomass estimates for the referred forest type. The results revealed that most of the AGB was stored in the compartments stem and large branches (diameter ≥ 5 cm). There was an increase in the proportion of biomass – in relation to the total tree AGB (kg) – allocated in the large branches as tree diameter at breast height (DBH) increased; this pattern was not observed for the compartments stem, thin branches (diameter < 5 cm), and leaves. The compartments thin branches and leaves represented between 5.4% and 17.0%, and 1.3% and 2.9% of the total tree AGB, respectively. From the 10 fitted biomass models, the linearised power models yielded the smallest errors. The best performance model, which returned a mean bias of 1.7%, may be written as AGB = exp(?8.9807 + 2.1642·ln[DBH] + 0.5072·ln[h] + 0.9999·ln[ρ_bas]); Baskerville’s factor = 1.0175. If there are no (reliable) data on tree total height (h; m), the following model, which embedded the DBH and wood basic specific gravity (ρ_bas; kg m^?3), may be employed: AGB = exp(?9.0086 + 2.4606·ln[DBH] + 1.0895·ln[ρ_bas]); Baskerville’s factor = 1.0206.     

Reduced ant diversity along a habitat regeneration gradient in the southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest

This study evaluates the response of the ant communities along a habitat regeneration gradient in the south Atlantic Forest comparing it with the ant fauna from a mature forest at the same biome. The survey was conducted according to standard collecting protocols, employing sardine baits and mini-Winkler apparatuses. The structure of the ground and litter-foraging ant community was compared in five habitats, representing a regeneration gradient within the Atlantic Forest. Furthermore, the composition of the leaf-litter ant fauna and the species richness were compared between the regeneration gradient and an area of mature forest. The results showed a higher number of leaf-litter ant species in the mature forest in comparison with the regeneration gradient habitat, as well a distinct species composition. There was a significant loss of ant diversity in the regrowth forest, compared to the mature Atlantic Forest. The composition of the ground-dwelling ant fauna does not consistently separate the sites of forest succession; but a gradient of ant species richness and composition was revealed when the leaf-litter ant fauna data set was included in the analysis. In this sense, the leaf-litter ant fauna is an important segment to characterize habitats also playing an important rule as bio-indicators. The data suggest that only primary forests (our data) and old secondary forests (in litt.) are capable of maintaining a substantial proportion of the biodiversity in areas of the Atlantic Forest.     

Sustaining Tropical Forest Biodiversity

Abstract

Tropical forests are very rich in biological diversity and form an important economic and ecological resource. This biodiversity is of great value for communities living in or near these forests as a ready source of subsistence and cash income, and for the world at large as a source of tropical timber and non-timber products and a repository of genetic and chemical information. However, this biological complexity is diminishing rapidly. We analyze the main human (anthropogenic) actions causing loss of tropical forest biodiversity along with the strategies of management for forest biodiversity. Not only is the biophysical component important in management for biodiversity, but the action participation and support of local people, the national government and international cooperation as a whole, arc essential for an effective and sustainable development of tropical forests. This integrated development strategy ensures that socio-economic and environmental benefits are provided for present and future generations.     

海南岛尖峰岭的热带森林昆虫

本文叙述了尖峰岭昆虫的区系成分，优势种，与国内各地昆虫的相似程度，热量与昆虫世代，该地有我国蛾类特有种的分布地理区以及某些昆虫的垂直生态分布。     

Communities of saprobic fungi on leaf litter of Vismia guianensis in remnants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

We examined the mycobiota associated with Vismia guianensis leaf litter in three Atlantic Forest remnants of Brazil's semiarid region. Among the study sites, two remnants were protected forest reserves, whereas the third was influenced by major anthropogenic activities. Eighteen litter samples were collected in wet and dry seasons and were processed by particle filtration technique. A total of 4750 fungal isolates of 142 taxa were identified. Species richness was higher in litter samples collected during wet season.Nonmetric multidimensional scaling multivariate analysis showed differences in the composition of fungal communities among the sampling sites and the seasons. Analysis of similarity showed that the differences were statistically significant(R = 0.85; P = 0.0001). Our findings revealed that spatial and temporal heterogeneity, and human activities had significant impacts on the saprobic fungi of V. guianensis leaf litter.     

Past land-use and ecological resilience in a lowland Brazilian Atlantic Forest: implications for passive restoration

The ecological resilience of abandoned pastures has important implications for the potential of passive restoration in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, especially in the face of the ambitious restoration targets for this biodiversity hotspot. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the influence of past land-use on natural regeneration in two secondary forests that established on abandoned pastures with different land use histories (Abandoned + Fire—15 years since the last fire event and Abandoned—36 years ago) in a lowland Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Both secondary forests exhibit low resilience for the three analyzed attributes: vegetation structure, richness, and species composition. Secondary forests affected by fire have the lowest values for species richness, aboveground biomass and leaf area index compared to old-growth forests. Secondary forests were dominated by Moquiniastrum polymorphum—Asteraceae, which was absent from the old-growth forests. Fire resistance, capacity to establish in nutrient-poor soils and efficient seed dispersal in human-modified landscapes are important attributes that may explain the dominance of this species. We demonstrate that even in sites considered appropriate for passive restoration a priori (e.g. located in a protected area, 36 years since abandonment and close to old-growth forests), secondary forests exhibited low aboveground biomass and communities were dominated by few species. Therefore, our results highlight the effects of past land-use on natural regeneration and suggest the necessity to use interventions such as enrichment plantings, nucleation techniques and assisted natural regeneration in order to accelerate forest restoration.     

Effects of roads,topography, and land use on forest cover dynamics in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Roads and topography can determine patterns of land use and distribution of forest cover, particularly in tropical regions. We evaluated how road density, land use, and topography affected forest fragmentation, deforestation and forest regrowth in a Brazilian Atlantic Forest region near the city of São Paulo. We mapped roads and land use/land cover for three years (1962, 1981 and 2000) from historical aerial photographs, and summarized the distribution of roads, land use/land cover and topography within a grid of 94 non-overlapping 100 ha squares. We used generalized least squares regression models for data analysis. Our models showed that forest fragmentation and deforestation depended on topography, land use and road density, whereas forest regrowth depended primarily on land use. However, the relationships between these variables and forest dynamics changed in the two studied periods; land use and slope were the strongest predictors from 1962 to 1981, and past (1962) road density and land use were the strongest predictors for the following period (1981–2000). Roads had the strongest relationship with deforestation and forest fragmentation when the expansions of agriculture and buildings were limited to already deforested areas, and when there was a rapid expansion of development, under influence of São Paulo city. Furthermore, the past (1962) road network was more important than the recent road network (1981) when explaining forest dynamics between 1981 and 2000, suggesting a long-term effect of roads. Roads are permanent scars on the landscape and facilitate deforestation and forest fragmentation due to increased accessibility and land valorization, which control land-use and land-cover dynamics. Topography directly affected deforestation, agriculture and road expansion, mainly between 1962 and 1981. Forest are thus in peril where there are more roads, and long-term conservation strategies should consider ways to mitigate roads as permanent landscape features and drivers facilitators of deforestation and forest fragmentation.     

Antiviral and cytotoxic activities of some Indonesian plants

Ten methanolic extracts from eight Indonesian medicinal plants were phytochemically screened and evaluated for antiviral (HSV-1 and Poliovirus) and cytotoxic activities on murine and human cancer lines (3LL, L1210, K562, U251, DU145, MCF-7). Besides Melastoma malabathricum (Melastomataceae), the Indonesian Loranthaceae species among which Elytranthe tubaeflora, E. maingayi, E. globosa and Scurrula ferruginea exhibited attractive antiviral and cytotoxic activities. Piper aduncum (Piperaceae) was found active on Poliovirus. S. ferruginea was selected for further studies because of its activity on the U251 glioblastoma cells.     

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition by Brazilian plants

The potential antihypertensive activity of Brazilian plants was evaluated in vitro by its ability to inhibit the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). Forty-four plants belonging to 30 families were investigated. Plants were selected based on their popular use as antihypertensive and/or diuretics. The following plants presented significant ACE inhibition rates: Calophyllum brasiliense, Combretum fruticosum, Leea rubra, Phoenix roebelinii and Terminalia catappa.     

Tropical Forest Management in the Asia-Pacific Region

Tropical deforestation in the Asia-Pacific Region has accelerated in Lhe last decade, seriously depleting the forest resource base. Most forest loss results from agricultural clearing, but is generally preceded by forest degradation from destructive logging (Southeast Asia) or overuse of forest resources (South Asia). Tropical forests are highly variable, requiring a system of classification to guide management objectives; one such system is ecological life zone mapping. Forestry operations should reflect the need for both conservation and production. Most Asia-Pacific forests are managed on variations of a selection system. Logging damage is the most important forestry-sector threat to commercial forestry, reducing both future timber production and the availability of non-timber products. The short duration of logging concession agreements, nontransferability of concession contracts, and undervaluation of forest resources all contribute to forest "mining" practices. Alternative forest management methods exist: logging damage can be substantially reduced at little or no additional cost; small-scale mobile sawmills can increase local incomes while reducing the need for skidding; and Assisted Natural Regeneration can facilitate the reforestation of denuded lands. The best hope for sustainable use of forest resources lies with those who must live with the consequences of forest mismanagement. Local involvement in foresy planning, implementation and enforcement is essential. Successful forest management projects depend on the judgement of field-based personnel familiar with the forests, cultures and institutions of each country, working in cooperation with local forestry experts and forest-dependent people.     

Tree Recruitment from On-site Versus Off-site Propagule Sources During Tropical Forest Succession

The management of successional forests has become an increasingly important tool for tropical forest restoration on disturbed lands. Successful management depends on understanding factors governing tree recruitment during succession. Recruits can be on-site propagules surviving disturbance (e.g. saplings) or seeds arriving after disturbance. Among disturbed sites, the importance of seed arrival from off-site should increase as availability of on-site propagules declines. This study examines how seed arrival from off-site seemed to influence natural forest regrowth on logged plantations in Uganda. Specifically, the effect of seed arrival from mammals (determined directly) and birds (determined inferentially) was estimated in two plantations with high and three plantations with low quantities of saplings surviving logging. In both plantation types, first-year recruitment seemed to originate from on-site (seed bank and sprouts from damaged trees) and off-site sources (seed-dispersing birds). Recruitment declined 2–3 years after logging in all plantations despite high densities of seed-dispersing birds. Recruitment was generally greater in plantations with low initial quantities of on-site propagules, and by 4–6 years forest structure was similar between plantation types. Recruitment was dominated by bird-dispersed species, rather than mammal- or wind-dispersed species. Taken together, these results illustrate that disturbed areas with low initial on-site propagule availability have much potential for forest regrowth.     

Sustainable Forest Management in Tropical Rain Forests

Abstract

In planning of sustainable forest management, economic, environmental and social demands often conflict. Forest management in Southeast Asian tropical dipterocarp forests has been particularly biased towards maximizing immediate economic return from extensive logging. Overexploitation and other forms of uncontrolled land use within these forests have led to the situation where the remaining natural forests, most of them in Indonesia, will be liquidated within the next 10-15 years at the current rate of deforestation. In this paper we present an approach for sustainable forest management planning in which economic, environmental and social sustainability are considered simultaneously in order to define an optimal management strategy from a set of available alternatives.

We carried out a case study within a rain forest logging concession in Indonesian Borneo by using a participatory planning approach involving interviews of the local people, environmental assessment and economic analyses. We used the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method for resource allocation and priority setting in order to identify an optimal strategy which yields a sustained economic output from timber production, while at the same time being environmentally and socioculturally sustainable. Despite their relatively high costs, strategies involving selective harvesting combined to complete restoration of original dipterocarp stock in logged-over areas were superior in terms of economic, environmental and social sustainability. Priorities set by local communities for the strategies to meet their socioeconomic and cultural needs coincide well with those ensuring the restoration and biodiversity.     

海南热带森林旅游研究综述

随着社会经济的发展,人们生活节奏加快,世界范围内的城市化和环境问题日趋严峻,人们长期生活于城市,精神压力大,生活环境质量差,人们向往和需要到大自然中呼吸新鲜空气,放松心情。以"健康休闲"为主题的森林生态旅游异军突起,以森林公园为主要载体的森林旅游以其独有的资源优势成为人们选择的主要旅游目的地。本文阐述了海南热带森林资源的现状与特点,在分析了海南热带森林旅游发展的现状、存在问题以及优势和机遇的基础上,提出了加快海南森林旅游发展的对策。     

热带雨林保护的数字信息技术

数字信息技术在热带雨林保护中的作用，集中于信息的采集、处理、分析和应用。在实际应用中包括：热带雨林本底调查、建立生物资源数据库、热带雨林景观分析、林地变化动态监测以及生态环境的评价和保护。并以西双版纳热带雨林保护为例，介绍了具体研究过程。     

热带森林调节水分的研究进展

参照国内外对热带森林水文学的研究成果,论述了热带森林调节水分的研究进展,重点分析了热带林对降水、径流、土壤水分和地下水以及水质量的调节作用。     

西双版纳普文林场热带雨林恢复的实践

近50年来,通过树种调查、繁殖技术研究、造林试验,在西双版纳普文林场,成功地培育出8种热带雨林标志树种的人工林及7种热带山地雨林标志性树种的人工林,并散生培育热带雨林树种12个。还在热区退化地造林中评选出了2个造林先锋树种。它们既形成了高大整齐的林分外貌,也逐步形成了多层次多物种的森林复层结构。在这些人工林下出现了众多的雨林标志树种的天然更新幼苗幼树,说明这些人工林所形成的雨林环境具有可持续经营性。实践表明,西双版纳的热带雨林是可人工恢复的。     

Molluscicidal evaluation of three common plants from India

Mortality caused by the aqueous extract of latex of Thevetia peruviana, Alstonia scholaris and Euphorbia pulcherrima against two harmful freshwater snails, Lymnaea acuminata and Indoplanorbis exustus, is reported. Latices of all the plants at high doses were also lethal to freshwater fish Channa punctatus, which shares the habitat with these snails, but within 24 h, LC90 of snail L. acuminata did not cause any mortality to fishes in a mixed population of snail and fish. Therefore, these plant extracts may eventually be of great value for the control of harmful aquatic snails and other molluscan pests.     

海南岛热带针阔叶林交错区群落环境特征

采用样带法,以海南岛霸王岭林区典型的热带针叶林与阔叶林交错区为研究对象,分析不同群落类型环境因子变化特征及研究区域内环境因子的综合特征。结果表明：随着林分经针阔交错区的变化,土壤 pH、土壤有机质含量、全氮含量、有效氮含量、有效磷含量和有效钾含量都表现为阔叶林区＞针阔交错区＞针叶林区,全钾含量、凋落物厚度和群落类型光因子表现为针叶林区＞针阔交错区＞阔叶林区,土壤含水量、全磷含量和土壤砂砾含量变化不显著;3种群落类型环境因子的相关性分析表明,除土壤含水量和全磷含量与其他环境因子之间无显著相关外,其他因子间都显著相关;3种群落类型环境因子的主成分分析表明,土壤 pH、土壤有机质含量、凋落物厚度和光因子对第1轴的贡献最大,全氮含量和有效磷含量对第2轴的贡献最大。