scholarly journals Phenology and fruit set comparison of camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) in a natural population and a plantation in the central Amazon, Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-101
Author(s):  
Grace Anne Coelho FERREIRA ◽  
Adrian Paul Ashton BARNETT ◽  
Cristiane KRUG

ABSTRACT Myrciaria dubia (Myrtaceae) is a shrub that produces fruits with high concentrations of ascorbic acid (1380 to 1490 mg 100 g-1 of pulp and 2050 mg 100 g-1 of peel), 20 times more than acerola and 100 times more than lemon. Native to the Amazon region, it occurs naturally on the seasonally-flooded banks of lakes and rivers, but also has been cultivated commercially in terra firme. In this study, phenological observations and fruit yield evaluations were carried out in a natural population of camu-camu in a floodplain habitat and a plantation in terra firme in central Amazonia. Biweekly visits were made over one year to collect data on flowering, fruiting and leaf phenology. At the height of flowering, flower buds were marked and tracked until fruit matured and were harvested for biometrics and seed counting. Fruits varied from 1.01 to 2.73 cm in diameter and 1.14 to 10.87 g in weight and fruit production was higher in the wild stand. Phenology differed between habitats and phenophase synchrony was higher in the natural population. Despite being native to flooplain forests, fruit production in terra firme occurred throughout the year, suggesting that there are few restrictions on fruit development in cultivated plantation.

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 942
Author(s):  
Isabela Freitas Oliveira ◽  
Fabricio Beggiato Baccaro ◽  
Fernanda P. Werneck ◽  
Thamara Zacca ◽  
Torbjørn Haugaasen

Amazonia comprises a mosaic of contrasting habitats, with wide environmental heterogeneity at local and regional scales. In central Amazonia, upland forest (terra firme) is the predominant forest type and seasonally flooded forests inundated by white- and black-water rivers (várzea and igapó, respectively) represent around 20% of the forested areas. In this work, we took advantage of a natural spatial arrangement of the main vegetation types in central Amazonia to investigate butterfly assemblage structure in terra firme, várzea and igapó forests at the local scale. We sampled in the low- and high-water seasons, combining active and passive sampling with traps placed in both the understory and canopy. Terra firme supported the highest number of butterfly species, whereas várzea forest provided the highest number of butterfly captures. The high species richness in terra firme may reflect that this forest type is floristically richer than várzea and igapó. Várzea is a very productive environment and may thus support a higher number of butterfly individuals than terra firme and igapó. Most butterfly species (80.2%) were unique to a single forest type and 17 can be considered forest type indicator species in this landscape. Floodplain forest environments are therefore an important complement to terra firme in terms of butterfly species richness and conservation in Amazonia.


2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torbjørn Haugaasen ◽  
Carlos Augusto Peres

Despite a natural history interest in the early 1900s, relatively little ecological research has been carried out in the Rio Purús basin of central Amazonia, Brazil. Here we describe a new study area in the region of Lago Uauaçú with an emphasis on the climate, forest structure and composition, and soil characteristics between adjacent unflooded (terra firme) and seasonally inundated forests; situated within both the white-water (várzea) and black-water (igapó) drainage systems that dominate the landscape. The climate was found to be typical of that of the central Amazon. Várzea forest soils had high concentrations of nutrients, while terra firme and igapó soils were comparatively nutrient-poor. Terra firme forests were the most floristically diverse forest type, whereas várzea was intermediate, and igapó the most species-poor. The Lecythidaceae was the most important family in terra firme while the Euphorbiaceae was the most important in both várzea and igapó. There were significant differences between forest types in terms of number of saplings, canopy cover and understorey density. In contrasting our results with other published information, we conclude that the Lago Uauaçú region consists of a typical central Amazonian forest macro-mosaic, but is a unique area with high conservation value due to the intimate juxtaposition of terra firme, várzea and igapó forests.


HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 543c-543
Author(s):  
Ami N. Erickson ◽  
Albert H. Markhart

Fruit yield reduction due to high temperatures has been widely observed in Solanaceous crops. Our past experiments have demonstrated that Capsicum annuum cultivars Ace and Bell Boy completely fail to produce fruit when grown at constant 33 °C. However, flowers are produced, continually. To determine which stages of flower development are sensitive to high temperatures, pepper buds, ranging in size from 1 mm to anthesis, were exposed to high temperatures for 6 hr, 48 hr, 5 days, or for the duration of the experiment. Fruit set for each bud size was determined. Exposure to high temperatures at anthesis and at the 2-mm size stage for 2 or more days significantly reduced fruit production. To determine whether inhibition of pollination, inhibition of fertilization, and/or injury to the female or male structures prevents fruit production at high temperatures, flowers from pepper cultivars Ace and Bell Boy were grown until flowers on the 8th or 9th node were 11 mm in length. Plants were divided between 25 °C and 33 °C constant growth chambers for 2 to 4 days until anthesis. At anthesis, flowers from both treatments were cross-pollinated in all combination, and crosses were equally divided between 33 or 25 °C growth chambers until fruit set or flowers abscised. All flower crosses resulted in 80% to 100% fruit set when post-pollination temperatures were 25 °C. However, post-pollination temperatures of 33 °C significantly reduced fruit production. Reduced fruit set by flowers exposed to high temperatures during anthesis and pollination is not a result of inviable pollen or ovule, but an inhibition of fertilization or initial fruit development.


2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 23-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.-H. von Bonsdorff ◽  
L. Maunula ◽  
R.M. Niemi ◽  
R. Rimhanen-Finne ◽  
M.-L. Hänninen ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was to monitor the levels of human enteric viruses and enteric protozoa and to relate their presence to the microbes used as hygienic quality indicators in domestic sewage from a small community in Finland during a period of one year. Genome-based sensitive detection methods for the pathogens selected (astro- and Norwalk-like viruses, Giardia and Cryptosporidium) have become available only recently and thus no earlier data was available. The effluent sewage is delivered into a river that serves as raw water for a larger town and the pathogens therefore constitute a health risk. The results showed that all the monitored pathogens could be detected, and that enteric viruses were present at considerable concentrations in sewage. High concentrations of astrovirus in raw sewage were observed during a diarrhea epidemic in the local day-care centre. The presence of viruses did not correlate with the monitored bacterial indicators of faecal contamination (coliforms, E. coli and enterococci) or with bacteriophages (somatic coliphages, F-specific RNA phages and B. fragilis phages). Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected from one sample (1/10) each.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mizuki Ogata ◽  
Reiji Masuda ◽  
Hiroya Harino ◽  
Masayuki K. Sakata ◽  
Makoto Hatakeyama ◽  
...  

AbstractEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) can be a powerful tool for detecting the distribution and abundance of target species. This study aimed to test the longevity of eDNA in marine sediment through a tank experiment and to use this information to reconstruct past faunal occurrence. In the tank experiment, juvenile jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) were kept in flow-through tanks with marine sediment for two weeks. Water and sediment samples from the tanks were collected after the removal of fish. In the field trial, sediment cores were collected in Moune Bay, northeast Japan, where unusual blooms of jellyfish (Aurelia sp.) occurred after a tsunami. The samples were analyzed by layers to detect the eDNA of jellyfish. The tank experiment revealed that after fish were removed, eDNA was not present in the water the next day, or subsequently, whereas eDNA was detectable in the sediment for 12 months. In the sediment core samples, jellyfish eDNA was detected at high concentrations above the layer with the highest content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, reflecting tsunami-induced oil spills. Thus, marine sediment eDNA preserves a record of target species for at least one year and can be used to reconstruct past faunal occurrence.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 279-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina Buendía ◽  
Axel Kleidon ◽  
Stefano Manzoni ◽  
Björn Reu ◽  
Amilcare Porporato

Abstract. Phosphorus (P) availability decreases with soil age and potentially limits the productivity of ecosystems growing on old and weathered soils. Despite growing on ancient soils, ecosystems of lowland Amazonia are highly productive and are among the most biodiverse on Earth. P eroded and weathered in the Andes is transported by the rivers and deposited in floodplains of the lowland Amazon basin creating hotspots of P fertility. We hypothesize that animals feeding on vegetation and detritus in these hotspots may redistribute P to P-depleted areas, thus contributing to dissipate the P gradient across the landscape. Using a mathematical model, we show that animal-driven spatial redistribution of P from rivers to land and from seasonally flooded to terra firme (upland) ecosystems may sustain the P cycle of Amazonian lowlands. Our results show how P imported to land by terrestrial piscivores in combination with spatial redistribution of herbivores and detritivores can significantly enhance the P content in terra firme ecosystems, thereby highlighting the importance of food webs for the biogeochemical cycling of Amazonia.


2003 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 1477-1482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Suguino ◽  
Beatriz Appezzato-da-Glória ◽  
Paulo Sérgio Rodrigues de Araújo ◽  
Salim Simão

O camu-camu [Myrciaria dubia (Humb., Bonpl. & Kunth) McVaugh], da família Myrtaceae, é encontrado em áreas inundáveis da Região Amazônica e utilizado como conservante em antioxidantes por seu alto teor de ácido ascórbico. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar porta-enxertos desta família, adaptados a terra firme, visando à propagação vegetativa de camu-camu. Selecionaram-se duzentas e quarenta mudas de camu-camu, goiabeira (Psidium guajava L.) e pitangueira (Eugenia uniflora L.), que receberam quatro tipos de enxertia, originando doze tratamentos de sessenta plantas, com cinco repetições. Apenas o porta-enxerto de camu-camu se mostrou compatível. A incompatibilidade entre camu-camu e os porta-enxertos de goiabeira e pitangueira foi demonstrada por análises anatômicas.


2012 ◽  
pp. 135-139
Author(s):  
Anita Szabó ◽  
István Gonda ◽  
Inre Vágó

Nowadays the success vegetable and fruit production are unimaginable without regular nutrient management. One of the ways to supply the required nutrients in an environmentally friendly way is the application of composts, which is less widespread so far. Compost doses were applied in biological and integrated apple orchards in cooperation with the Institute of Horticultural Science in the years 2010 and 2011. Different changes were resulted by the compost treatments in the examined parameters in case of both apple varieties (Golden Delicious and Pinova). There is no clear effect of compost on the changes of ash-, total acids, Vitamin C and the sugar content until now, because the improvement of the nutritional indicators takes more time. However significant differences were observed after one year between the apple varieties. Higher ash-, total acids and sugar content were measured in case of the apple variety Pinova, while the measurements showed higher Vitamin C content in case of the variety Golden Delicious.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 20056-20065
Author(s):  
Maria Theresa ◽  
Appukuttan Kamalabai Sreekala ◽  
Jayalakshmi Mohanlal

Ophiorrhiza caudata is a creeping, perennial herb distributed along wet and shady areas. The species is distylous with two distinct floral morphs: pin and thrum. Flowering usually occurs during the monsoon season. No particular difference was noticed in the flowering phenology of the two morphs. Presently the species is self-incompatible, however, it shows a tendency towards intramorph compatibility. Fruit set is above 60% in open pollination and intermorph pollination. Bees and butterflies are the major pollinators. The pollen flow between the two floral morphs varies depending upon floral morphology and pollinators. Fruit is a bi-valved capsule which dehisces by a splashing drop mechanism. The seeds are very minute. The rate of seed germination and seedling establishment in the wild condition is very poor due to adverse climatic factors. Ophiorrhiza caudata is struggling for survival in its natural habitat, where habitat fragmentation, climatic factors and poor seedling establishment could account for its narrow distribution.


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