Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Araliaceae'

The species Didymopanax morototoni (araliaceae), known as morototó is used in folk medicine in some countries of Latin America and Brazil is used to regulate menstrual flow, however, studies of its chemical composition were not reported. This study evaluated the potential of extracts and fractions of D. morototoni for the control of tropical disease vectors, Aedes aegypti larvae, the mollusk Biomphalaria glabrata, inhibition of reverse transcriptase, antitumor activity against the NCI-H292 cells and K562, and as well as the elucidation of the six active ingredients. The plant material was collected in the municipality of Pilar, Alagoas State, and was subjected to a phytochemical study led by the molluscicidal bioassay. The crude extract of the plant was obtained by extraction with 90% ethanol and subjected to fractionation with solvents of increasing polarity. The structural elucidation of compounds was based on the analysis of IR spectra and NMR, experiments including 1D and 2D. Were isolated from the chloroform fraction of the stem bark acid 3-O-β-D-xilopiranosil (1→3) β- glucopyranosyl-olean-12-en-28-oic acid (DMCC1), the mixture of 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosylsitosterol and 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-stigmasterol (DMCC2) and acid 3-O-β-Dglucopyranosyl (1→2) β - arabinopiranosil (4→1) β-glucopyranosyl-olean-12-en-28-oicacid (DMCC3), and the hexane fraction of the wood the mixture of steroids stigmasterol and β-sitosterol (DMM1), oleanolic acid (DMM2), ursolic acid (DMM3). The ethanolic leaf extract of D. morototoni was active against the larvae of Aedes aegypti with LC50 55.0264mg. mL-1. The ethanolic extract of the wood, stem bark and root have shown molluscicidal activity against the snail Biomphalaria glabrata. The ethanol extract of the root exhibited higher molluscicidal activity with LC50 5.336 mg. mL-1. among the compounds isolated the triterpene glycosides and DMCC1 DMCC3 showed molluscicidal activity with LC50 1.012 and 0.906 mg. mL-1 respectively. The ethanol extracts of leaf and root bark inhibited the action of the enzyme reverse transcriptase (RT) 100% and 51% respectively at a concentration of 50 mg. mL-1. Although the stem bark extract did not show significant inhibition of TR to the hexane fraction showed 79.62% inhibitory activity of 50 mg. mL-1. All substances isolated from D. morototoni inhibited RT, the mixture of 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-sitosterol and 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-stigmasterol showed the greatest potential inhibitor of TR with 70.41% at 10 mg. mL-1. For testing the antitumor activity was the best result for the ethanolic extract of stem bark with IC50 3.44 mg. mL-1 and K-562 IC50 8.01 mg. mL-1 in NCI-H292. This extract only the chloroform fraction was active with IC50 7.97 and 13.32 mg. mL-1 for NCIH292 cells and K562 respectively. The extract and fractions derived from the stem bark showed activity imunomudulatória with a percentage ranging from 64% to 99.25% 100 mg.mL-1. The results of phytochemical and biological activity contribute to propose the use of this plant molluscicide agent, antiviral and antitumor.
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
A espécie Didymopanax morototoni (Araliaceae), conhecida como morototó, é utilizada na medicina popular de alguns países da América Latina e no Brasil é usado para regular o fluxo menstrual, no entanto, estudos de sua composição química não foram relatados. O presente trabalho avaliou o potencial dos extratos e frações de D. morototoni para o controle dos vetores de doenças tropicais, larvas de Aedes aegypti, do molusco Biomphalaria glabrata, inibição da transcriptase reversa, atividade antitumoral contra as células NCI-H292 e K562 e bem como a elucidação de seis dos princípios ativos. O material vegetal foi coletado no município de Pilar, Estado de Alagoas, e foi submetido a um estudo de fitoquímica guiado pelo bioensaio moluscicida. O extrato bruto da planta foi obtido pela extração com etanol 90% e submetido a fracionamento com solventes de polaridade crescente. A elucidação estrutural dos compostos foi feita com base na análise dos espectros no IV e de RMN, incluindo experimentos 1D e 2D. Foram isolados da fração clorofórmica da casca do caule os o ácido 3-O-β-D- xilopiranosil (1→3) β- glicopiranosil-oleano-12-en-28-oico (DMCC1), a mistura de 3-O-β-D-glicopiranosil-sitosterol e 3-O-β-D-glicopiranosil-estigmasterol (DMCC2) e o ácido 3-O-β-D-glicopiranosil (1→2) β - arabinopiranosil (4→1) β-glicopiranosil- oleano-12-en-28-oico (DMCC3), e da fração hexânica da madeira a mistura dos esteróides estigmasterol e β-sitosterol (DMM1), ácido oleanólico (DMM2), ácido ursólico (DMM3). O extrato etanólico da folha de D. morototoni foi ativo frente às larvas de Aedes aegypti com CL50 55,0264 μg. mL-1. Os extratos etanólico da madeira, casca do caule e raiz apresentaram atividade moluscicida frente ao caramujo Biomphalaria glabrata. O extrato etanólico da raiz exibiu maior atividade moluscicida com CL50 5,336 μg. mL-1. Dentre os compostos isolados os triterpenos glicosilados DMCC1 e DMCC3 apresentaram atividade moluscicida com CL50 1,012 e 0,906 μg. mL-1 respectivamente. Os extratos etanólico da folha e da casca da raiz inibiram a ação da enzima transcriptase reversa (TR) 100% e 51% respectivamente na concentração de 50 μg. mL-1. Apesar do extrato da casca do caule não apresentar inibição significativa da TR a fração hexânica mostrou 79,62 % de atividade inibitória 50 μg. mL-1. Todas as substâncias isoladas de D. morototoni inibiram a TR, a mistura de 3-O-β-D-glicopiranosil-sitosterol e 3-O-β-D-glicopiranosil-estigmasterol apresentou maior potencial inibidor da TR com 70,41% a 10 μg. mL-1. Para o ensaio da atividade antitumoral o melhor resultado foi para extrato etanólico da casca do caule com CI50 3,44 μg. mL-1 em K-562 e CI50 8,01 μg. mL-1 em NCI-H292. Desse extrato apenas a fração clorofórmica foi ativa com CI50 13,32 e 7,97 μg. mL-1 para as células NCI-H292 e K562 respectivamente. O extrato e frações oriundas da casca do caule exibiram atividade imunomudulatória com percentual variando de 64% a 99,25% 100 mg. mL-1. Os resultados da atividade biológica e fitoquímica contribuem para propor a utilização dessa planta como agente moluscicida, antiviral e antitumoral.

Schefflera is the largest genus in the angiosperm family Araliaceae, with about 900 species, of which c. 300 belong to five subgeneric groups in the Neotropical region. Previous phylogenetic studies of Schefflera have been limited to a small number of species from this region, and very little is know about phylogenetic relationships in the Brazilian-centered Didymopanax group of this genus. Therefore, to gain a better understanding of the diversity and evolution of the Didymopanax group of Schefflera, I investigated the systematics of these plants in the broader context of the entire Neotropical clade. The main goals were (1) to investigate pollen diversity in Neotropical species of Schefflera; (2) to test the monophyly of these species; (3) to provide a taxonomic revision for species of the Didymopanax group of Schefflera; and (4) to investigate evolutionary relationships within the Didymopanax group. Pollen morphology exhibits an uneven variability across Neotropical Schefflera. For example, pollen characters support the distinctiveness of the Didymopanax group from all remaining groups. Moreover, S. tremula has a distinctive pollen morphology compared to remaining species of the Sciodaphyllum group. However, among the remaining groups of Neotropical Schefflera, pollen characters are less distinctive. Molecular phylogenetic analyses have confirmed the monophyly of the Neotropical species of Schefflera, and helped to identify four major clades. One of these clades includes subclades representing the Didymopanax and Crepinella groups, while another clade includes all species from groups Cotylanthes and Sciodaphyllum, excluding Schefflera tremula, a finding that corroborates pollen data. In the formal taxonomic revision of Didymopanax, 37 species are recognized, together with three insufficiently known species. The revision also includes updated species circumscriptions and nomenclatural adjustments for 26 names. Phylogenetic analyses among Didymopanax species recovered four morphologically and geographically coherent clades (Atlantic Forest, Imeri, Five-carpellate and Savannic clades), but their phylogenetic inter-relationships were generally weakly supported. Poorly resolved relationships in the Savannic clade suggests a rapid diversification in the campos rupestres vegetation, which accounts for the greatest species richness in the group. The presence of multiple Didymopanax lineages in the Amazonian and Atlantic forests corroborates that these regions may be composite biogeographic areas.

Orientador: João Ernesto de Carvalho
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia
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Resumo: A maioria dos agentes utilizados na quimioterapia acabam por apresentar melhor atividade ¿antiproliferativa¿ do que ¿anticâncer¿ evidenciando a necessidade de ensaios para a triagem de drogas menos tóxicas, mais seletivas e eficazes para o tratamento dessa doença. A grande diversidade de espécies vegetais com potencial terapêutico presente nos ecossistemas brasileiros, em destaque para os da Amazônia e Cerrado, fornece material para estudos especializados na procura de novas drogas para diferentes doenças, dentre elas o câncer. Uma das espécies do Cerrado, a Didymopanax vinosum (Araliáceae) foi selecionada para estudo da atividade antiplroliferativa ¿in vitro¿ em cultura de células tumorais humanas de Leucemia (K-562), Próstata (PC0-3), Renal (786-0), Ovário (OVCAR-03), Melanoma (UACC-62), Cólon (HT-29), Pulmão (NCI-460), Mama (MCF-7) e Mama resistente (NCI-ADR). Inicialmente foram obtidos os Extratos Brutos Diclorometano (EBD), Etanólico (EBE) e Hidroalcoólico a frio (EBHf) das folhas de Didymopanax vinosum, os quais foram previamente avaliados, sendo o EBHf considerado mais ativo. A fração aquosa (F1) obtida a partir do EBHf, por partição em funil de separação, apresentou atividade citotóxica significativa, a qual parece estar associada a presença de flavonóides glicosilados evidenciados após hidrólise da mesma
Abstract: Most of the chemotherapeutic agents present an ¿antiproliferative¿ activity rather than an ¿anticancer¿ one. For this reason, there is a growing need for less toxicity and more efficacy and selectivity in antineoplastic drugs. For the last decades, several plant-derived compounds have been successfully used in the treatment of cancer. Due to the great diversity of Brazilian ecosystems, the Cerrado is a rich source of new drugs for many diseases including cancer. In this study, the species Didymopanax vinosum was selected through the in vitro antiproliferative assay using nine human tumor cell lines: leukemia (K- 562), prostate (PC0-3), kidney (786-0), ovary (OVCAR-03), melanoma (UACC-62), colon (HT-29), lung (NCI-460), breast (MCF-7) and multi-drug resistant breast cells (NCI-ADR). The crude hidroalcoholic extract (EBHf) obtained from the leaves of D. vinosum was achieved by mechanic extraction with ethanol 70%, this extract was partitioned using H2O / ethil acetate guiving an aquous (F1) and an organic (F2) fractions. F1 presented the most significant antiproliferative activity which seems to be related to the presence of glycolytic flavonoids, revealead by its chemical hydrolysis
Mestrado
Biologia Celular
Mestre em Biologia Celular e Estrutural

Obligate shade plants possess adaptations that enable them to photosynthesise in the low light environment of the forest floor. Adaptations that facilitate light scavenging may compromise capacity for high rates of photosynthesis. This study compares the responses of obligate shade and facultative shade plant species upon exposure to elevated light. The obligate shade plants were two commercially grown medicinal herb species of ginseng, Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer and Panax quinquefolius L.; and goldenseal - Hydrastis canadensis L. Comparison was made to Arabidopsis thaliana and Pisum sativum L. as facultative shade species. Panax ginseng (Korean ginseng) and Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) are obligate shade plants found in broadleaf forests of Eastern Asia and North America, respectively. Studies on these plants have shown optimal growth at light intensities between 200-300 [mu]mol photons. m⁻�. s⁻�, or 10-15% of full sunlight, and at intensities greater than 500 [mu]mol photons. m⁻�. s⁻� characteristic photoinbibitory symptoms develop. An atypical response to methyl viologen in photosynthetic electron transport assays was observed in ginseng in both isolated thylakoid membranes and whole leaves. No correlation was found between detectable superoxide dismutase activity and altered methyl viologen reactions. In a mutagenesis study using the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, a unique amino acid residue in the terminal electron acceptor PsaC, found only in ginseng, was changed and found to have no effect on methyl viologen reactions. Electron transfer to methyl viologen was examined in both isolated thylakoid membranes and whole leaves using chlorophyll a fluorescence and the apparent ability for methyl viologen to act as an electron acceptor was observed to differ between ginseng species. Obligate shade species were observed to possess alternate pools of photosystem II centres that potentially provide a mechanism to maximise photosynthetic gain under low light and during short periods of increased illumination. In experiments designed to identify physiological processes that contribute to increased susceptibility to photoinhibition in obligate shade plants, responses were observed and characterised following a moderate increase in illumination (140 to 400 [mu]mol photons. m⁻� . s⁻�) using chlorophyll a fluorescence induction curve analysis. The obligate shade species exhibited varied responses to elevated light and showed increased susceptibility, to photoinhibition. Photoprotective non-photochemical dissipative capacity was quantified and found to be comparable between all species studied.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2007.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 185 p. : ill., col. map. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

The genus Schefflera is the largest in Araliaceae, with approximately 900 species. Recent studies have shown that Schefflera is polyphyletic and represents no fewer than five distinct clades, each corresponding to a specific geographic region including Asia, continental Africa and Madagascar, Melanesia, the Neotropics, and a small clade distributed throughout several islands in the insular Pacific Ocean. The Afro-Malagasy clade contains nearly 50 species distributed throughout tropical, sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, the Comoros, and the Seychelles islands. Previous studies have suggested that this group is monophyletic, identifying two smaller subclades within Afro-Malagasy Schefflera corresponding roughly to informal groups identified as “Meiopanax” and “Sciodaphyllum” on the basis of morphology. Using sequence data from nuclear rDNA spacers and plastid markers derived from 32 of the 48 currently circumscribed species of Afro-Malagasy Schefflera, this study tested the monophyly of Afro-Malagasy Schefflera and of each of its two proposed subclades. Trees based on this molecular data were used to examine patterns of morphological evolution and biogeography among species in the clade. Results support the monophyly of Afro-Malagasy Schefflera and both subclades, which correspond closely to “Meiopanax” and “Sciodaphyllum” which are herein referred to as Neocussonia and Astropanax, respectively. Additional interspecific relationships were examined, which provides evidence for hybridization among several species. Schefflera myriantha, the most widely distributed species of Afro-Malagasy Schefflera, is paraphyletic with respect to two other species, S. humblotiana and S. monophylla. Many morphological features historically used to distinguish species of Afro-Malagasy Schefflera appear to be evolutionarily labile, with a history of gains and losses (e.g., reduction in leaflet number, which occurs independently in both subclades). Biogeographic analyses suggest an African ancestry for the entire Afro-Malagasy Schefflera clade, and for both subclades, with two independent divergence events to Madagascar.

Orientador: Paulo Sergio Oliveira
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia
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Resumo: Durante dois anos estudou-se na vegetação de cerrado da reserva da Estação Ecológico Experimental de Mogi Guaçú, Fazenda Campininha, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil, a associação entre o inseto Guayaquila xiphiaB (Homoptera: Membracidae) e formigas em arbustos de Didymopanax vinoBum (Araliaceae). Foram identificadas 21 espécies de formigas associadas a G. xiphiaB, sendo que foi observada variação na fauna de formigas associadas ao homóptero tanto ao longo do dia quanto durante o ano. As quatro espécies de formigas que mais comumente atendiam a G. xiphiaB foram respectivamente CamponotuB l'ufipeB, C. craBBUB, C. l'enggel'i e Ectatomma edeJ1tatum. Enquanto algumas espécies como C. rufipeB e E. edentatum, permaneciam nas plantas durante as 24hs do dia atendendo aos membracideos, outras espécies como C. craBBuB (diurna) e C. l'engger i (noturna) se alternavam no cuidado a agrupamentos em uma mesma planta. Estas associações foram observadas durante todos os meses do ano, sendo mais abundantes no verão.Um estudo com manipulação experimental no campo, excluindo se formigas de um lote de plantas com G. xiphiaB e mantendo-as em outro, revelou que as formigas protegem estes membracideos da ação de seus inimigos naturais, principalmente aranhas Salticidae, larvas de moscas Syrphidae e himenópteros parasitóides. A proteção das formigas a estes homópteros foi significativa tanto para ninfas, quanto para adultos. Em plantas com formigas houve o aparecimento de um número significativamente maior de novas oviposições do que em plantas onde as formigas foram excluidas. Foi observado também que o beneficio da associação pode variar dependo da espécie de formiga associada e de mudanças fisicas e biológicas no ambiente. Um experimento com a introdução de fontes alternativas de açúcar em D. vinosum com agrupamentos de G. xiphias atendidos por formigas, demonstrou que estas novas fontes alimentares, simulando nectários extraflorais, não conseguem desviar a atenção das formigas dos homópteros. Em plantas onde foram introduzidas fontes alternativas de açúcar os membracideos aumentaram em até cinco vezes sua produção de exsudato, provavelmente sendo uma estratégia para manter a atenção das formigas. Estes resultados enfraquecem a "hipótese da distração de formigas" de Becerra and Venable. Em um último experimento demonstra-se que as gotas de exsudato de G. xiphiss que caem na folhagem e no solo abaixo dos agrupamentos podem servir como pistas para que formigas encontrem mais facilmente os membracideos. Este aspecto parece ter importância especial na fase de estabelecimento de novos agrupamentos, já que oviposições e ninfas são mais vulneráveis a ação de inimigos naturais do que adultos
Abstract: The association between the membracid GU8.Y8.quilB xiphi8.B and ants on shrubs of DidYlJ1op8.nax VinOBUlJ1 (Ara1iaceae) was studied at the cerrado vegetation of the Estação Ecológica Experimental of Mogi Guaçu, Fazenda Campininha, São Paulo state,Brazi1, during two years. In the first part of the study 21 aspecies of ants were identified tending G. xiphiBB. A variation in the associated ant fauna was observed during the day and a1so a10ng the year. The species C8.lJ1ponotusrufipeB, C. Ol'8.BBUB, C. l'enggel' i and Eot8.tO111lJ18. edent8.tUlJ1 were the most common ants observed tending G. xiphi8.B. Ants such as C. rufipes and E. edentBtUlJ1were observed tending G. xiphi8.s during a11 day, whi1e other species 1ike C. Or8.BSUB and C. renggel'i were observed tending membracids at different periods (the first during the day, the second dur ing the night) on the same p1ant. These associations were observed throughout the who1e year, main1y in the summer. An experimental manipu1ation in the fie1d (ants exc1uded from a group of p1ants with G. xiphi8.B and present in another group) showed that ants protect these membracids against their natural enemies: main1y Sa1ticidae spiders, Syrphidae f1ies (larvae) and parasitoids Hymenoptera. Ant protection to the homopterans (ninphs and adu1ts) was very effective. P1ants with ants had significant1y more new ovipositions than p1ants with ants exc1uded. It was a1so observed that the benefit of this association can vary as a function of the ant attendants. An experiment introducing a1ternative sugar sources on D. vinosUlJ1shrubs bearing G. xiphi8.B and ants, showed that thiB new food BOUrCe (Bimulated extrafloral nectarieB) WaB not capable of diBtracting ant attention from the homopteranB.On plantB with alternative Bugar BourceB the membracidB increaBed five timeB their eXBudate production, pOBBibly to maintain ant attention. Finally, it waB Bhown that dropletB of honeydew that falI on the ground and leaveB below G. xipl1iBB groupB, can act aB cueB to would-be tending antB, who end up finding the membracidB on the hOBt plant. ThiB fact could be important in the initial phaBe of new agregrationB, Bince the OvipoBitionB and ninphB are more vulnerable to attackB by natural enemieB than the adult membracidB
Doutorado
Ecologia
Doutor em Ciências Biológicas

Orientador : Dr. Christopher Thomas Blum
Coorientador : Santiago José Elías Velazco
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Agrárias, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Florestal. Defesa: Curitiba, 28/03/2016
Inclui referências : f. 44-49;74-79
Área de concentração : Conservação da natureza
Resumo: O alto grau de degradação da Floresta com Araucária faz com que muitas espécies características dessa tipologia florestal estejam ameaçadas de extinção. Oreopanax fulvus Marchal é uma delas, categorizada como rara no Paraná e vulnerável no Rio Grande do Sul. Visando subsidiar práticas de conservação desta espécie, este estudo buscou caracterizar e comparar o comportamento fenológico, a estrutura demográfica e a distribuição espacial de duas populações de O. fulvus em remanescentes de Floresta Ombrófila Mista no Paraná, situados nos munícipios de Fernandes Pinheiro (área A, 25º32'49"S e 50º28'37"W) e Curitiba (área B, 25º26'53"S e 49º14'25"W). Em cada área foi implantado um bloco amostral de 1 ha (100 x 100 m), dividido em 100 subparcelas de 10 x 10 m. Para a análise dos parâmetros fenológicos foram monitorados mensalmente 19 indivíduos em cada área, durante 24 meses. Para quantificação das fenofases vegetativas (broto, folha adulta e senescência foliar) adotou-se o critério de Fournier e, para as reprodutivas (botão, antese, fruto imaturo e maduro) utilizou-se método baseado na relação percentual entre o número de panículas e o número de ramos em cada árvore. A sazonalidade das fenofases foi avaliada por meio de estatísticas circulares baseadas no índice de atividade. Foram calculadas as correlações de Spearman entre as fenofases e as variáveis meteorológicas mensais (temperaturas mínima, média e máxima, precipitação e fotoperíodo). Para a caracterização estrutural, demográfica e de distribuição espacial das populações foram contabilizados todos os indivíduos da espécie, sendo considerados adultos aqueles com diâmetro a altura do peito (DAP) ? 10 cm e regenerantes aqueles com DAP inferior, incluindo plântulas. Foram registrados o DAP, diâmetro a altura do solo (DAS) e altura total, além de coordenadas (x, y) a partir do vértice. Para cada subparcela foram registradas declividade, luminosidade e estimativa da altura do dossel. A estrutura demográfica foi avaliada por meio de abundância e frequência, além da distribuição de indivíduos em classes de diâmetro e altura. Foram realizadas análises por meio da função K de Ripley para descrever os padrões espaciais da espécie e a relação espacial entre adultos e regenerantes. Foi avaliada a correlação entre a abundância de regenerantes com variáveis ambientais e estruturais. Como resultados da análise fenológica, verificou-se que a presença de brotos e folhas adultas ocorreu durante todo o ano, havendo diminuição de folhas adultas nos dois últimos meses do ano. A senescência foliar demonstrou sazonalidade, ocorrendo entre maio e dezembro. Todas as fenofases reprodutivas se caracterizaram como sazonais, sendo que o processo de floração (botões e antese) se dá entre janeiro e maio, e a frutificação de março a novembro, com frutos maduros a partir de setembro. As variáveis meteorológicas que mais influenciaram as fenofases vegetativas e reprodutivas foram temperatura média e fotoperíodo. As fenofases reprodutivas apresentaram maior correlação com as variáveis meteorológicas, exceto para precipitação, que também não se correlacionou com fenofases vegetativas. As populações de O. fulvus apresentaram comportamentos fenológicos próximos, havendo dissemelhanças nas fenofases reprodutivas. Quanto aos parâmetros estruturais e demográficos, registraram-se 183 indivíduos/ha na área A (93% deles regenerantes) e 1306 indivíduos/ha (99% regenerantes) na área B. Em relação às médias dos parâmetros estruturais, o DAP e altura dos indivíduos adultos foi de 23,9 cm e 11,3 m na área A e de 18,8 cm e 9,8 m na área B, respectivamente. O DAS e a altura dos regenerantes na área A foi de 4,7 cm e 20,9 cm, e de 2,8 cm e 8,9 cm para a área B. Verificou-se que há um investimento da espécie no banco de plântulas, pois a grande maioria dos indivíduos registrados teve DAS de até 3,0 cm e altura abaixo de 1,0 m. Quanto à distribuição espacial, os regenerantes apresentaram padrão agregado, e os adultos, aleatório. As variáveis que influenciaram na abundância de regeneração da área A foram altura do dossel e distância euclidiana. A relação dos regenerantes com declividade apresentou comportamento oposto entre as duas áreas, indicando que outros possíveis fatores podem estar interferindo na quantidade de indivíduos da regeneração. Palavras-chave: Floresta Ombrófila Mista. Estatística Circular. Função K de Ripley. Sazonalidade. Regeneração natural. Demografia.
Abstract: The Araucaria Forest's current degradation level leads many of its characteristic species to some kind of threatened status. Oreopanax fulvus Marchal is one of them, considered rare in Parana and vulnerable in Rio Grande do Sul state red lists. In order to support conservation actions for the species, this research aimed to identify and compare phenological patterns and to evaluate demography, structure and spatial distribution of two O. fulvus populations in Araucaria Rainforest remnants, located in Fernandes Pinheiro (site A, 25o32'49 "S and 50o28'37" W) and Curitiba (site B, 25o26'53 "S and 49o14'25" W) municipalities, Paraná state, Southern Brazil. Data collection was performed in two 1 ha plots (100 x 100 m), divided in 100 subplots (10 x 10 m). Phenology monitoring was performed in 19 trees in each site over 24 months. Fournier criterion (interval scale with five categories of phenophases intensity) was applied to quantify vegetative phenophases (sprout, adult leaf and leaf senescence). Reproductive phases (flower bud, anthesis, immature and mature fruit) were quantified using the percentual ratio between the number of panicles and branches in each tree. Circular statistics based on activity index were applied to identify phenophases' seasonality. Spearman correlations were performed among phenophases and a monthly basis meteorological parameters (minimum, medium and maximum temperature, precipitation and photoperiod). Structure, demography and spatial distribution analysis required data from all sampled individuals, grouped by the following criteria: adults with diameter at breast height (DBH) ? 10 cm, and saplings with DBH<10 cm (which included seedlings). Measurements included DBH, diameter at the ground level (DGL), total height, coordinates (x, y) from the plot vertex. Slope, luminosity and canopy height estimation were registered for each subplot. Demographic structure was evaluated using frequency and abundance, diameter and height classes' distribution. Ripley's K function analysis was performed to describe the spatial patterns of the species and the spatial relationship between adults and saplings. Additionally, we evaluated correlation among saplings' abundance and environmental and structural variables. Sprouts and mature leaves occurred in all months, and mature leaves decreased in November and December. Leaf senescence was seasonal, occurring from May to December. All reproductive phenophases were seasonal: flowering process (flower buds and anthesis) occurs from January to May; fruiting occurs from March to November, with mature fruits starting in September. Vegetative and reproductive phenophases were highly influenced by medium temperature and photoperiod. Reproductive phenophases showed correlation to all meteorological parameters, except by precipitation. This parameter also did not show correlation to vegetative phenophases. Although there are dissimilarities in reproductive phenological patterns, the evaluated populations of O. fulvus had similar phenological performances. There were 183 individuals/ha (93% saplings) in site A and 1306 individuals/ha (99% saplings) in site B. Structural parameters had the following means, respectively to sites A and B: DBH - 23.9 cm and 18.8 cm; DGL - 4.7 cm and 2.8 cm; adults' height - 11.3 m and 9.8 m; and saplings' height - 20.9 cm and 8.9 cm. O. fulvus seems to invest in seedlings bank, as majority of saplings had DGL up to 3.0 cm and height up to 1.0 m. Saplings presented aggregated spatial distribution, while adults had random distribution. Regeneration's abundance in site A seems to be influenced by canopy height and Euclidean distance. Correlation between saplings and slope was antagonist for the two sites, indicating that other factors may are interfering with the amount of regeneration individuals. Keywords: Araucaria Rainforest. Circular Statistics. Seasonal performance. Ripley's K function. Natural regeneration. Demography

Cette thèse s'inscrit dans le cadre de la thématique du Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie de l'UFR des Sciences de santé, au sein de l'Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté et du Laboratoire de Produits Naturels de la Faculté de Sciences, au sein de l'Universidad de Los Andes (Venezuela). Elle vise essentiellement l'isolement, purification et identification de molécules d'origine végétale avec activité biologique. Dans ce contexte, l'étude de plantes vénézuéliennes, Bursera inversa (Burseraceae), Lepechinia Bullata (Lamiaceae) et Hydrocotyle multifida (Araliaceae) avec des cultivars Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Variegatum' et Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Gold star' a conduit à l'obtention de treize glycosides naturels, un dérivé de l'acide caféique et diverses hydrocarbures à longue chaîne par les techniques de chromatographie de couche mince préparative, de chromatographie liquide à moyenne pression, chromatographie liquide haute performance, et de chromatographie liquide sous vide. Les structures ont été élucidées principalement par les techniques spectroscopiques de RMN-1 D et -2D, et de spectrométrie de masse. Il s'agit de treize saponines triterpéniques de type oléanane (parmi lesquelles neuf sont des nouveaux composés naturels) ainsi que de l'acide rosmarinique et des alcanes et esters d'acides gras à longue chaîne
This thesis was carried out in the Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, on the Health Sciences section of Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté (France) and also in the Laboratory of Natural Products of Sciences Faculty of Universidad de Los Andes (Venezuela). The aim of this thesis was the isolation, purification and identification of bioactive molecules from several plant species. ln this context, the study of Venezuelan species, Bursera inversa (Bùrseraceae), Lepechinia Bullata (Lamiaceae) and Hydrocotyle multifida (Araliaceae), together with the cultivars, Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Variegatum' and Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Gold star' was carried out. The study led to the isolation of thirteen natural glycosides, one caffeic acid derivative and several long chain hydrocarbons by column chromatography, preparative thin layer chromatography, medium pressure liquid chromatography, high performance chromatography and vacuum liquid chromatography. The structures were elucidate mainly by spectroscopie techniques, NMR-1 D and 2D, and mass spectrometry. The compounds were characterized as thirteen oleanane-type saponins (among them nine are new natural compounds), rosmarinic acid and several long chain alkanes and fattv acid esters
Este trabajo se presenta bajo la forma de secciones, donde en primer lugar se expone una breve introducción acerca de los géneros de interés para este estudio, como son Bursera (Burseraceae), Hydrocotyle (Araliaceae), Lepechinia (Lamiaceae) y Pittosporum (Pittosporaceae); así como los motivos que llevaron a la realización de este estudio fitoquímico. Cada género es tratado en un capítulo diferente, que abarca una revisión bibliográfica extensa (considerando los aspectos etnobotánicos, fitoquímicos y farmacológicos) del género, seguida por el procedimiento experimental llevado a cabo en cada especie analizada y por último el análisis de los resultados obtenidos.Los compuestos aislados de cultivares de Pittosporum tenuifolium estudiados: 'Variegatum' y 'Gold Star' se encuentran descritos en el primer capítulo entre los que se encuentran ocho nuevas saponinas triterpénicas tipo-oleanano: PT-PI y PT-P4 de los tallos deP. tenuifolium 'Variegatum', PT-P2 y PT-P3 de las hojas de este mismo cultivar, PT-P7 y PT-P8 de los tallos de P. tenuifolium 'Gold Star' y por último, PT-P5 y PT-P6 aisladas de los tallos de ambos cultivares. Además también se describe el compuesto ya conocido, udosaponinaF (PT-P9), identificado en los tallos de P. tenuifolium 'Variegatum' De las especie Hydrocotyle multifìda se aislaron cinco saponinas triterpénicas, descritas en el segundo capítulo, las cuales tienen al ácido oleanólico como genina. Dos de las cinco saponinas son productos naturales nuevos, HmE-P3 y HmE-P2 minoritario; las otras tres saponinas son compuestos ya conocidos, momordin I (HmE-P1), sandrosaponina X (HmE-P2 mayoritario) y hemslósido Mal (HmE-P4) En el tercer capítulo que abarca al género Bursera, incluye los resultados del estudio fitoquímico de las semillas de Bursera inversa, entre los que se puede mencionar la identificación de 45 compuestos en las semillas de esta planta. El último capítulo contiene la descripción del compuesto mayoritario, aislado de las mias de Lepechinia bullata e identificado como el ácido rosmarínico (LB-TI)

A dinâmica de populações trata das variações, no tempo e no espaço, das densidades e tamanhos de populações. Estudos sobre a dinâmica de espécies arbóreas tropicais, mais especificamente, só ganharam notoriedade a partir da década de 1970, quando o risco de extinção de espécies de interesse econômico tornou-se premente. Como a destruição dos biomas brasileiros vem sendo progressiva e contínua, uma parcela significativa da diversidade encontra-se sob ameaça de extinção, particularmente na Floresta Ombrófila Densa Atlântica, cujos remanescentes correspondem a menos de 7,5 % de sua cobertura original. Os objetivos deste trabalho são: (1) descrever as dinâmicas populacionais de Schefflera angustissima (Araliaceae) e de Andira anthelmia (Fabaceae), (2) estabelecer suas relações com o clima e a vegetação e (3) investigar se existe risco de extinção local. As populações foram amostradas em 4 áreas de 0,25ha, em um remanescente de Floresta Ombrófila Densa Atlântica na região de São Paulo. Investigaram-se as relações de suas estruturas verticais e espaciais com a estrutura e a dinâmica da cobertura da vegetação. Seus ciclos de vida foram estudados e modelados. Foi investigada a influência de processos regulatórios. Suas dinâmicas foram estudadas com base em projeções de modelos matriciais determinísticos e estocásticos ambientais. Os riscos de extinção foram inferidos dos resultados destas projeções. Áreas com vegetação menos densa e sujeitas a maior influxo de energia luminosa parecem favorecer mais S. angustissima do que A. anthelmia. Ambas as populações estão sujeitas a processos regulatórios, mas estes pouco influenciam suas dinâmicas atuais. Em geral, S. angustissima apresentou desempenho superior ao de A. anthelmia. As duas populações mostraram-se sob risco de extinção segundo os modelos determinísticos, mas apenas A. anthelmia segundo os modelos estocásticos. Nos dois casos, sobrevivência e crescimento mostraram-se mais importantes do que a fecundidade, e os principais fatores responsáveis por mortes e retardo no crescimento das plantas foram o ataque de lianas lenhosas e a queda de galhos e de árvores mortas. Foram ainda encontradas evidências da presença de um “gargalo” no ciclo de vida de A. anthelmia, onde o crescimento de infantes está sendo tão restringido que estas plantas não estão conseguindo avançar em sua ontogenia. Aparentemente, esse gargalo resulta do ataque de insetos formadores de galhas. Incrementos plausíveis nas taxas de sobrevivência e de crescimento das plantas mostraram–se suficientes para reverter os riscos de extinção.
Population dynamics deals with variation in time and space in the density and abundance of populations. The studies about the dynamics of tropical rain forest tree species, in particular, have become popular only about 1970, when the extinction risks for species of economic interest became pressing. Because the Brazilian biomes are being destroyed progressive and continuously, a significant portion of their diversity is threatened, specially in the Atlantic Rain Forest; whose remnants enclose less than 7,5 % of its original cover. The objectives of this thesis are: (1) to describe the population dynamics of Schefflera angustissima (Araliaceae) and Andira anthelmia (Fabaceae), (2) to expose their relation to the climate and the vegetation and (3) to investigate whether they are under local extinction risks. The populations were sampled in four 0,25ha areas, within an Atlantic Rain Forest remnant in São Paulo region. The relations between the populations’ vertical and spatial structures and the vegetation structure and cover dynamics were investigated. Their life cycles were studied and modeled. The influences of regulatory processes were also investigated. Their dynamics were studied trough projections of deterministic and environmental stochastic matrix models. The extinction risks were inferred from these projections’ results. Sites where the vegetation is less dense and subject to a higher influx of luminous energy seem to favor more S. angustissima than A. anthelmia. Both populations are subject to regulatory processes, but these processes have little influence on their present dynamics. In general, S. angustissima showed a higher fitness than A. anthelmia. According to the deterministic models, both populations are under extiction risk, though only A. anthelmia is, according to the stochastic models. In both populations, survivorship and growth rates were more important than fecundity rates, and the major factors responsible for death and retardation of plants’ growth were the woody lianas attack and the fall down of dead trees and branches over the plants. There are also evidence of a “bottle neck” effect in the A. anthelmia’s life cycle, where the infants growth is being so restricted that these plants are not succeeding at advancing along their ontogeny. Apparently, this “bottle neck” effect results from the attack of gall forming insects. Reasonable increments in the plants’ survivorship and growth rates are enough to revert the populations’ extiction risks.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 1999.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 84 p. : ill. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

L'intérêt des substances d'origine naturelle, potentiellement anti-tumorales nous a amené à nous intéresser aux saponines triterpéniques et stéroïdiques de plantes issues de la biodiversité africaine de la famille des Araliaceae et des Dracaenaceae. En effet, des études antérieures menées sur quelques plantes de ces deux familles ont conduit à l'obtention de molécules complexes et originales possédant d'excellentes propriétés cytotoxiques, immuno-modulatrices, anti-inflammatoires. Au vu de ces résultats nous avons entrepris des investigations pharmaco-chimiques sur Cussonia arborea (Araliaceae), Dracaena deisteliana et Dracaena arborea (Dracaenaceae), plantes médicinales couramment utilisées en pharmacopée traditionnelle africaine pour traiter différentes maladies. Les travaux menés ont conduit à l'isolement de 31 composés purs en utilisant les différentes techniques analytiques du laboratoire notamment les diverses techniques de chromatographie liquide successive à pression atmosphérique, moyenne pression et flash chromatographie sur silice en phase normale et en phase inverse. Les structures ont été déterminées par les méthodes de spectrométrie de masse en source FAB et de spectroscopie de RMN 1D et 2D (COSY, TOCSY, NOESY, HMBC et HSQC). Parmi les 07 composés purs obtenus des écorces de Cussonia arborea, 5 sont des nouvelles saponines triterpéniques dont un dérivé de l'acide ursolique, un dérivé de l'hédéragénine et trois dérivés de l'acide oléanolique, tous disubstitués en position 3 et 28 par des chaînes oligosaccharidiques. 13 composés purs sont obtenus à partir des feuilles de Cussonia arborea, dont 7 nouvelles saponines triterpéniques dérivés de l'acide ursolique, de l'acide 23-hydroxyursolique, de l'hédéragénine et de l'acide oléanolique dont 04 d'entre elles sont obtenues sous forme de mélanges inséparables d'isomères acide oléanolique/acide ursolique et hédéragénine/acide 23-hydroxyursolique. A partir des écorces de Dracaena arborea et des tiges de Dracaena deisteliana, nous avons isolé et caractérisé 10 saponines stéroïdiques dont 4 nouvelles et une sapogénine. Les activités de certains de ces produits purs ont été évaluées sur deux lignées de cellules cancéreuses coliques humaines HCT 116 et HT-29.

Orientadores: Paulo Sergio Moreira Carvalho de Oliveira, Jose Roberto Trigo
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia
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Mestrado
Mestre em Ecologia

A renewed focus on generalised pollinator systems has inspired a conceptual framework which highlights that spatial and temporal interactions among plants and their assemblage of pollinators can vary across the individual, population, regional and species levels. Pollination is clearly a dynamic interaction, varying in the number and interdependence of participants and the strength of the outcome of the interaction. Therefore, the role of variation in pollination is fundamental for understanding ecological dynamics of plant populations and is a major factor in the evolution and maintenance of generalised and specialised pollination systems. My study centred on these basic concepts by addressing the following questions: (1) How variable are pollinators in a generalised pollination system? To what degree do insect visitation rates and assemblage composition vary spatially among populations and temporally among flowering seasons? (2) How does variation in pollinators affect plant reproductive success? I chose to do this using a model system, Trachymene incisa subsp. incisa (Apiaceae), which is a widespread Australian herbaceous species with simple white flowers grouped into umbels that attract a high diversity of insect visitors. The Apiaceae are considered to be highly generalist in terms of pollination, due to their simple and uniform floral display and easily accessible floral rewards. Three populations of T. incisa located between 70 km and 210 km apart were studied over 2-3 years. The few studies investigating spatial and temporal variation simultaneously over geographic and yearly/seasonal scales indicate that there is a trend for more spatial than temporal variation in pollinators of generalist-pollinated plants. My study showed both spatial and temporal variation in assemblage composition among all populations and variation in insect visitation rates, in the form of a significant population by year interaction. However, removing ants from the analyses to restrict the assemblage to flying insects and the most likely pollinators, resulted in a significant difference in overall visitation rate between years but no difference in assemblage composition between the Myall Lakes and Tomago populations. These results indicate more temporal than spatial variation in the flying insect visitor assemblage of T. incisa. Foraging behaviour provides another source of variation in plant-pollinator interactions. Trachymene incisa exhibits umbels that function as either male or female at any one time and offer different floral rewards in each phase. For successful pollination, pollinators must visit both male and female umbels during a foraging trip. Insects showed both preferences and non-preferences for umbel phases in natural patches where the gender ratio was male biased. In contrast, insects showed no bias in visitation during a foraging trip or in time spent foraging on male and female umbels in experimental arrays where the gender ratio was equal. Pollinator assemblages consisting of a mixture of different pollinator types coupled with temporal variation in the assemblages of populations among years maintains generalisation at the population/local level. In addition, spatial variation in assemblages among populations maintains generalisation at the species level. Fire alters pollination in T. incisa by shifting the flowering season and reducing the abundance of flying insects. Therefore, fire plays an important role in maintaining spatial and temporal variation in this fire-prone system. Although insect pollinators are important in determining the mating opportunities of 90% of flowering plant species worldwide, few studies have looked at the effects of variation in pollinator assemblages on plant reproductive success and mating. In T. incisa, high insect visitation rates do not guarantee high plant reproductive success, indicating that the quality of visit is more important than the rate of visitation. This is shown by comparing the Agnes Banks and Myall Lakes populations in 2003: Agnes Banks received the highest visitation rate from an assemblage dominated by ants but produced the lowest reproductive output, and Myall Lakes received the lowest visitation rate by an assemblage dominated by a native bee and produced the highest seedling emergence. Interestingly, populations with different assemblage composition can produce similar percentage seed set per umbel. However, similar percentage seed set did not result in similar percentage seedling emergence. Differences among years in reproductive output (total seed production) were due to differences in umbel production (reproductive effort) and proportion of umbels with seeds, and not seed set per umbel. Trachymene incisa is self-compatible and suffers weak to intermediate levels of inbreeding depression through early stages of the life cycle when seeds are self-pollinated and biparentally inbred. Floral phenology, in the form of synchronous protandry, plays an important role in avoiding self-pollination within umbels and reducing the chance of geitonogamous pollination between umbels on the same plant. Although pollinators can increase the rate of inbreeding in T. incisa by foraging on both male and female phase umbels on the same plant or closely related plants, most consecutive insect movements were between plants not located adjacent to each other. This indicates that inbreeding is mostly avoided and that T. incisa is a predominantly outcrossing species, although further genetic analyses are required to confirm this hypothesis. A new conceptual understanding has emerged from the key empirical results in the study of this model generalised pollination system. The large differences among populations and between years indicate that populations are not equally serviced by pollinators and are not equally generalist. Insect visitation rates varied significantly throughout the day, highlighting that sampling of pollinators at one time will result in an inaccurate estimate and usually underestimate the degree of generalisation. The visitor assemblage is not equivalent to the pollinator assemblage, although non-pollinating floral visitors are likely to influence the overall effectiveness of the pollinator assemblage. Given the high degree of variation in both the number of pollinator species and number of pollinator types, I have constructed a model which includes the degree of ecological and functional specialisation of a plant species on pollinators and the variation encountered across different levels of plant organisation. This model describes the ecological or current state of plant species and their pollinators, as well as presenting the patterns of generalisation across a range of populations, which is critical for understanding the evolution and maintenance of the system. In-depth examination of pollination systems is required in order to understand the range of strategies utilised by plants and their pollinators, and I advocate a complete floral visitor assemblage approach to future studies in pollination ecology. In particular, future studies should focus on the role of introduced pollinators in altering generalised plant-pollinator systems and the contribution of non-pollinating floral visitors to pollinator assemblage effectiveness. Comparative studies involving plants with highly conserved floral displays, such as those in the genus Trachymene and in the Apiaceae, will be useful for investigating the dynamics of generalised pollination systems across a range of widespread and restricted species.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
A renewed focus on generalised pollinator systems has inspired a conceptual framework which highlights that spatial and temporal interactions among plants and their assemblage of pollinators can vary across the individual, population, regional and species levels. Pollination is clearly a dynamic interaction, varying in the number and interdependence of participants and the strength of the outcome of the interaction. Therefore, the role of variation in pollination is fundamental for understanding ecological dynamics of plant populations and is a major factor in the evolution and maintenance of generalised and specialised pollination systems. My study centred on these basic concepts by addressing the following questions: (1) How variable are pollinators in a generalised pollination system? To what degree do insect visitation rates and assemblage composition vary spatially among populations and temporally among flowering seasons? (2) How does variation in pollinators affect plant reproductive success? I chose to do this using a model system, Trachymene incisa subsp. incisa (Apiaceae), which is a widespread Australian herbaceous species with simple white flowers grouped into umbels that attract a high diversity of insect visitors. The Apiaceae are considered to be highly generalist in terms of pollination, due to their simple and uniform floral display and easily accessible floral rewards. Three populations of T. incisa located between 70 km and 210 km apart were studied over 2-3 years. The few studies investigating spatial and temporal variation simultaneously over geographic and yearly/seasonal scales indicate that there is a trend for more spatial than temporal variation in pollinators of generalist-pollinated plants. My study showed both spatial and temporal variation in assemblage composition among all populations and variation in insect visitation rates, in the form of a significant population by year interaction. However, removing ants from the analyses to restrict the assemblage to flying insects and the most likely pollinators, resulted in a significant difference in overall visitation rate between years but no difference in assemblage composition between the Myall Lakes and Tomago populations. These results indicate more temporal than spatial variation in the flying insect visitor assemblage of T. incisa. Foraging behaviour provides another source of variation in plant-pollinator interactions. Trachymene incisa exhibits umbels that function as either male or female at any one time and offer different floral rewards in each phase. For successful pollination, pollinators must visit both male and female umbels during a foraging trip. Insects showed both preferences and non-preferences for umbel phases in natural patches where the gender ratio was male biased. In contrast, insects showed no bias in visitation during a foraging trip or in time spent foraging on male and female umbels in experimental arrays where the gender ratio was equal. Pollinator assemblages consisting of a mixture of different pollinator types coupled with temporal variation in the assemblages of populations among years maintains generalisation at the population/local level. In addition, spatial variation in assemblages among populations maintains generalisation at the species level. Fire alters pollination in T. incisa by shifting the flowering season and reducing the abundance of flying insects. Therefore, fire plays an important role in maintaining spatial and temporal variation in this fire-prone system. Although insect pollinators are important in determining the mating opportunities of 90% of flowering plant species worldwide, few studies have looked at the effects of variation in pollinator assemblages on plant reproductive success and mating. In T. incisa, high insect visitation rates do not guarantee high plant reproductive success, indicating that the quality of visit is more important than the rate of visitation. This is shown by comparing the Agnes Banks and Myall Lakes populations in 2003: Agnes Banks received the highest visitation rate from an assemblage dominated by ants but produced the lowest reproductive output, and Myall Lakes received the lowest visitation rate by an assemblage dominated by a native bee and produced the highest seedling emergence. Interestingly, populations with different assemblage composition can produce similar percentage seed set per umbel. However, similar percentage seed set did not result in similar percentage seedling emergence. Differences among years in reproductive output (total seed production) were due to differences in umbel production (reproductive effort) and proportion of umbels with seeds, and not seed set per umbel. Trachymene incisa is self-compatible and suffers weak to intermediate levels of inbreeding depression through early stages of the life cycle when seeds are self-pollinated and biparentally inbred. Floral phenology, in the form of synchronous protandry, plays an important role in avoiding self-pollination within umbels and reducing the chance of geitonogamous pollination between umbels on the same plant. Although pollinators can increase the rate of inbreeding in T. incisa by foraging on both male and female phase umbels on the same plant or closely related plants, most consecutive insect movements were between plants not located adjacent to each other. This indicates that inbreeding is mostly avoided and that T. incisa is a predominantly outcrossing species, although further genetic analyses are required to confirm this hypothesis. A new conceptual understanding has emerged from the key empirical results in the study of this model generalised pollination system. The large differences among populations and between years indicate that populations are not equally serviced by pollinators and are not equally generalist. Insect visitation rates varied significantly throughout the day, highlighting that sampling of pollinators at one time will result in an inaccurate estimate and usually underestimate the degree of generalisation. The visitor assemblage is not equivalent to the pollinator assemblage, although non-pollinating floral visitors are likely to influence the overall effectiveness of the pollinator assemblage. Given the high degree of variation in both the number of pollinator species and number of pollinator types, I have constructed a model which includes the degree of ecological and functional specialisation of a plant species on pollinators and the variation encountered across different levels of plant organisation. This model describes the ecological or current state of plant species and their pollinators, as well as presenting the patterns of generalisation across a range of populations, which is critical for understanding the evolution and maintenance of the system. In-depth examination of pollination systems is required in order to understand the range of strategies utilised by plants and their pollinators, and I advocate a complete floral visitor assemblage approach to future studies in pollination ecology. In particular, future studies should focus on the role of introduced pollinators in altering generalised plant-pollinator systems and the contribution of non-pollinating floral visitors to pollinator assemblage effectiveness. Comparative studies involving plants with highly conserved floral displays, such as those in the genus Trachymene and in the Apiaceae, will be useful for investigating the dynamics of generalised pollination systems across a range of widespread and restricted species.

Ph.D.
Cussonia Thunb. is a genus of 21 species (including one that is currently undescribed) found in grasslands, woodlands and forests of sub- Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula (Yemen) and the Comoro Islands. The genus generally has soft brittle branches, a fleshy underground tuber and fleshy roots. Despite these features, Cussonia is not found in the dry and arid regions of Africa. They are generally trees or shrubs, and less often lianes (C. thyrsiflora Thunb.) or suffrutices (C. corbisieri De Wild.). The tree forms usually grow between 4 to 20 m in height; however C. zimmermannii Harms can grow up to 45 m tall. Cussonia corbisieri has a large woody underground caudex with multiple 1 m tall, herbaceous stems. Probably the most distinguishing feature of this genus is the shape and size of the leaves. The palmately compound leaves are carried (in most cases) on the ends of the branches. The simple palmatisect leaves, such as in C. arborea Hochst. ex A.Rich. or C. natalensis Sond., are not subdivided into smaller leaflets, while the compound leaves increase in complexity from mono-palmately compound to multi-palmately compound. The multi-palmate compound leaves are carried on long petioles (up to 700 mm) having up to nine leaflets (up to 500 mm long), with each leaflet having two or more articulations bearing secondary leaflets (up to 400 mm long). These secondary leaflets can be subdivided into tertiary leaflets (up to 200 mm long).

碩士
國立中興大學
生命科學院碩士在職專班
97
There are 10 genera 16 species and 3 varieties Araliaceae plants in Taiwan, only 7 genera 8 species and 3 varieties having record for medicinal purpose, mostly for the popular traditional medication, such as muscle release, enhancer blood circulation, disintoxicating, and external use for analgestic, mydriatic, etc.. The Araliaceae include commonly clinical used medicinal plants, for example, Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen, Panax quinquefolium L., Acanthopanax gracilistylus W. W. Sm., and these raw materials for medicine admire the import because these plants do not grow in Taiwan. Tetrapanax papyriferus (Hook.) K. Koch, the original plant of base of the stem pith in the rice-paper plant of traditional Chinese medicine, is indigenous in Taiwan. Due to the medical effect of Acanthopana senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Harms to be developed at present, the healthy food on the market taking this as raw materials is getting more and more. Eleutherococcus trifoliatus (L.) S. Y. Hu var. trifoliatus, the native plant of Taiwan and most related to Acanthopana senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Harms, and according to studying the former have a close efficiency to the latter; if the former effects can be developed even replaced the latter, the utilization of medical plant resources in the native country should be established. Moreover, the effective composition of Fatsia japonica (Thunb.) Decne. & Planch. had been confirmed by the Japanese pharmaceutical factory to have the cough and phlegm reduction effect, and make the medicines to sell in the market. The another familiar native plant, Fatsia polycarpa Hayata, is also used for treating the cough in general, and the development of its ingredient is worthy. Araliaceae most attracting people''s attentions are Panax and Eleutherococcus. The related pharmacological and physiological research are quite abundant, but Taiwan has no Panax plant, and the studies of other taxa of this family are relatively deficient. This article studies the habitat and distribution of native Araliaceae plants in Taiwan, and had found that the distribution of endemic plants are broad and their reserves are rich, except Pentapanax castanopsisicola Hayata and Sinopanax formosana (Hayata) Li. According to the plant mainly treats induction, 12 species of those plants may treat rheumatism, 10 species for the gynecology disease and flesh wound, 7 species for the digestive disease, and 5 species for the nephrosis. Obviously the Araliaceae plants on the folk custom for medicinal purposes are extremely universal and diversificated. For the effective resource uses, all the medicinal plant resource in the Araliaceae of Taiwan could be collected. It can arouse the related research and make a more valid display for the Taiwanese native medicinal plants.

碩士
國立成功大學
生物學系碩博士班
92
Fatsia, a genus of the Araliaceae, is endemic to the Archipelago of west Pacific Rim and Bonin Islands. These woody, perennial plants, with terminal inflorescence, are insect-pollinated. Drupaceous fruits attract birds for seed dispersal. Phylogeography of F. japonica (Japan), F.　oligocarpella(Bonin), and F. polycarpa (Taiwan) was　reconstructed based on nucleotide variation of cpDNA trnL-trnF intergenic spacer and nuclear ribosomal ITS region. ITS genealogy reveals a close phylogenic relationship　between F. polycarpa and a haplotype of Okinawa, as well as between F. oligocarpella and a clade of Honshu and Ryukyus. Paraphyly of F. japonica indicates its ancestry. According to a molecular clock, the splitting of F. oligocarpella from F. japonica was dated to 0.96-1.87 million years　before present, coinciding the divergence time for most　endemic plants on the oceanic islands. Nevertheless, coalescence has not been attained at the cpDNA spacer　within either species due to possession of shared ancestral polymorphisms. A very low level of genetic variation of cpDNA was detected in F. polycarpa , π = 0.00071, while genetic diversity was estimated at π = 0.00285 and π = 0.00282 in F. japonica and F. oligocarpella , respectively. Evidence of a close affinity to Oplopanax , a genus of North America and Japan, and natural habitats in　mountainous areas in Taiwan suggests a likely temperate origin of Fatsia. Accordingly, F. polycarpa may have been founded in Taiwan via migrants from F. japonica , which possesses numerous genetic polymorphisms in both　chloroplast and nuclear DNAs. This unusual, southward colonization was dated to 0.33-0.64 million years before present. In contrast to the low genetic variation of cpDNA, postglacial demographic expansion, as indicated by significantly negative Tajima’s D statistics, may have recovered the genetic diversity of the nrITS in F. polycarpa , which was estimated at π = 0.00327, a level comparable to that of F. japonica and F. oligocarpella. Very low levels of genetic differentiation were detected between populations within all taxa, although current, across-island gene flow is likely to be constrained. Phylogeographical analysis suggests that such low geographical structuring in Fatsia, like many plants of the archipelago, has been highly mediated by periodical　glaciation.