Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:32:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-05-21Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:43:33Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 valmorbida_j_dr_botfca.pdf: 653023 bytes, checksum: 354f212c2d30f294ce34c4e7b5512709 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Pertencente à família Meliaceae, a espécie Trichilia catigua A. Juss é conhecida popularmente como catigua, cataguá, argelim-rosa e mangalto-catingam. Sua casca apresenta propriedades adstringente, inseticida, purgativa, tônica, bactericida, antiinflamatória e antidepressiva. Com o objetivo de propagar a espécie T. catigua foram desenvolvidos experimentos testando o enraizamento de estacas e a micropropagação com explantes de matrizes e sementes. Os experimentos de enraizamento de estacas foram realizados na primavera 2004, verão 2004/2005, outono, inverno e primavera 2005 e primavera 2006. Em todos os experimentos, estacas com aproximadamente 15 cm de comprimento foram coletadas de árvores adultas e preparadas da parte apical e mediana dos ramos. A seguir, foram submetidas aos reguladores vegetais IBA (ácido indolbutírico), NAA (ácido naftalenoacético) e IAA (ácido 3-indolacético), variando as dosagens. Para a avaliação dos experimentos determinou-se a percentagem de estacas enraizadas, não enraizadas e mortas e quando enraizadas, seu comprimento e diâmetro. No experimento primavera de 2004 foram testadas as concentrações de 1000 e 2000 mg L-1 dos reguladores vegetais IBA, NAA e IAA. As avaliações aos 90 dias após sua instalação revelaram maiores percentagens de enraizamento e iguais a 33,33, 25,00, 22,91 e 23,43 % para estacas submetidas a IBA 1000, 2000 mg L-1 e NAA 1000 e 2000 mg L-1, respectivamente. No verão 2004/2005, outono, inverno e primavera 2005 os experimentos foram conduzidos com as concentrações dos reguladores IBA, NAA e IAA iguais a 1000, 2000 e 3000 mg L-1 e as avaliações foram realizadas após 120 dias. Não houve enraizamento no outono e inverno. A análise conjunta dos resultados obtidos na primavera e no verão mostrou percentagem de enraizamento superior na primavera. A maior percentagem de enraizamento, igual a 19,17%... / The Trichilia catigua A. Juss from the Meliaceae family is popularly known as catigua, cataguá, argelim-rose and mangalto-catingam. Its bark has astringent, insecticide, purgativa, tonic, bactericide, anti-inflammatory and antidepressant properties. With the aim of propagate T. catigua, experiments of rooting with stem cuttings and of micropropagation with explants of trees and seeds were carried out. In all the rooting experiments the stem cuttings with approximately 15 cm of length were collected from adult trees and prepared from the apical and intermediate parts. The cuttings were immersed in the vegetable regulators IBA (Indole-3- butyric acid), ANA (Naphthalene acetic acid) and IAA (Indole-3 acetic acid). The rooted stem cutting and not rooted stem cutting percentage and, when rooted, the length and diameter of roots, were evaluated. In the experiment spring 2004 the concentrations of 1000 and 2000 mg L-1 of IBA, ANA and IAA were tested, with evaluations 90 days after installation. The highest rooting percentage were 33,33, 25,00, 22,91 and 23,43% for IBA 1000, 2000 mg L-1 and ANA 1000 and 2000 mg L-1, respectively. In the summer of 2004/2005, autumn, winter and spring of 2005 IBA, ANA and AIA, with concentration of 1000, 2000 and 3000 mg L-1, were tested. The evaluation was carried out at 120 days. No rooting was observed in autumn and winter. The analysis of data from summer and spring showed higher rooting percentage in spring. The highest rooting percentage was obtained with IBA 3000 mg L-1 (19,17%). In the spring 2006 IBA (1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 mg L-1) and ANA (1000, 2000, 3000 mg L-1) were tested. The highest rooting percentage (41,67%) was obtained with IBA 5000 mg L-1. In the in vitro cultivation, explantes obtained from trees were submitted to asepsis treatments with HgCl2, CaOCl2 and NaOCl and inoculated in Murashige & Skoog culture medium (MS) with 25%... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Urbanization has increased rapidly throughout the world. The densification of urban areas has greatly reduced the number of natural areas occurring within the urban environment as well as impacting the ecosystem services that these areas provide. Urban greening and sustainable practices have been advocated as a means to once again provide the urban population with ecosystem services. Sacred natural areas that occur in surrounding forest, temple and cemetery sites have been known harbour a variety of biological diversity, as well as provide people with a number of cultural and spiritual benefits. Much of the literature on sacred natural sites comes from rural or eastern countries, leaving a large gap in the knowledge pertaining to information on these sites in both developed nations as well as urban areas. The aim of this study was to determine the abundance and composition of woody species, as well as the spiritual and cultural significance of sacred natural sites in Grahamstown. This study defined a sacred urban area as any form of garden surrounding a church, temple or mosque, as well as cemeteries. It looked at a total of 28 church gardens, one Hindu garden, one Mosque garden and five cemeteries in Grahamstown, South Africa. For each site the area was calculated and a tree and shrub inventory was done for all individuals above 1.5 m tall. Church/cemetery age, denomination and appearance were recorded as well as soil samples collected. An ordination of the data was done to summarize the community data, relating the community variation to environmental gradients. Questionnaires were completed by congregants who attended a religious building with a garden, as well as those that were not surrounded by a garden. These questionnaires were used to determine the cultural, spiritual and aesthetic value of trees and the sacred area, as well as the perceived and felt benefits that these areas provide. Those that were completed by congregants without gardens looked to find out whether or not it was believed that these areas would improve their experiences. There was an average plant density of 106.1 woody plants per hectare, with a total of 139 different species encountered. Of these, 56 percent were exotic species. This is slightly lower than that of studies done elsewhere in the world, but may be due to the omission of non-woody ornamentals and lawn species in this study. Of the top 11 most frequently occurring species, only two were indigenous. There was generally low similarity between plant assemblages found at the different sites. A significantly positive relationship was found between site size and woody plant basal area as well as the total number of woody plants. Site age and religious denomination had little influence on woody plant density, basal area, species richness or woody plant abundance. Congregants stated that a garden surrounding a religious building improved both their spiritual and aesthetic experiences. Stated spiritual and aesthetic experience was significantly influenced by basal area, while abundance significantly influenced stated aesthetic experience. Greenery was therefore important to many of the congregants, however, the species that were present were less influential. A greater sample size from a variety of religions and sacred areas within urban environments throughout the world would prove to be an interesting comparison for future research.

Orientador: Carmen Silvia Fernandes Boaro / Banca: João Domingos Rodrigues / Banca: Giuseppina Pace P. Lima / Banca: Marcos Roberto Furlan / Banca: Antonio Natal Gonçalves / Resumo: Pertencente à família Meliaceae, a espécie Trichilia catigua A. Juss é conhecida popularmente como catigua, cataguá, argelim-rosa e mangalto-catingam. Sua casca apresenta propriedades adstringente, inseticida, purgativa, tônica, bactericida, antiinflamatória e antidepressiva. Com o objetivo de propagar a espécie T. catigua foram desenvolvidos experimentos testando o enraizamento de estacas e a micropropagação com explantes de matrizes e sementes. Os experimentos de enraizamento de estacas foram realizados na primavera 2004, verão 2004/2005, outono, inverno e primavera 2005 e primavera 2006. Em todos os experimentos, estacas com aproximadamente 15 cm de comprimento foram coletadas de árvores adultas e preparadas da parte apical e mediana dos ramos. A seguir, foram submetidas aos reguladores vegetais IBA (ácido indolbutírico), NAA (ácido naftalenoacético) e IAA (ácido 3-indolacético), variando as dosagens. Para a avaliação dos experimentos determinou-se a percentagem de estacas enraizadas, não enraizadas e mortas e quando enraizadas, seu comprimento e diâmetro. No experimento primavera de 2004 foram testadas as concentrações de 1000 e 2000 mg L-1 dos reguladores vegetais IBA, NAA e IAA. As avaliações aos 90 dias após sua instalação revelaram maiores percentagens de enraizamento e iguais a 33,33, 25,00, 22,91 e 23,43 % para estacas submetidas a IBA 1000, 2000 mg L-1 e NAA 1000 e 2000 mg L-1, respectivamente. No verão 2004/2005, outono, inverno e primavera 2005 os experimentos foram conduzidos com as concentrações dos reguladores IBA, NAA e IAA iguais a 1000, 2000 e 3000 mg L-1 e as avaliações foram realizadas após 120 dias. Não houve enraizamento no outono e inverno. A análise conjunta dos resultados obtidos na primavera e no verão mostrou percentagem de enraizamento superior na primavera. A maior percentagem de enraizamento, igual a 19,17%... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The Trichilia catigua A. Juss from the Meliaceae family is popularly known as catigua, cataguá, argelim-rose and mangalto-catingam. Its bark has astringent, insecticide, purgativa, tonic, bactericide, anti-inflammatory and antidepressant properties. With the aim of propagate T. catigua, experiments of rooting with stem cuttings and of micropropagation with explants of trees and seeds were carried out. In all the rooting experiments the stem cuttings with approximately 15 cm of length were collected from adult trees and prepared from the apical and intermediate parts. The cuttings were immersed in the vegetable regulators IBA (Indole-3- butyric acid), ANA (Naphthalene acetic acid) and IAA (Indole-3 acetic acid). The rooted stem cutting and not rooted stem cutting percentage and, when rooted, the length and diameter of roots, were evaluated. In the experiment spring 2004 the concentrations of 1000 and 2000 mg L-1 of IBA, ANA and IAA were tested, with evaluations 90 days after installation. The highest rooting percentage were 33,33, 25,00, 22,91 and 23,43% for IBA 1000, 2000 mg L-1 and ANA 1000 and 2000 mg L-1, respectively. In the summer of 2004/2005, autumn, winter and spring of 2005 IBA, ANA and AIA, with concentration of 1000, 2000 and 3000 mg L-1, were tested. The evaluation was carried out at 120 days. No rooting was observed in autumn and winter. The analysis of data from summer and spring showed higher rooting percentage in spring. The highest rooting percentage was obtained with IBA 3000 mg L-1 (19,17%). In the spring 2006 IBA (1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 mg L-1) and ANA (1000, 2000, 3000 mg L-1) were tested. The highest rooting percentage (41,67%) was obtained with IBA 5000 mg L-1. In the in vitro cultivation, explantes obtained from trees were submitted to asepsis treatments with HgCl2, CaOCl2 and NaOCl and inoculated in Murashige & Skoog culture medium (MS) with 25%... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / A salinidade à um dos estresses abiÃticos que mais limita a produÃÃo vegetal em razÃo de seus efeitos negativos no crescimento e desenvolvimento das plantas. Em Ãreas degradas por sais verifica-se que o estabelecimento de espÃcies arbÃreas nÃo à fÃcil, principalmente em cultivos de sequeiro e em regiÃes com precipitaÃÃes muito baixas. O objetivo do presente trabalho consiste em avaliar o estabelecimento de doze espÃcies de plantas lenhosas nativas da Caatinga em um gradiente de salinidade do solo, em ambiente protegido, com vistas à obtenÃÃo de subsÃdios para estabelecimento de espÃcies promissoras em condiÃÃes de campo. O trabalho foi dividido em duas etapas: 1. Crescimento e grau de tolerÃncia à salinidade de doze espÃcies nativas da Caatinga em ambiente protegido - O delineamento utilizado foi de blocos ao acaso, no esquema de parcelas subdivididas tendo na parcela mudas de doze espÃcies nativas da Caatinga (Aroeira, Ipà roxo, MororÃ, Mulungu, SabiÃ, Pau-mocÃ, Angico, Catanduva, Frei Jorge, Jurema branca, Tamboril, e Jurema preta) e na subparcela, os cinco nÃveis de salinidade do solo (1,2; 2,7; 4,7; 6,7; 8,4 dS m-1), com cinco repetiÃÃes. Para os nÃveis moderados de salinidade do solo verificou-se que todas as espÃcies se comportaram como tolerantes ou moderadamente tolerantes à salinidade. Considerando-se os graus de reduÃÃo na produÃÃo de matÃria seca total, no maior nÃvel de salinidade, observou-se que apenas a aroeira mostrou-se tolerante à salinidade (T); o ipà roxo e mulungu responderam como moderadamente tolerantes (MT); o mororà e o pau mocà moderadamente sensÃveis (MS); a maioria das espÃcies, sabiÃ, angico, catanduva, frei jorge, jurema branca, jurema preta e tamboril, foram classificadas como sensÃveis (S), com reduÃÃes superiores a 60%; 2. Trocas gasosas e teores de solutos orgÃnicos e inorgÃnicos em seis espÃcies nativas da Caatinga sob condiÃÃes de salinidade - O delineamento utilizado foi de blocos ao acaso, no esquema de parcelas subdivididas tendo na parcela seis mudas de espÃcies nativas da Caatinga (Aroeira, Ipà roxo, MororÃ, Mulungu, Sabià e Pau-mocÃ,), as quais apresentaram diferentes graus de tolerÃncia à salinidade (etapa 1), e na subparcela os cinco nÃveis de salinidade do solo (1,2; 2,7; 4,7; 6,7; 8,4 dS m-1), com cinco repetiÃÃes. A salinidade provocou reduÃÃo nas trocas gasosas foliares, sendo esse efeito independente da espÃcie estudada. No entanto, se observa um maior controle estomÃtico e maior eficiÃncia intrÃnseca no uso da Ãgua nas espÃcies que apresentaram maiores graus de tolerÃncia à salinidade, ou seja, aroeira, ipà roxo e mulungu. No presente estudo nÃo foi possÃvel estabelecer um relacionamento claro entre o acÃmulo dos solutos orgÃnicos estudados e a tolerÃncia à salinidade das seis espÃcies nativas da Caatinga. PorÃm, observou-se forte relaÃÃo entre a relaÃÃo Na/K e os teores de Na nas folhas e o grau de tolerÃncia das espÃcies estudadas, com as espÃcies mais tolerantes apresentando menores variaÃÃes e menores valores com o aumento da salinidade do solo. / Salinity is one of the abiotic stresses that most limits crop production because of its negative effects on plant growth and development. In areas degraded by salts it appears that the establishment of tree species is not easy, especially in rainfed crops and regions with very low precipitation. The objective of this study is to evaluate the establishment of twelve species of woody plants native to the Caatinga in a gradient of soil salinity in greenhouse, in order to obtain grants for the establishment of promising species under field conditions. The work was divided into two steps: 1. Growth and degree of salinity tolerance of twelve native species of Caatinga in a protected environment - The experimental design was randomized blocks in split plots with seedlings in the plot of twelve native species of the Caatinga (Aroeira, Ipà roxo, MororÃ, Mulungu, SabiÃ, Pau-mocÃ, Angico, Catanduva, Frei Jorge, Jurema branca, Tamboril, e Jurema preta) and subplots, the five levels of soil salinity (1.2, 2.7, 4.7, 6.7, 8,4 dS m-1), with five replicates. For moderate levels of soil salinity was found that all species are as tolerant or moderately tolerant to salinity. Considering the degree of reduction in total dry matter production, the highest level of salinity, it was observed that only the mastic proved to be tolerant to salinity (T); The Ipà and mulungu behaved as moderately tolerant (MT); the mororà and pau-mocà moderately susceptible (MS); most species, sabiÃ, angico, catanduva, frei jorge, jurema branca, jurema preta and tamboril, were classified as sensitive (S), with reductions of more than 60%. 2. Gas exchange and concentration of organic and inorganic solutes in six species native to the Caatinga under saline conditions - The design was randomized blocks in split plots with the plot six native species of Caatinga (Aroeira, Ipà roxo, MororÃ, Mulungu, Sabià e Pau-mocÃ,), which showed different degrees of salinity tolerance (step 1), and subplot five levels of soil salinity (1.2, 2.7, 4.7, 6.7, 8.4 dS m-1), with five replicates. Salinity caused reduction in leaf gas exchange, and this effect is independent of the species studied. However, observe a greater stomatal control and greater intrinsic efficiency of water use in species with higher degrees of salt tolerance, ie, aroeira, ipà roxo and mulungu. In the present study could not establish a clear relationship between the accumulation of organic solutes studied and salt tolerance of six species native to the Caatinga. However, observed a strong correlation between the Na/K and Na in the leaves and the degree of tolerance of species with species more tolerant of minor variations and presenting lower values ​​with increasing soil salinity.

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) has become increasingly widespread throughout various fields as an alternative method for efficiently phenotyping crops and plants at rates unparalleled by conventional means. With growing reliability, the convergence of NIR spectroscopy and modern machine learning represent a promising methodology offering unprecedented access to rapid, high throughput phenotyping at negligible costs, representing prospects that excite agronomists and plant physiologists alike. However, as is true of all emergent methodologies, progressive refinement towards optimization exposes potential flaws and raises questions, one of which is the cornerstone of this study. Spectroscopic determination of plant functional traits utilizes plants' morphological and biochemical properties to make predictions, and has been validated at the community (inter-family) and individual crop (intraspecific) levels alike, yielding equally reliable predictions at both scales, yet what lies amid these poles on the spectrum of taxonomic scale remains unexplored territory. In this study, we replicated the protocol used in studies of the aforementioned taxonomic scale extremes and applied it to an intermediate scale. Interestingly, we found that predictive models built upon hyperspectral reflectance data collected across three genera of woody plants: Cornus, Rhododendron, and Salix, yielded inconsistent predictions of varying accuracy within and across taxa. Identifying the potential cause(s) underlying variability in predictive power at this intermediate taxonomic scale may reveal novel properties of the methodology, potentially permitting further optimization through careful consideration.

No description available.

African elephants are ‘keystone’ species with respect to biodiversity conservation in Africa since they maintain habitats that support several animal communities by changing vegetation structure through foraging and by dispersing seeds between landscapes. Elephants are also ‘flagship’ species because, given their impressive size, they can make people sympathetic and stimulate local and international concerns for their protection. Economically, elephants contribute to national revenues as tourists are willing to pay to watch them. Despite all these factors, little is known however about elephant movement and how they utilize resources, especially in miombo-wetland ecosystems. This thesis investigates how elephants utilize resources in a miombo-wetland ecosystem in the Ugalla landscape of Western Tanzania over different protected areas containing different resource users. Using Global Positioning System (GPS) collars fitted to six elephants, it was observed that some elephant families are not confined in one protected area in the Ugalla landscape. Rather, they moved readily between different protected areas. Elephant movements were restricted to areas near the rivers, especially the Ugalla River, during the dry season and were dispersed widely during the wet season. As they move, elephants in the miombo woodlands of Ugalla selected the most abundant woody plants for browsing. Common to many woody plants, the browsed plants were short of mineral nutrients (e.g., sodium, calcium). Elephants obtained additional minerals by eating soils from certain termite mounds. Soils from termite mounds are richer in mineral elements (e.g., sodium, calcium, iron) compared to soils from the surrounding flood plain or compared to the browsed plants. However, the recorded termite mounds from which elephants eat soils were not evenly distributed in the landscape but confined mainly to the flood plains in the Ugalla Game Reserve. The Ugalla River, which is the main source of water for the elephants and other animals and also supports fishing activities by the local people in Ugalla during the dry seasons, is infested by the water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). Such infestation potentially limits access to these precious surface water supplies. In addition at the regional level, the Ugalla River is among the major rivers that flow into the Lake Tanganyika which is shared by the countries of Tanzania, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. Thus, the spread of water hyacinth if left unchecked threatens to impact Lake Tanganyika, affecting many countries and ecosystem services. This thesis highlights that sustainable conservation of biodiversity in different protected areas in the Ugalla landscape requires an integrated management approach that will embrace conservation of different interrelated landscape resources required by both wildlife and the rural poor populations for their livelihoods. Regular coordinated wildlife anti-poaching patrols should be initiated across the entire Ugalla landscape because the elephants, among other wildlife, utilize different protected areas in Ugalla. Local communities should also be engaged in conservation initiatives (e.g., controlling the spread of the water hyacinth) as these directly impact local livelihoods. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript. Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p> / INTEGRATED NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

No presente trabalho foram estudadas 8 espécies lenhosas dos gêneros Cinchona (C. amazonica Standl.), Croton (C. billbergianus Müll.Arg., C. floribundus Spreng., C. lechleri, Müell.Arg., C. matourensis Aubl., C. palanostigma Klotzsch) e Uncaria (U. guianensis (Aubl.) J.F. Gmel. e U. tomentosa (Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.) DC.) de interesse medicinal e ocorrentes no Estado do Acre, Brasil. Dessas plantas foram analisadas as características dendrológicas, a estrutura anatômica do lenho, sua distribuição geográfica e "status" de conservação. A pesquisa consistiu de visitas de campo a diferentes regiões do Estado, coleta de material botânico e do lenho das plantas, levantamento e estudo das exsicatas das espécies em herbários nacionais e internacionais da América do Sul, revisão bibliográfica das espécies na literatura e "sites" especializados, descrição dos parâmetros dendrológicos e da estrutura antômica do lenho das espécies em laboratório, possibilitando a identificação das espécies dos 3 gêneros. As características dendrológicas vegetativas das plantas mostraram variações, resultado das adaptações ao meio ambiente, da idade e de sua ampla distribuição geográfica. A estrutura anatomica do lenho foi mais distinta entre famílias (Euphorbiaceae e Rubiaceae) e gêneros (Cinchona, Croton, Uncaria) e menos nas espécies, constituindose em parâmetro importante e auxiliar na sua identificação. As plantas de Cinchona amazonica apresentaram baixa intensidade populacional, embora com ampla distribuição no Estado do Acre, em outros estados brasileiros e nos países amazônicos. No gênero Croton, as plantas de C.palanostigma mostraram distribuição quase pontual no Acre e extensa na Amazônia e menos ampla na América Latina; C. floribundus com ocorrência pontual no Acre, distribuição concentrada no Estado de São Paulo e em outros estados brasileiros e no Paraguai; C. matourensis encontram-se bem distribuídas no Acre e em outros estados brasileiros e países amazônicos, até o Panamá; C. lechleri ocorrem somente no sudeste do Estado do Acre, na Bolívia, Colômbia, Peru e Equador; C. billbergianus encontram-se bem distribuídas no Estado do Acre, escassa em outros estados amazônicos, ocorrendo em outros países da América Latina até o México. As plantas de Uncaria guianensis e U. tomentosa foram as de maior abundância no Estado do Acre e em toda a Amazônia brasileira, sendo U. tomentosa de menor abundância e distribuição muito ampla ocorrendo, inclusive, até a América Central. Com respeito ao "status" de conservação, as plantas de Croton billergianus, C. matourensis e Uncaria guianensis foram incluídas na categoria LC (comuns e abundantes ou fora de perigo), Cinchona amazonica, Croton lechleri e C. palanostigma em CR (perigo crítico), Uncaria tomentosa em VU (perigo a médio prazo) e Croton floribundus em DD (informação insuficiente). A presença destas espécies não foi constatada nas unidades de conservação do Estado do Acre e, no momento, as florestas onde ocorrem estão sendo exploradas para a extração da madeira, de fármacos e para a ampliação da fronteira agropecuária. Nos herbários das instituições de pesquisa e de ensino do Estado do Acre as coleções de plantas das espécies de Cinchona, Croton e Uncaria são escassas em comparação com as de outros Estados do Brasil e dos países visitados. / This research studied eight wood species of the genus Cinchona (C. amazonica Standl.), Croton (C. billbergianus Müll.Arg. C. floribundus Spreng.; C. lechleri, Müll.Arg.; C. matourensis Aubl. and C. palanostigma Klotzsch) and Uncaria (U. guianensis (Aubl.)J.F. Gmel. and U. tomentosa (Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.)DC.). All of them with medicinal interest, grown in the state of Acre (Brazil). The research consisted mainly in: field work in different regions of the state of Acre and botanical and plants collections, raising the exsiccates of the mentioned species in the most important national and international herbariums of South America, a wide bibliographical review concerning these species, dendrology description and the macro and microscopy description of the wood. The ve getative dendrological characteristics of these species showed variations with age adaptations and geographical distribution. The anatomy structures were different between families (Euphorbiaceae and Rubiaceae) and genus (Cinchona, Croton, Uncaria) and less within species. These results can be used for identification of these genus. In the order hand, this study shows that Cinchona amazonica had low distribution in Acre State, other Brazilian states and Amazonian countries. For Croton genus as C. palanostigma showed an almost punctual distribution in Acre, although had high distribution on the Amazon region and lowest on Latin America; C. floribundus with punctual occurrence on the Acre State and concentrated distribution in Sao Paulo State, other Brazilian States and in Paraguay; C. matourensis had high distribution in Acre, other Brazilian states and Amazonian countries, reaching up to Panama; C. lechleri grew only in the south east of Acre, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador; C. billbergianus was found well distributed in Acre, less abundant in other Amazon states and Latin countries and reaching up to Mexico. Uncaria guianensis and U. tomentosa were the most abundant species in Acre state and in all the Brazilian Amazon, and the U. tomentosa in Brazil can be considered less abundant, although with a wider distribution reaching inclusive the Central America. Concerning the conservation "status", C billbergianus, C. matourensis and U. guianensis were included in the category LC (common and abundant or out of danger); Cinchona amazonica, Croton lechleri and C. palanostigma on CR (critical danger), Uncaria tomentosa on VU (medium term danger) and Croton floribundus on DD (insufficient information). One of the most important aspects to mention is that there were no evidence of any presence of these species in the conservation unites in the State of Acre, and in the forests where they occur. Also, they are cuttings for raw material for wood, pharmacological exploration and farm and cattle frontiers amplification.. This situation was verified in the State of Acre for the lower collection of plants of Cinchona, Croton and Uncaria in relation to other states in Brazil and in other countries visited.

Diet selection and its variation due to difference in forages nutritive value are central processes in plant-herbivore interactions. An incorporating of these parameters may allow predicting diet selection patterns which are a basic underpin for sustainable vegetation management and profitable animal production. To achieve these issues many studies were done two of which were run to study the browse-browser interactions in a sub-humid subtropical savannah, a herd of goats was used as a model browser in natural pasture. Other studies evaluated the nutritive value of five plant species which were the most selected by goats. The objectives of this study were to (i) determine the seasonal patterns of diet selection of goats on woody species and their nutritive value and (ii) to predict the diet selection. The secondary objectivrs were to (i) investigate how plant characteristics such as plant morphology (spinescence, and broad vs. fine leaves), phenology (evergreen vs. deciduous species) and plant chemistry (nitrogen, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, acid detergent lignin, condensed tannin, cellulose and hemicellulose) are relate to the diet selection patterns and to (ii) evaluate the nutritive value of the most plant species selected by goats during the different seasons. Two experiments were conducted at Owen Sitole College of Agriculture, KwaZulu-Natal, to determine diet selection of goats grazing/browsing in Zululand Thornveld. The first experiment was done in the early wet season (November 2007) and late wet season (March/April 2008) while the second experiment was conducted in the dry season (June/July 2008), early wet season (November/December 2008) and late wet season (February/March 2009). The relative abundance of browse species in the veld was determined and used to estimate the selection index. In the first part, diet selection was estimated using (i) direct observation of animals (account bouts) by observing every one minute two goats while they were foraging with others for 3 hours in the morning and 1.5 hours in the afternoon on alternate days for a total of six days and (ii) an indirect plant-based method by observing at regular intervals 40 marked branches on ten plants of each browse species every two days for a total of six days. The browse species observed were: Gymnosporia senegalensis, Acacia nilotica, Acacia karroo (Acacia natalitia), Scutia myrtina and Dichrostachys cinerea. In both seasons, the three most selected species according to the plant-based observations were S. myrtina, A. karroo and D. cinerea. Consistently, A. nilotica experienced moderate defoliation and G. senegalensis the least. However, on the basis of the selection index, the species followed the order: A. nilotica > D. cinerea > A. karroo > S. myrtina > G. senegalensis in the early wet season and A. nilotica > S. myrtina > D. cinerea > A. karroo > G. senegalensis in the late wet season. Both methods did not rank species in the same order. The selection index was negatively (P<0.05) correlated to neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL). In the second part, observations were taken on feeding time of two goats, randomly selected per day for 7-8 days. Observations were made during active foraging periods for 2 hrs in the morning and 1.5 hrs in the afternoon. The duration of each feeding bout and the species of woody plant from which bites were cropped at each feeding station were recorded. Season and plant species affected diet selection and preference. The five main species selected (utilized) by goats in decreasing order were S. myrtina, A. nilotica, D. cinerea, Acacia natalitia and Chromolaena odorata. Scutia myrtina was the most preferred (highest utilisation relative to availability) in the dry season while D. cinerea comprised the greatest proportion in the early and late wet seasons. Scutia myrtina was most preferred in the dry and early wet seasons while A. nilotica was most preferred in the late wet season. Spinescent species were generally selected more than non-spinescent species in all seasons, while fine-leaf and deciduous species were selected more than broad-leaf and evergreen ones in the wet seasons. However, preference for broad-leaf and evergreen species increased in the early wet season. Although plant chemistry varied across seasons, it did not explain the preference of goats for various plant species in this study. Instead, effects of chemistry were species- specific. The nutritive value of the five main species selected by goats was evaluated by chemical composition, in vitro gas production, in vitro degradability and in sacco degradability. Two experiments were conducted for the in vitro studies, the first experiment was to test the effect of season and species, while the second experiment tested the biological effect of tannins using polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG). The PEG treatment was applied to samples of the early and late wet seasons only. The parameters were maximum gas production (GP), degradation rate (C), lag time (lt), maximum rate of GP at the point of inflection (μ), half time to the maximum gas volume(T1/2), gas produced from fermentation of soluble and slowly degradable fractions (A and B, respectively), their degradation rates (c1 and c2, respectively), apparent (ApDeg) and true degradability (TrDeg), microbial yield (MY), partitioning factor (PF), degradation efficiency factor (DEF) and short chain fatty acids (SCFA). There were wide variations among seasons and species in crude protein (CP), NDF, ADF and condensed tannins. Season and species affected kinetics of gas production, GP, TrDeg, MY, PF and SCFA. Chromolaena odorata had the highest CP (185.8-226.4 g kgˉ¹), GP (87.3-104.1 ml gˉ¹ DM), gas produce from soluble (47.6-50.9 ml gˉ¹ DM) and insoluble (39.8-50.9 ml gˉ¹ DM) fractions during the three seasons compared to other browse species. The TrDeg ranged from 634 to 856 g kgˉ¹ DM. The total SCFA varied between seasons and among species. The addition of PEG decreased TrDeg and PF, and increased GP and total SCFA. The GP, its degradation rate (C) and gas from the soluble fraction were positively correlated to CP without and with PEG. Gas from the soluble fraction was negatively correlated to NDF, ADL and CT; and GP to CT without PEG. In the in sacco study, the parameters of dry matter (DM) and nitrogen (N) degradability were soluble (a) and slowly (b) degradable degradability, the degradation rate (c), potential degradable (PD), effective degradability (ED) and lag time (lt). Season affected PD of DM degradability and ED of both DM and CP. Browse species and its interaction with season affected all parameters except b fraction of CP and interaction did not affected PD of CP. Chromolaena odorata had the highest estimated parameters of degradation during the three seasons compared to other browse species. Based on PD and ED, the plant species followed this decreasing order: C. odorata, A. nilotica, A. natalitia, S. myrtina and D. cinerea. All parameters were positively correlated to CP except the a and b fractions of DM and CP, respectively, and lt of both DM and CP. All parameters were negatively correlated to NDF, ADF and ADL except the b fraction and rate of degradation. Condensed tannins (CT) were negatively correlated with all parameters except the b fraction and PD of DM and CP, and lt of DM degradation. Cellulose was negatively correlated with a of DM and lt of CP degradation. The broad objective of this study was to assess whether plant characteristics, in sacco degradability, in vitro gas production, digestibility or chemical composition (NDF, ADF, ADL, CT and CP) could predict the selection of browse species. The parameters were selection index, plant characteristics (spinescence, or leaves phenology), chemical composition, in vitro gas production, in vitro degradability and in sacco degradability parameters. Most of these parameters were poor for predicting selection by goats of browse species. Spinescence (spn), leaves phenology (phen), NDF, CP and CT accounted for 86% of the variation in selection index (y) = -5.91 - 0.01CT - 0.002NDF + 0.02CP + 6.18spn + 2.43phen; (R2=0.86; n=20; RMSE=0.406; P<0.001; for phen, 1 = evergreen, 0 = deciduous; for spn, 1 = spinescent, 0 = spineless). It was concluded that in vitro gas production, in vitro degradability and in sacco degradability were poor predictors of selection index of browse species used by goats. Spinescence, leaf phenology, condensed tannins, CP and NDF were predictors of diet selection index and suggested that these plant species have potential to be used as feed supplements. Chromolaena odorata has the highest potential as feed protein source in goats. The addition of PEG (tannin binding agent) emphasizes that the inhibitory effect of tannins on rumen microbes was great in tannin-rich feeds. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Diet selection and foraging efficiency are primary driving behavioural processes in mammalian herbivore plant interaction. They determine the quality of production and also impact on vegetation, necessitating managerial inputs that will sustain productivity and conserve or improve on its plant species composition. In view of a better understanding of browse/browser interaction in subtropical arid savannah, Nguni goats were adopted as our model browser considering their socioeconomic importance to local, regional and global economy. The primary objective of this research was to determine the seasonal and plant species trend of diet selection indexed by intake and foraging efficiency indexed by intake rate. The secondary objective was to investigate how plant morphological variables such as spinescence, shoot morphology such as long shoots as opposed to short shoots, and broad as against fine leaves, phenological variables such as evergreen versus deciduous species, and plant chemical components including: crude protein, neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), hemicellulose, cellulose, acid detergent lignin and condensed tannins relate and possibly explain the observed patterns. Six browse plants, Acacia nilotica, Acacia robusta, Ehretia rigida, Euclea crispa, Rhus lancea and Ziziphus mucronata were used in the first experiment to determine short term intake during the dry and rainy seasons. In the second experiment, 10 browse plants: Acacia nilotica, Acacia robusta, Combretum epiculatum, Dicrostachys cinerea, Ehretia rigida, Euclea crispa, Gymnosporia buxifolia, Rhus lancea and Ziziphus mucronata were used to determine short term intake rate in the dry, early rainy and late rainy seasons. Diet selection was significantly affected by species (F5,60= 31.87 ; p< 0.05) and the interaction between seasons and species (F,60= 2.52; p= 0.039). Intake was not significantly higher in the rainy relative to the dry season, 3.94 ± 0.42a gDM compared to 3.57 ± 0.42a gDM. Rhus lancea and A. robusta were the most preferred species in both seasons, while Z. mucronata was more preferred in the dry season than E. crispa but in the rainy season it was the opposite. Dichrostachys cinerea and A. nilotica were the least preferred in both seasons, but with improved intake of D. cinerea in the rainy season, whereas that of A. nilotica declined significantly. Intake of plant species with long shoots, which were also broad leafed, was significantly higher than that of old short shoot species (t= -3.99; df= 65.80; p= 0.0002). Similarly, intake of evergreen species was significantly higher than that of deciduous species (t= 5.22; df= 34.02; p< 0.0001). Cellulose in the rainy season positively correlated with intake (r= 0.85; n= 6; p= 0.031), bite number cropped (r= 0.98; n= 6; p= 0.001) and browsing time (r= 0.93; n= 6; p= 0.007). In the dry season there was no correlation of any plant chemical components with intake except cellulose that correlated with the intake variable of bite size (r= 0.87; n= 6; p= 0.023). The following regression equation was generated from the correlation to model intake: Intake= 0.68 + BS (3.07), (R2= 0.71; p< 0.05), where BS= bite size. Intake rate varied amongst species (p< 0.05), as well as seasons (p< 0.05). Instantaneous intake rate in the dry season were highest for A. caffra and G. buxifolia, followed by C. apiculatum, R. lancea, E. crispa, A. robusta and Z. mucronata. The bottom tier comprised of E. rigida, D. cinerea and A. nilotica. At the onset of the rainy season, A. robusta, A. caffra and R. lancea had the highest instantaneous intake rate, followed by C. apiculatum, E. crispa and Z. mucronata. The lowest instantaneous intake rates were derived from D. cinerea, E. rigida, G. buxifolia and A. nilotica. At late rainy season, A. robusta, A. caffra, C. apiculatum, E. crispa and R. lancea yielded the highest intake rate, followed by D. cinerea, G. buxifolia and Z. mucronata in the middle tier, and the least were derived from E. rigida and A. nilotica. Acacia caffra, A. robusta, R. lancea, C. apiculatum and E. crispa featured amongst species with the higest intake rate in all three seasons, whereas G. buxifolia from which one of the highest intake rates was derived in the dry season declined to amongst those with the least in both early and late rainy seasons. Ehretia rigida, D. cinerae and A. nilotica were consistent in all three seasons as the least efficiently foraged Browses with long shoots were more efficiently foraged upon than those with short shoots (t= -3.2; df= 284.64; p< 0.002). Evergreen plant species yielded higher instantaneous intake rate relative to deciduous species (t= 2.02; df= 278.01; p< 0.044). Intake rate of spinescent relative to spineless species was not significantly different but more bites were cropped from spinescent relative to spineless species (t= 2.80; df= 256.77; p= 0.006). Bite sizes were smaller for spinescent relative to spineless species (t= -3.30; df= 227.4; p= 0.001). There were significant positive correlations of cellulose with intake rate (r= 0.7; n= 10; p= 0.023), and with condensed tannins (r= 0.7; n= 10; p= 0.022) in the dry season. Additionally, cellulose also had a positive correlation with bite size in the same season (r= 0.7; n= 10; p= 0.016). At early rainy season, there was no correlation of intake with any of the plant chemical components, whereas, NDF (r= 0.6; n= 10; p= 0.044), hemicellulose (r= 0.8; n= 10; p= 0.012) and condensed tannins (r= 0.7; n= 10; p= 0.032) all correlated positively with browsing time at early rainy season. The following regression equations were derived to model intake rate and some intake rate related variables: (1) intake rate= 0.433 + BSDM (0.081), R2= 0.68, p< 0.05 and BSDM= bite size dry matter; (2) Bite rate= 0.503 –BSDM (0.147), R2= 0.597, p< 0.05 and BSDM= bite size dry matter; (3) Bite size dry matter= 1.713 – BR (4.210), R2= 0.597 ,p< 0.05 and BR= bite rate, and (4) Intake dry matter= 3.804 + BSDM (0.865), R2= 0.607, p< 0.05 and BSDM= bite size dry matter. Diet selection and foraging efficiency were both influenced more by shoot and leaf morphology than by spinescence. Plant chemistry on the other hand had diverse and inconsistent effect on diet selection and foraging efficiency trends. The results therefore have important and far reaching implications for Nguni goat and goat production as a whole in the bush veld of Gauteng and related ecological zones. / Thesis (M.Sc.Agric.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.