Les nouvelles approches de technologies mémoires permettront une intégration dite back-end, où les cellules élémentaires de stockage seront fabriquées lors des dernières étapes de réalisation à grande échelle du circuit. Ces approches innovantes sont souvent basées sur l'utilisation de matériaux actifs présentant deux états de résistance distincts. Le passage d'un état à l'autre est contrôlé en courant ou en tension donnant lieu à une caractéristique I-V hystérétique. Nos mémoires résistives sont composées d'argent en métal électrochimiquement actif et de sulfure amorphe agissant comme électrolyte. Leur fonctionnement repose sur la formation réversible et la dissolution d'un filament conducteur. Le potentiel d'application de ces nouveaux dispositifs n'est pas limité aux mémoires ultra-haute densité mais aussi aux circuits embarqués. En empilant ces mémoires dans la troisième dimension au niveau des interconnections des circuits logiques CMOS, de nouvelles architectures hybrides et innovantes deviennent possibles. Il serait alors envisageable d'exploiter un fonctionnement à basse énergie, à haute vitesse d'écriture/lecture et de haute performance telles que l'endurance et la rétention. Dans cette thèse, en se concentrant sur les aspects de la technologie de mémoire en vue de développer de nouvelles architectures, l'introduction d'une fonctionnalité non-volatile au niveau logique est démontrée par trois circuits hybrides: commutateurs de routage non volatiles dans un Field Programmable Gate Arrays, un 6T-SRAM non volatile, et les neurones stochastiques pour un réseau neuronal. Pour améliorer les solutions existantes, les limitations de la performances des dispositifs mémoires sont identifiés et résolus avec des nouveaux empilements ou en fournissant des défauts de circuits tolérants.

Terpenes are important specialised metabolites produced by all organisms. Plants produce the greatest diversity of terpenoid compounds, which function in a variety of crucial processes including regulation of growth and development, energy production and plant-insect communication, including pollinator attraction and prevention of herbivore damage. Isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP), the building block for all terpenoid compounds, is synthesised in plants via two unique terpene synthesis pathways located in the plastids and the cytosol, and the regulation of these pathways is still not well understood. The aim of this research was to (1) modify and study the regulation of floral volatile production in Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) by altering the expression of various enzymes in the terpene biosynthesis pathway and (2) determine the role of specific volatile compounds in floral odour blends in feeding and oviposition behaviours of Helicoverpa armigera, a polyphagous moth of widespread agricultural importance. Expression levels of several enzymes in the terpene biosynthetic pathway were altered by genetic modification in order to modify terpene volatile emissions produced by flowers of N. tabacum. Genes chosen for overexpression were cloned from several species and RNAi hairpins were constructed from gene fragments amplified from tobacco flower cDNA. Transgenic plants were produced by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, and lines with high levels of transgene expression selected for analysis. The flower-specific Antirrhinum majus chalcone synthase promoter was chosen to control gene expression in transgenic lines in order to avoid the potentially deleterious effects of widespread disruption to terpene biosynthesis. Floral volatiles were sampled using two methods; solid phase microextraction, a highly sensitive technique able to detect even trace levels of volatile compounds in headspace samples, and Tenax sampling, a robust and replicable method to quantify volatile emissions. All floral headspace samples were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Floral volatile analysis determined that wild type Ti68 tobacco flowers emit a simple blend of floral volatiles, with only linalool, a monoterpene, and β-caryophyllene, a sesquiterpene, detected by both sampling methods. Volatile emissions were not subject to temporal regulation, but changes in the floral odour blend were detected during flower development. Overexpression of the plastidic terpene biosynthesis genes 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR) and geranyl diphosphate synthase did not affect volatile production, however increased farnesyl diphosphate synthase expression in the cytosol surprisingly caused an increase in linalool emissions, synthesised in the plastids. Downregulation of DXR resulted in an albino phenotype affecting all young leaves, the upper stem and the sepals in the most severely affected lines. A significant three-fold decrease in floral linalool emissions, and a nine-fold reduction of both linalool and β-caryophyllene retained within floral tissues was observed in the transgenic lines. In feeding behaviour tests, male and virgin female H. armigera moths did not discriminate between wild type and DXR knockdown flowers at close-range, despite the significant difference in linalool emissions. Expression of an (E)-β-ocimene synthase gene controlled by the CHS promoter did not result in any transgenic plants emitting the novel monoterpene, (E)-β-ocimene. Significant problems with seed germination suggested that (E)-β-ocimene may cause embryo lethality in these lines. However, overexpression of a heterologous (S)-linalool synthase under control of the constitutive cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter resulted in a significant two-fold increase in volatile linalool, and β-glycosidase assays confirmed sequestration of a glycosylated linalool derivative in floral tissues. Oviposition preference tests with mated female H. armigera moths indicated a significant preference for egg-laying on wild type flowers compared to flowers with increased linalool production. The results of this research, and previous studies of volatile production in transgenic tobacco, indicate that IPP precursor exchange occurs predominantly in one direction from the cytosol to the plastids, at least under the stress caused by alterations in pathway flux. Regulation of the cytosolic terpene biosynthetic pathway upstream of IPP synthesis appears to be less strictly controlled than the plastidic pathway. Insect behavioural assays support the findings of recent studies in other moth species, and suggest that close-range feeding attraction of H. armigera may be more strongly influenced by visual cues, whereas odour cues, including contact chemoreception, play a more important role in oviposition preferences. The increase in knowledge of the olfactory contribution toward insect-plant communication demonstrated here, and from future work, will lead to improved management of pest species in agricultural and ecological settings.

xvi, 167 p. ; ill. (some col.) A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Volatiles, particularly H 2 O, play an important role in subduction zone magmatism, from instigating melting of the mantle wedge to influencing the explosivity of eruptions at the surface. To better understand both small-scale eruptive processes and large-scale melt generation processes, concentrations of H 2 O, CO 2 , Cl and S were measured in olivine-hosted melt inclusions from nine monogenetic volcanoes across the Michoacan-Guanajuato Volcanic Field (MGVF) in central Mexico. Melt inclusions, tiny blebs of melt trapped within crystals during growth, record pre-eruptive melt compositions and dissolved volatile contents. Analyses of olivine-hosted melt inclusions from the long-lived (15 years) eruption of Volcan Jorullo illustrate the complexities of cinder cone eruptions. The later-erupted melt inclusions record decreases in crystallization depths, increases in magma storage time, and shallow assimilation of granitic bedrock, suggesting significant evolution of the magma plumbing system over time. Because melt inclusions are trapped at variable depths during magma crystallization, they record progressive degassing of melts during ascent and eruption. Degassing of basaltic melts is variable due to differences in solubility of the volatile components. Estimated volatile solubilities based on variations in melt inclusion data for the MGVF suggest that Cl and S have high solubility, with little to no degassing of these species during ascent and eruption, whereas H 2 O and CO 2 show evidence of substantial degassing. Furthermore, increases in concentrations of incompatible elements in melt inclusions correlate with extents of degassing, suggesting that degassing during ascent drives melt crystallization in many cinder cone eruptions. The volatile contents of mafic arc magmas as revealed by melt inclusions reflect the influx of H 2 O-rich components from the subducted slab to the mantle wedge. Across-arc patterns in volatile and incompatible trace element concentrations for MGVF magmas show that the flux of H 2 O-rich subduction components remains high for large distances across the arc. These data, combined with oxygen isotope analyses of olivine phenocrysts and 2-D thermo-mechanical models of the subduction zone, suggest a complex origin for the H 2 O-rich subduction components, involving dehydration of subducted sediment and storage of volatiles in hydrous minerals in the mantle wedge. This dissertation includes co-authored materials both previously published and submitted for publication. / Adviser: Paul J. Wallace

O arbusto Heterothalamus psiadioides Less. (Asteraceae) ocorre no sul do Brasil e no Uruguai, se estabelecendo frequentemente em formações densas. Esse padrão de estabelecimento pode estar relacionado a efeitos alelopáticos dos voláteis liberados por essa planta. Portanto, este trabalho objetivou investigar os efeitos do óleo essencial de H. psiadioides sobre a germinação, crescimento inicial, enraizamento adventício e desenvolvimento vegetativo e reprodutivo de Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh., planta-alvo desse estudo. Além disso, a caracterização química do óleo essencial foi realizada. Para avaliar efeitos sobre a germinação e o crescimento inicial, sementes e plântulas de A. thaliana foram expostas aos voláteis de H. psiadioides, cuja composição química foi analisada através de cromatografia em fase gasosa associada à espectrometria de massas. Para avaliar efeitos sobre o enraizamento adventício, plântulas de A. thaliana tiveram suas raízes primárias cortadas, gerando microestacas que foram expostas aos voláteis. Além disso, tratamentos para recuperação dos efeitos causados pelos voláteis foram utilizados – com adição de auxina, citocinina e antioxidante ao meio de cultura. No experimento que testou os efeitos dos voláteis sobre o desenvolvimento reprodutivo e vegetativo da planta-alvo, as plantas foram expostas aos voláteis dentro de câmaras de vidro. Após a exposição e quando as plantas senesceram, parâmetros vegetativos e reprodutivos foram avaliados. A germinação e o crescimento inicial da planta-alvo foram afetados negativamente pelos voláteis de H. psiadioides. Da mesma forma, o enraizamento adventício das plantas foi afetado. Microestacas da planta-alvo expostas aos voláteis demoraram mais tempo para enraizar, desenvolveram menos raízes e essas eram mais curtas do que as microestacas controle. Estresse oxidativo foi detectado nas microestacas expostas aos voláteis; além disso, hormônios e antioxidante não reverteram os efeitos fisiológicos negativos causados pelos mesmos. A avaliação do desenvolvimento vegetativo e reprodutivo das plantas expostas aos voláteis nas câmaras de vidro permitiu detectar efeitos negativos dos voláteis apenas em um parâmetro relacionado ao crescimento, que foi mensurado logo após o período de exposição. Nenhum outro parâmetro diferiu significativamente entre plantas expostas aos voláteis e não expostas. Esses resultados indicam que apesar dos drásticos efeitos demonstrados pelos voláteis sobre sementes e plântulas, efeitos pouco relevantes foram encontrados para o desenvolvimento vegetativo e reprodutivo. Portanto, possivelmente o potencial alelopático de H. psiadioides pode ser menor do que o esperado, já que plantas juvenis a adultas são capazes de recuperar-se dos efeitos dos voláteis dessa planta. / The shrub Heterothalamus psiadioides Less. (Asteraceae) occurs in Southern Brazil and Uruguay, where it often establishes in dense populations. This pattern of establishment may be related to allelopathic effects of the volatiles released by this plant. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of the volatile essential oil of H. psiadioides on germination, early growth, adventitious rooting and vegetative and reproductive development of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh., the target plant of this study. Furthermore, the chemical characterization of the essential oil was performed. To assess effects on germination and early growth, seeds and seedlings of A. thaliana were exposed to H. psiadioides volatiles, which had the chemical composition analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. To evaluate effects on adventitious rooting, seedlings of A. thaliana had the primary roots excised, generating microcuttings that were exposed to the volatiles. Moreover, treatments to recovery the effects caused by the volatiles were used – with addition of auxin, cytokinin and antioxidant in the culture medium. In the experiment that tested the effects of the volatiles on the vegetative and reproductive development of the target plant, plants were exposed to the volatiles inside of glass chambers. After the exposition and at senescence, vegetative and reproductive parameters were evaluated. The germination and early growth were negatively affected by the volatiles. Adventitious rooting was similarly affected. Microcuttings of the target plant exposed to the volatiles were slower to root, less developed and had shorter roots in relation to control microcuttings. Oxidative damage was detected in the microcuttings exposed to the volatiles; furthermore hormones and antioxidant did not revert negative physiological effects caused by the oil. The evaluation of vegetative and reproductive development of plants exposed to the volatiles inside of glass chambers allowed to detect negative effects just in a parameter measured immediately after removal plants from the chambers. Other parameters did not differ between plants exposed to the volatiles and plants not exposed. These results indicate that despite of drastic effects showed by the volatiles on seeds and seedlings, effects of little relevance were found in vegetative and reproductive development. Therefore, it is possible that allelopathic potential of H. psiadioides may be lower than expected, since juvenile and adult plants are able to recover from the effects of the plant volatiles.

In recent decades there has been an increased interest in the carbon content of Earth’s geochemical reservoirs due to the impact of atmospheric carbon on the habitability of our planet. Earth’s interior likely hosts a greater mass of carbon than that of the oceans, atmosphere and crust combined, which has buffered the carbon content of the atmosphere over geological time. Yet only a few direct measurements of carbon from the upper mantle, and none from the lower mantle, have been made. Undegassed basalts erupted at mid-ocean ridges have previously been used to estimate the carbon content of the upper mantle. However, due to the low solubility of carbon within silicate melt, these undegassed basalt suites are rare. The majority of basalts have lost their mantle carbon information en route to eruption through the crust. Various crustal processes act to modify the geochemistry of melts before eruption, therefore it is important to be able to characterise the effect of these processes to better interpret the volatile signals preserved in erupted products. Pressure, and therefore depth, is a key parameter controlling volatile solubility and can be estimated using a variety of igneous barometers. This thesis presents results from crys- tallisation experiments conducted on basaltic glass from the Miðfell eruption, Iceland. The experiments provide new data that has been used to test a variety of barometers and crystalli- sation models used by igneous petrologists, and could aid future barometer recalibration. A key part of this work was the development of an experimental method for stabilising 5 kbar conditions in a piston cylinder apparatus. The experiments have shown that clinopyroxene- liquid barometry is more reliable than multi-reaction barometry. However, knowledge of equilibrium clinopyroxene compositions is crucial for accurately determining pressure using the clinopyroxene-liquid barometer. More experiments conducted at mid-crustal pressures are required for a full recalibration of these barometers. The results of testing igneous barometers and crystallisation models have been applied to two suites of olivine-hosted melt inclusions from the Kistufell and Miðfell eruptions to help determine the melt evolution history of these basalts. These eruptions were targeted due to previously measured noble gas isotopic ratios that suggest a primordial mantle component present in their melting regions, and therefore evoking the possibility that they could hold information about deep mantle carbon. Barometry suggests that Miðfell phases equilibrated, and therefore crystallised, at mid-crustal pressures (5–7 kbar), which could allow for the entrapment of undegassed melt inclusions within olivine. The two melt inclusion suites were found to differ in trace element variability, with the observation that the more trace element enriched eruption, Kistufell, had lower relative trace element variability than the more depleted eruption, Miðfell. Several processes, both in the crust and the mantle, are likely responsible for the level of trace element enrichment and variability, including extent of mantle melting, source heterogeneity, and melt transport. The depleted nature of the Miðfell melt inclusions has allowed them to preserve some of the highest CO$_2$/Ba and CO$_2$/Nb ratios ever recorded in basaltic glass, with ratios over five times greater than undegassed mid-ocean ridge basalt values. This carbon enrichment is not due to any crustal melt modification process, but rather pertaining to lower mantle carbon-rich lithologies that have been tapped by the Icelandic mantle plume. The carbon reservoir beneath Miðfell is estimated to contain 744 $\pm$ 188 ppm carbon, 15 times greater than the depleted upper mantle. This value matches estimates of bulk mantle carbon from planetary mass balance calculations and provides evidence for carbon-rich domains within the Earth.

Les deux principales limitations des mémoires non-volatiles de type Flash à stockage de charges dans des nanocristaux en silicium sont la faible fenêtre mémoire et la dispersion des caractéristiques électriques due à la dispersion en taille des nanocristaux. Dans cette thèse, plusieurs solutions sont étudiées afin de remédier à ces deux défauts. Afin d'augmenter la fenêtre de programmation, une première approche consiste à augmenter la densité de stockage de charges grâce à l'utilisation d'une double couche de nanocristaux en silicium. Le fonctionnement et les performances électriques de ces dispositifs mémoires sont étudiés puis interprétés grâce à un modèle analytique. Une seconde approche, plus amont, consiste à utiliser des nanocristaux métalliques pour augmenter la quantité de charges piégées dans les nanocristaux. Le dépôt, la passivation et l'intégration de nanocristaux à caractère métallique (Pt, TiN, W) en tant que grille flottante dans un dispositif mémoire sont ainsi réalisés. Enfin, l'organisation « bottom-up » des nanocristaux est proposée comme une solution à la dispersion des caractéristiques électriques des dispositifs mémoires. Un procédé original de transfert et de gravure d'un masque auto-organisé à base de copolymères diblocs est développé. / The two main limitations of Flash nonvolatile memories charge storage in silicon nanocrystals are the small memory window and the dispersion of electrical characteristics due to the size dispersion of nanocrystals. In this thesis, several solutions are studied in order to remedy these defects. In order to increase the programming window, a first approach is to increase the density of charges stored in the device through the use of a double layer of silicon nanocrystals. The operation and electrical performance of these memory devices are studied and interpreted through an analytical model. A second approach, more upstream, is the use of metallic nanocrystals to increase the amount of trapped charges in the nanocrystals. Deposition, passivation and integration of metal nanocrystals (Pt, TiN, W) as a floating gate in a memory device have been realized. Finally, the "bottom-up" organisation of nanocrystals is proposed as a solution to the dispersion of electrical characteristics of memory devices. An original process for transferring a self-organized diblock copolymer mask into a hard mask is developed and used to etch nanocrystals with small size dispersion.

Les nouvelles approches de technologies mémoires permettront une intégration dite back-end, où les cellules élémentaires de stockage seront fabriquées lors des dernières étapes de réalisation à grande échelle du circuit. Ces approches innovantes sont souvent basées sur l'utilisation de matériaux actifs présentant deux états de résistance distincts. Le passage d'un état à l'autre est contrôlé en courant ou en tension donnant lieu à une caractéristique I-V hystérétique. Nos mémoires résistives sont composées d'argent en métal électrochimiquement actif et de sulfure amorphe agissant comme électrolyte. Leur fonctionnement repose sur la formation réversible et la dissolution d'un filament conducteur. Le potentiel d'application de ces nouveaux dispositifs n'est pas limité aux mémoires ultra-haute densité mais aussi aux circuits embarqués. En empilant ces mémoires dans la troisième dimension au niveau des interconnections des circuits logiques CMOS, de nouvelles architectures hybrides et innovantes deviennent possibles. Il serait alors envisageable d'exploiter un fonctionnement à basse énergie, à haute vitesse d'écriture/lecture et de haute performance telles que l'endurance et la rétention. Dans cette thèse, en se concentrant sur les aspects de la technologie de mémoire en vue de développer de nouvelles architectures, l'introduction d'une fonctionnalité non-volatile au niveau logique est démontrée par trois circuits hybrides: commutateurs de routage non volatiles dans un Field Programmable Gate Arrays, un 6T-SRAM non volatile, et les neurones stochastiques pour un réseau neuronal. Pour améliorer les solutions existantes, les limitations de la performances des dispositifs mémoires sont identifiés et résolus avec des nouveaux empilements ou en fournissant des défauts de circuits tolérants. / Novel approaches in the field of memory technology should enable backend integration, where individual storage nodes will be fabricated during the last fabrication steps of the VLSI circuit. In this case, memory operation is often based upon the use of active materials with resistive switching properties. A topology of resistive memory consists of silver as electrochemically active metal and amorphous sulfide acting as electrolyte and relies on the reversible formation and dissolution of a conductive filament. The application potential of these new memories is not limited to stand-alone (ultra-high density), but is also suitable for embedded applications. By stacking these memories in the third dimension at the interconnection level of CMOS logic, new ultra-scalable hybrid architectures becomes possible which exploit low energy operation, fast write/read access and high performance with respect to endurance and retention. In this thesis, focusing on memory technology aspects in view of developing new architectures, the introduction of non-volatile functionality at the logic level is demonstrated through three hybrid (CMOS logic ReRAM devices) circuits: nonvolatile routing switches in a Field Programmable Gate Array, nonvolatile 6T-SRAMs, and stochastic neurons of an hardware neural network. To be competitive or even improve existing solutions, limitations on the memory devices performances are identified and solved by stack engineering of CBRAM devices or providing faults tolerant circuits.

Les mémoires résistives à base d’oxyde OxRAM sont une technologie de mémoire non-volatile dite émergente, au même titre que les mémoires à changement de phase (PCRAM) ou les mémoires magnétorésistives (MRAM). A l’origine les OxRAM étaient très étudiées pour concurrencer les mémoires Flash, dont le fonctionnement est basé sur le stockage de charges dans une grille flottante. Cependant, avec l’avènement des technologies 3D-NAND, il semble très difficile pour les OxRAM d’atteindre les mêmes capacités de stockage que les flashs. Cependant, leur impressionnante vitesse de fonctionnement, bien supérieure à celle des NAND, et leur coût bien inférieur à celui des DRAM, leur permet de se situer à la frontière entre ces deux technologies, dans une catégorie qualifiée de « Storage Class Memory ». De plus, il s’agit d’une technologie dont l’intégration en Back-End-Of-Line, juste au-dessus des circuits CMOS, est très facile, ce qui la rend très attrayante. En revanche, les OxRAM sont connues pour présenter une forte variabilité, et cela représente le principal obstacle à leur démocratisation.Au cours de cette thèse, nous avons cherché à étudier en profondeur la dynamique de commutation résistive de mémoires OxRAM à base d’oxyde d’hafnium, avec une volonté de se concentrer sur des temps très courts, puisqu’ils représentent l’un des atouts majeurs de cette technologie. Pour cela, ces travaux de thèse se concentrent tout d’abord sur un aspect expérimental, de caractérisation électrique. Nous avons ainsi pu observer, avec un suivi dynamique, la commutation résistive des mémoires, sur des temps de l’ordre de la dizaine de nanoseconde, pour les opérations d’écriture et d’effacement, via la mise au point d’un banc de test entièrement dédié à cette tâche. Ensuite, nous avons analysé les impacts que la réduction du temps de pulse, ainsi que l’abaissement des courants et tensions mis en jeu, peuvent avoir sur la fiabilité des OxRAM, avec des mesures de variabilité. La seconde partie de ce travail de thèse est un travail de modélisation, avec la mise au point d’un modèle physique semi-analytique, dans le but de comprendre les mécanismes de commutation résistives. Après avoir comparé les résultats obtenus par notre modèle aux résultats expérimentaux précédents, nous avons cherché à appliquer notre modèle à des mesures de statistiques. Nous avons ainsi réalisé des tests électriques sur des matrices OxRAM, que nous avons tenté de reproduire avec le modèle. Enfin, nous avons étudié plus en profondeur le bruit à basse fréquence dans les OxRAM, qui constitue l’un des facteurs majeurs de dégradation de la fiabilité des OxRAM, tout en cherchant des pistes pour le diminuer. / Oxyde-based resistive memories OxRAM are a technology of emergent non-volatile memory, as phase-change memories (PCRAM) or magnetoresistive memories (MRAM). In the beginning OxRAM were very studied in order to compete with Flash memories, whose mechanism relies on the storage of electrical charges in a flotting gate. However, with the arising of 3D-NAND technology, it seems very difficult for OxRAM to reach the same storage capacities as Flash memories. But their impressive operating speed, far higher than NAND’s, and their cost far lower than DRAM’s, allow them to operate at the border of these two technologies, in a category called « Storage Class Memory ». Furthermore, the integration of OxRAM in the Back-End-Of-Line, just above CMOS circuits, makes this technology very attractive. On the other hand, OxRAM are known to have a very strong variability, which represents the main obstacle to their expansion.In this thesis, the dynamics of the resistive switching of hafnium oxyde based OxRAM has been investigated, with a desire to focus on very short times, as they are one of the main assets of this technology. To do so, our work first focuses on an experimental aspect, with electrical characterization. We were able to watch, with a dynamical monitoring, the resistive switching of the memories, at the scale of the dozen of nanoseconds, for writing and erasing operations, thanks to an entirely dedicated set-up. Then, the impacts that the time reduction, and the lowering of the voltage and current, can have on the reliability of OxRAM, were analysed, with variability measurements. The second part of this work concerns modelisation, with the elaboration of a physics-based, semi-analytical model, in order to understand the switching mechanisms. After the comparison of the results obtained by our model with the experimental ones, our model has been applied to statistical measurements. Electrical tests on OxRAM arrays have been performed, and fitted by the model. Finally, the low frequency noise (RTN) in OxRAM has been studied, as it stands as one of the main factors of degradation of OxRAM reliability. Ideas to improve the robustness of OxRAM against RTN are suggested.

A alelopatia, na qual uma espécie causa efeitos negativos sobre outra através da liberação de substâncias químicas, é um fenômeno que pode afetar comunidades vegetais. Em alguns casos, o estabelecimento de arbustos aromáticos em formações densas, com apenas poucas espécies ocorrendo em suas proximidades, é um padrão que tem sido relacionado aos efeitos fitotóxicos dos voláteis que os mesmos liberam. Em campos dos sul do Brasil, esse padrão de estabelecimento frequentemente ocorre para as espécies arbustivas aromáticas Heterothalamus psiadioides Less e Baccharis patens Baker, indicando a possibilidade de alelopatia. Dessa forma, o presente estudo teve como objetivo determinar se H. psiadioides e B. patens são fitotóxicas e se isso implica em efeitos negativos sobre a comunidade vegetal na qual os arbustos ocorrem. Em ensaios em laboratório, os efeitos dos voláteis liberados diretamente das folhas frescas e secas de H. psiadioides e B. patens foram testados sobre a germinação e o crescimento das plantas-alvo alface e cebola nas quatro estações do ano. Em um estudo em campo, foram avaliadas cobertura e biomassa vegetal, número de mudas, diversidade, riqueza, e variáveis de estrutura da vegetação no entorno de ambas as espécies arbustivas e onde não havia arbustos. Nos bioensaios, os voláteis de H. psiadioides e B. patens causaram inibição na porcentagem e velocidade de germinação e redução no tamanho da raiz e da parte aérea das plantas-alvo, sendo que folhas frescas apresentaram maior fitotoxidez. Esses parâmetros foram mais afetados por H. psiadioides que por B. patens em todas as estações, e os efeitos de ambas foram menores no verão. Em relação à investigação em campo, que objetivou avaliar os efeitos da espécie muito fitotóxica H. psiadioides sobre a comunidade vegetal, não foram observadas evidências de alelopatia. Houve maior riqueza e diversidade próximo a H. psiadioides, devido à menor cobertura de gramíneas dominantes. Variáveis de estrutura da vegetação e intensidade de luz explicaram os padrões observados de forma mais conclusiva que alelopatia. Esse estudo sugere que o potencial alelopático de plantas pode ser superestimado em bioensaios e que estudos em campo são necessários para demonstrar se efeitos alelopáticos são realmente relevantes em comunidades vegetais. Ainda, o trabalho ressalta a importância de conduzir estudos mais realistas em laboratório e de utilizar controles em estudos em campo. / Allelopathy, in which a species causes negative effects on another through the release of chemical substances, is a phenomenon that may affect plant communities. In some cases, the establishment of aromatic shrubs in dense stands, with few other species occurring in their surroundings, has been related to the phytotoxic effects of volatiles released by these shrubs. In South Brazilian grasslands, this pattern of establishment often occurs for the aromatic shrub species Heterothalamus psiadioides Less and Baccharis patens Baker, indicating the possibility of allelopathy. Thus, this study aimed to determine if H. psiadioides and B. patens are phytotoxic and if this implicates in negative effects on the plant community in which the shrubs occur. In laboratory assays, the effects of the volatiles released directly from fresh and dry leaves of H. psiadioides and B. patens on germination and growth of the target plants lettuce and onion were evaluated in four seasons. A field study was carried out, in which vegetation cover and biomass, number of seedlings, diversity, richness, and variables of vegetation structure were evaluated in the surroundings of both species and where there were not shrubs. In the bioassays, H. psiadioides and B. patens volatiles inhibited the germination rate and speed of germination and reduced the root and shoot length of the target plants, with fresh leaves showing higher phytotoxicity. These parameters were more strongly affected by H. psiadioides than by B. patens in all seasons, and effects of the both shrubs were lower in summer. In relation to the field investigation that aimed to quantify the effects of the highly phytotoxic H. psiadioides on the plant community, no evidences of allelopathy were found. Richness and diversity were higher near H. psiadioides, due to lower cover of dominant grasses. Variables of vegetation structure and light intensity explained vegetation patterns more conclusively than allelopathy. This study emphasizes that the allelopathic potential of plants can be overestimated in bioassays, and that field studies are necessary to elucidate if allelopathic effects are in fact significant in plant communities. Still, the relevance of conducting more realistic laboratory studies and of using controls in field studies is highlighted.

O arbusto Heterothalamus psiadioides Less. (Asteraceae) ocorre no sul do Brasil e no Uruguai, se estabelecendo frequentemente em formações densas. Esse padrão de estabelecimento pode estar relacionado a efeitos alelopáticos dos voláteis liberados por essa planta. Portanto, este trabalho objetivou investigar os efeitos do óleo essencial de H. psiadioides sobre a germinação, crescimento inicial, enraizamento adventício e desenvolvimento vegetativo e reprodutivo de Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh., planta-alvo desse estudo. Além disso, a caracterização química do óleo essencial foi realizada. Para avaliar efeitos sobre a germinação e o crescimento inicial, sementes e plântulas de A. thaliana foram expostas aos voláteis de H. psiadioides, cuja composição química foi analisada através de cromatografia em fase gasosa associada à espectrometria de massas. Para avaliar efeitos sobre o enraizamento adventício, plântulas de A. thaliana tiveram suas raízes primárias cortadas, gerando microestacas que foram expostas aos voláteis. Além disso, tratamentos para recuperação dos efeitos causados pelos voláteis foram utilizados – com adição de auxina, citocinina e antioxidante ao meio de cultura. No experimento que testou os efeitos dos voláteis sobre o desenvolvimento reprodutivo e vegetativo da planta-alvo, as plantas foram expostas aos voláteis dentro de câmaras de vidro. Após a exposição e quando as plantas senesceram, parâmetros vegetativos e reprodutivos foram avaliados. A germinação e o crescimento inicial da planta-alvo foram afetados negativamente pelos voláteis de H. psiadioides. Da mesma forma, o enraizamento adventício das plantas foi afetado. Microestacas da planta-alvo expostas aos voláteis demoraram mais tempo para enraizar, desenvolveram menos raízes e essas eram mais curtas do que as microestacas controle. Estresse oxidativo foi detectado nas microestacas expostas aos voláteis; além disso, hormônios e antioxidante não reverteram os efeitos fisiológicos negativos causados pelos mesmos. A avaliação do desenvolvimento vegetativo e reprodutivo das plantas expostas aos voláteis nas câmaras de vidro permitiu detectar efeitos negativos dos voláteis apenas em um parâmetro relacionado ao crescimento, que foi mensurado logo após o período de exposição. Nenhum outro parâmetro diferiu significativamente entre plantas expostas aos voláteis e não expostas. Esses resultados indicam que apesar dos drásticos efeitos demonstrados pelos voláteis sobre sementes e plântulas, efeitos pouco relevantes foram encontrados para o desenvolvimento vegetativo e reprodutivo. Portanto, possivelmente o potencial alelopático de H. psiadioides pode ser menor do que o esperado, já que plantas juvenis a adultas são capazes de recuperar-se dos efeitos dos voláteis dessa planta. / The shrub Heterothalamus psiadioides Less. (Asteraceae) occurs in Southern Brazil and Uruguay, where it often establishes in dense populations. This pattern of establishment may be related to allelopathic effects of the volatiles released by this plant. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of the volatile essential oil of H. psiadioides on germination, early growth, adventitious rooting and vegetative and reproductive development of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh., the target plant of this study. Furthermore, the chemical characterization of the essential oil was performed. To assess effects on germination and early growth, seeds and seedlings of A. thaliana were exposed to H. psiadioides volatiles, which had the chemical composition analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. To evaluate effects on adventitious rooting, seedlings of A. thaliana had the primary roots excised, generating microcuttings that were exposed to the volatiles. Moreover, treatments to recovery the effects caused by the volatiles were used – with addition of auxin, cytokinin and antioxidant in the culture medium. In the experiment that tested the effects of the volatiles on the vegetative and reproductive development of the target plant, plants were exposed to the volatiles inside of glass chambers. After the exposition and at senescence, vegetative and reproductive parameters were evaluated. The germination and early growth were negatively affected by the volatiles. Adventitious rooting was similarly affected. Microcuttings of the target plant exposed to the volatiles were slower to root, less developed and had shorter roots in relation to control microcuttings. Oxidative damage was detected in the microcuttings exposed to the volatiles; furthermore hormones and antioxidant did not revert negative physiological effects caused by the oil. The evaluation of vegetative and reproductive development of plants exposed to the volatiles inside of glass chambers allowed to detect negative effects just in a parameter measured immediately after removal plants from the chambers. Other parameters did not differ between plants exposed to the volatiles and plants not exposed. These results indicate that despite of drastic effects showed by the volatiles on seeds and seedlings, effects of little relevance were found in vegetative and reproductive development. Therefore, it is possible that allelopathic potential of H. psiadioides may be lower than expected, since juvenile and adult plants are able to recover from the effects of the plant volatiles.