The seed of Santalum spicatum is rich in a fixed oil (59% by weight), which is characterised by a high percentage of acetylenic, ethylenic ximenynic acid (35% of total fatty acids). A number of important aspects of the seed fixed oil, its composition in developing seeds, its triacylglycerols molecular species in the oil, the nutrition and toxicity of the oil feeding, and the possible bioactivity of ximenynic acid in mice were investigated.The identification of cis and trans isomers of ximenynic acid in the seed oil, and the metabolite of ximenynic acid in mouse liver lipid fractions were achieved using 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol to form 2-substituted 4,4-dimethyloxazoline derivatives, which were analysed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection.Changes in proximate and fatty acid composition were investigated in developing seed collected weekly from about seven days after flowering to maturity. It was determined that moisture and carbohydrate contents decreased significantly during the development sequence, while fixed oil content increased from 0.3% to 50% (by weight) with seed development. A corresponding increase in the proportions of both oleic and ximenynic acids occurred suggesting a precursor/product relationship. Mature seed collected from different locations in Western Australia showed minor differences in characteristics and lipid composition, which may have been influenced by geographical origin and harvesting year of samples.The lipid components from the seed oil were separated using thin-layer chromatography and the individual triglyceride bands were characterised by high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography using flame ionisation and mass spectrometric detection after removal from the plate. The triximenynin (trisantalbin) band showed no other contaminating fatty acids and was obtained in a relatively pure state.A ++ / nutrition and toxicity study was performed by feeding a semi-synthetic diet containing sandalwood seed oil to a level of 15% of total energy content to a group of mice for one month and another group for two months. The most significant effect of sandalwood seed oil ingestion when compared with a standard lab diet (5% fat, by weight) and a canola oil-enriched diet (15% fat, by weight) was an apparent reduction in body weight gain, which may be the effect of ximenynic acid as a growth retardant. Serum aspartate aminotransferase levels were determined in the mice as an indicator of hepatotoxicity. These levels were higher in mice fed the sandalwood seed oil diet than those fed the standard lab diet, suggesting that ximenynic acid may affect liver-specific enzyme activity. Analysis of the total lipid fatty acids of various tissues and organs of mice showed only a low incorporation of ximenynic acid into the general tissues (0.3-3% by weight), and its absence in the brain.This study suggests a few health benefits from consumption of large quantities of sandalwood seed oil in the diet. These include a low lipid content in blood, heart, muscle, increase in the 16:1/16:0 and 18:1/18:0 ratios, production of increased levels of 18:1 (n-9) and docosahexaenoic acid, and decreased levels of arachidonic acid in certain tissues. There were no specific pathological, morphological or mortality changes observed in the mice.Sandalwood seed may be both a food and a medicine.

A 2 x 2 factorial design investigated effects of sediment nitrogen and water potassium levels on autofragment production. Reduced nitrogen levels significantly increased autofragment production whereas potassium levels did not significantly alter production. Up to 50% of autofragment production abscised from parent plants grown under low nitrogen conditions compared to 12% or less under high nitrogen conditions.

Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) habitat was predicted at multiple scales, including a lake, regional, and national level. This dissertation illustrates how habitat can be predicted for M. spicatum using publically-available data for both presence and environmental variables. Models were generated using statistical procedures and quantative methods to determine where the greatest likelihood of presence was located. For the single lake, presence and absence data were available, but the larger-scale models used presence-only methods of prediction. These models were paired with a Geographic Information System so that data could be visualized on a map. For the selected lake, Pend Oreille (Idaho), spatial analysis using general linear mixed models was used to show that depth and fetch could be used to predict habitat, although differences were seen in their importance between the littoral and pelagic zones. For the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Mahalanobis distance and maximum entropy methods were used to demonstrate that available habitat will not always mean presence of M. spicatum. The differing approaches to management in these states illustrated how an aggressive public education campaign can limit spread of M. spicatum, even when habitat is available. Bass habitat appeared to be the largest predictor of M. spicatum in Minnesota, although this was due to the similar environmental preferences by these species. Using maximum entropy, on a national level, presence of M. spicatum appeared to be best predicted by annual precipitation. Again, results showed that habitat is colonized as time permits, and not necessarily as conditions permit.

<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; Razvojem testova inhibicije rasta na vrstama&nbsp; roda&nbsp;<em> Myriophyllum&nbsp;</em> ispitan je<br />potencijal&nbsp; vrsta <em>Myriophyllum&nbsp; aquaticum</em>&nbsp; (Vell.) Verd.&nbsp; i&nbsp;<em> Myriophyllum spicatum</em>&nbsp; L. u<br />ekolo&scaron;koj proceni rizika&nbsp; od herbicida i kontrole kvaliteta sedimenta. Ispitana je<br />primenljivost&nbsp; kontaktnog testa toksičnosti sedimenta sa vrstom&nbsp; M. aquaticum&nbsp; u<br />retrospektivnoj&nbsp; proceni&nbsp; rizika&nbsp; sedimenta&nbsp; na uzorcima iz prirode&nbsp; &ndash;&nbsp; na sedimentu&nbsp; reka Tami&scaron;, Krivaja i Jegrička.&nbsp; Testom toksičnosti sedimenta obogaćenog atrazinom,<br />analiziran je i potencijal kontaktnog testa u preventivnoj proceni rizika od hemikalija<br />koje pokazuju afinitet vezivanja za sediment. Testovima inhibicije rasta <em>M. aquaticum</em><br />i&nbsp; <em>M. spicatum&nbsp;</em> u voda-sediment sistemu ispitana je osetljivost i mogućnost primene<br />metode u preventivnoj proceni rizika od herbicida i regulatora rasta.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; Deo rezultata dobijenih u radu uključen je u zavr&scaron;ne izve&scaron;taje internacionalnih<br />testova interkalibracije metoda,&nbsp; a kao rezultat ovih aktivnosti usvojene su nove<br />standardne metode na ukorenjenim akvatičnim makrofitama ISO 16191/2013 i OECD 239/2014.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Na osnovu istraživanja, zaključeno je da je kontaktni test toksičnosti<br />sedimenta&nbsp; jednostavan i lak za izvođenje, kao i da je vrsta<em>&nbsp; M. aquaticum</em>&nbsp; u jedno-komponentnom sistemu (sediment)&nbsp; adekvatan test model. Rastom kontrolnih biljaka, niskom varijabilno&scaron;ću i visokom osetljivo&scaron;ću biolo&scaron;kih&nbsp; odgovora zadovoljen je kriterijum validnosti testa. Preporučeno je kori&scaron;ćenje dodatne kontrole&nbsp; u&nbsp; slučajevima kada postoje značajna odstupanja u strukturi između&nbsp; standardnog sintetičkog kontrolnog i&nbsp; testiranog prirodnog sedimenta.&nbsp; Kontaktnim&nbsp; testom toksičnosti sedimenta obogaćenog&nbsp; atrazinom&nbsp; pokazano je da se ovaj test&nbsp; može smatrati potencijalno dobrom metodom za pro&scaron;irenje ekolo&scaron;ke procene rizika od hemikalija koje pokazuju afinitet vezivanja za sediment.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; Ispitivanjem potencijala&nbsp; testa&nbsp; inhibicije rasta vrsta roda&nbsp;<em> Myriophyllum</em>&nbsp; u voda-sediment sistemu&nbsp; utvrđeno je da su testovi&nbsp; izvodljivi u praksi, da pokazuju&nbsp; visoki stepen stabilnosti, statističku snagu i malu varijabilnost&nbsp; većine&nbsp; ispitivanih parametara rasta. Poređenjem testova sa vrstama&nbsp;<em> M. aquaticum</em>&nbsp; i&nbsp;<em> M. spicatum</em>, nije utvrđena značajna&nbsp; razlika u osetljivosti na odabrane herbicide.&nbsp; Osetljivost&nbsp; testova na vrstama roda&nbsp; <em>Myriophyllum</em>&nbsp; i standardnih&nbsp; Lemna&nbsp; testova je bila slična,&nbsp; osim u slučaju auksin simulatora gde su&nbsp; vrste roda <em>Myriophyllum</em>&nbsp; sp. bile osetljivije,&nbsp; &scaron;to&nbsp; ukazuje&nbsp; na njihovu primenljivost u proceni rizika od pesticida specifičnog mehanizma toksičnog dejstva.<br />&nbsp; &nbsp; Iako&nbsp; obe vrste roda&nbsp; <em>Myriophyllum</em>&nbsp; imaju&nbsp; prednosti i nedostatke&nbsp; kao test<br />organizmi,&nbsp; vrste se&nbsp; mogu&nbsp; smatrati reprezentativnim akvatičnim ukorenjenim<br />makrofitama i predstavljati&nbsp; adekvatne&nbsp; dopunske test vrste u vi&scaron;im nivoima ekolo&scaron;ke<br />procene rizika od herbicida i regulatora rasta.&nbsp; Takođe, vrsta <em>M. aquaticum&nbsp; </em>je pogodna za&nbsp; testiranje u&nbsp; različitim test sistemima,&nbsp; a samim tim&nbsp; ima i veći&nbsp; potencijal primene u preventivnoj, ali i retrospektivnoj ekolo&scaron;koj proceni rizika.</p> / <p>Growth inhibition tests on <em>Myriophyllum&nbsp; aquaticum</em>&nbsp; (Vell.) Verd.&nbsp; and <em>Myriophyllum spicatum</em>&nbsp; L.&nbsp; were conducted in order to assess their use in refined risk assessment&nbsp; of chemicals, as well as in&nbsp; sediment&nbsp; risk assessment.&nbsp; The applicability, stability and sensitivity of the&nbsp;<em> M.&nbsp; aquaticum&nbsp; </em>sediment contact test on natural sediments (from rivers Tami&scaron;, Krivaja and&nbsp; Jegrička) was assessed for use in retrospective ecological risk assessment (ERA). The potential use of the spiked sediment contact test in risk assessment&nbsp; of&nbsp; sediment bound chemicals was&nbsp; also investigated. The sensitivity and applicability of the growth inhibition tests on&nbsp;<em> M. aquaticum</em>&nbsp; and&nbsp; <em>Myriophyllum </em>spicatum&nbsp; in a water-sediment system was assessed for potential use in prospective ERA of plant protection products.</p><p>A part of the results of this study was included in the final report of the two&nbsp; international ring tests, which resulted with new standardised methods with rooted macrophytes:&nbsp; ISO 16191/2013 i&nbsp; OECD&nbsp; 239/2014. Tests on&nbsp; <em>Myriophyllum</em>&nbsp; species were compared to standard Lemna&nbsp; tests.&nbsp; Test substances in <em>M. aquaticum</em>&nbsp; and&nbsp; <em>Lemna minor&nbsp; L</em>. tests were 3,5 dichlorphenol, atrazine, isoproturon, trifluralin, 2,4 D and dicamba, while substances used in&nbsp;<em> M. spicatum&nbsp;</em> tests were atrazine, isoproturon and 2,4 D.</p><p>The sediment contact test proved to be simple and robust, while <em>M. aquaticum</em> can be considered as an adequate test model in a one-compartment (sediment) test. The validity criteria regarding control plant growth and variability was met. The use of an additional control is suggested when testing of sediments with considerably different properties of the standard synthetic control is taking place.&nbsp; The spiked sediment contact tests with atrazine showed that the method could be applied in prospective risk assessment of sediment bound chemicals.</p><p>The water-sediment growth inhibition test with&nbsp; <em>Myriophyllum</em>&nbsp; species proved to be applicable in practice, with high stability, statistical power and low variability of the majority of the growth parameters.<em>&nbsp; M. aquaticum&nbsp;</em> and&nbsp; M. spicatum&nbsp; didn&rsquo;t show major&nbsp; differences&nbsp; in sensitivity to tested substance.&nbsp; The sensitivity of&nbsp; <em>Myriophyllum</em> and&nbsp; Lemna&nbsp; tests was also similar, except to auxin simulators, where&nbsp; <em>Myriophyllum </em>species were considerably more sensitive, which makes them adequate&nbsp; candidates for use in risk assessment of chemicals with specific mode of action.</p><p>Even though both&nbsp; <em>Myriophyllum</em>&nbsp; species show advantages and disadvantages as test organisms, they can be regarded as representative rooted aquatic macrophyte species and additional test species in refined risk assessment of herbicides and growth regulators. &nbsp;Also,&nbsp; <em>M. aquaticum&nbsp; </em>can be tested in various test syytems, which makes this species &nbsp;applicable in prospective as well as retrospective ecological risk assessment.</p>

Limitations from reduced light and increasing water depth on Nelumbo lutea seedlings were determined in tank experiments. Survival was high in all tested light levels. Total biomass increased significantly with increasing light. Biomass allocation shifted significantly to root production between 3 and 6 weeks in the 10 and 24% levels. Survival decreased with increasing planting depth, and biomass of survivors reduced significantly between 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m depths. Nelumbo lutea and Myriophyllum spicatum populations were monitored for one season in a 0.7 ha pond to track changes in species dominance. Myriophyllum spicatum dominated early, and N. lutea dominated from July through October, suppressing M. spicatum at all depths. Competitive interactions between N. lutea and M. spicatum were investigated for two seasons in a container experiment situated within a pond. Where established, N. lutea dominated in the presence of M. spicatum. However, N. lutea could not be established in depths greater than 1 meter.

The effects of increasing nitrogen and phosphorus loading on submerged macrophyte development was tested in a mesocosm experiment for three months. Experiment consisted of three NO3-N loadings with factorial of two PO4-P loadings in a fourfold replicated design. Twenty four enclosures placed at one meter depth were isolated from the lake but kept open to sediment and atmosphere. Each enclosure stocked with ten Myriophyllum spicatum shoots with underyearling fish to reduce zooplankton grazers. Biweekly sampling and weekly nutrient additions were performed for three months. Mean total nitrogen (TN) concentrations sustained in nitrogen treatments through out the experiment were 0.52, 1.99, 8.07 mg/l. Both phosphorus treatments converged to a mean concentration below the targeted level, ranging between 0.05-0.1 mg/l TP. In comparison to mesocosm studies in temperate lakes, higher assimilation rates for nutrients were observed in Lake Pedina. Due to extraordinarily high evapotranspiration and drought in 2007, the water level decreased 0.6 m in enclosures. Total macrophyte biomass remained indifferent to nutrient treatments with continuous growth and failed to validate any direct or indirect negative effect of increasing nutrient concentrations. Phytoplankton biomass differed significantly among factorial treatments but remained low, while periphyton biomass differed among nitrogen treatments. In comparison with other studies the phytoplankton biomass remained low and the periphyton biomass became high for reference TP concentrations, indicating a competitive advantage of periphyton over phytoplankton on nutrient utilization in the enclosures. Zooplankton:phytoplankton biomass ratio was low throughout the experiment and zooplankton community mainly consists of smaller species, reflecting high predation pressure.

The physiological responses of Myriophyllum spicatum to 2,4-D, diquat and copper were quantified using a plant tissue viability assay, and daily measures of dissolved oxygen and pH. Correlations of herbicide tissue residues to physiological response measures were determined and the relationship was used to develop exposure-response models. Diquat and copper had a greater effect on plant tissue viability than was observed for 2,4-D. Diquat produced greater reductions in dissolved oxygen concentrations and pH values than 2,4-D or copper. Copper exposure had the least effect on these parameters. Exposure-response models developed for 2,4-D predicted effective control at plant tissue residues ranging from 4000 to 4700 mg/kg. Aqueous exposure concentrations necessary to produce effective control plant tissue residues ranged from 0.20 to 0.40 mg/L. Exposure-response models developed for diquat predicted effective control at plant tissue residues ranging from 225 to 280 mg/kg. Aqueous exposure concentrations necessary to produce effective control plant tissue residues ranged from 0.113 to 0.169 mg/L. Exposure-response models developed for copper predicted effective control at plant tissue residues ranging from 680 to 790 mg/kg. Aqueous exposure concentrations necessary to produce effective control plant tissue residues ranged from 0.32 to 0.64 mg/L. Model predictions for 2,4-D, diquat and copper were within 0.5 mg/L of the manufacturers' label recommendations for these herbicides. The use of laboratory microcosms in development of exposure-response models for diquat and copper produced results comparable to those using the larger-scale greenhouse systems. Diquat effectively controlled M. spicatum at lower tissue residues than 2,4-D or copper. In addition, initial aqueous exposure concentrations were also lower for diquat. Use of these models in field situations should be coupled with considerations of quantity of biomass present and environmental conditions, such as turbidity, in order to accurately calculate exposure concentrations necessary for effective tissue residues. Thus, the use of these models can be used to optimize the impact on the target species while minimizing exposure for nontarget species.

Macroinvertebrate communities inhabiting an exotic, Myriophyllum spicatum, and a native, Heteranthera dubia macrophyte were studied from March 1999 to June 2000 in experimental ponds. Although macrophyte architecture explained some variation in macroinvertebrate abundance between the two macrophytes, most variation was explained by the sampling months. Total number of macroinvertebrates was found to be positively correlated with epiphyton biomass which differed significantly between the two plant types and among sampling months. Taxa richness did not vary between the two plant types. Chironomid larvae were the most abundant organisms and dominated by Apedilum elachistus on both plant communities. Annual production of five chironomid species was estimated by the size-frequency method. Production estimates (P) in g dry wt m-2 yr-1 of plant surface area for the predator Tanypodinae larvae were: Larsia decolarata, P= 0.77 and 0.67, Labrundinia virescens, P= 0.59 and 0.35 on M. spicatum and H. dubia, respectively. Larvae of Cricotopus sylvestris and Psectrocladius vernalis were collected from M. spicatum from March to mid-June. Production of C. sylvestris was found to be 0.46 g dry wt m-2, whereas it was 0.07 g dry wt m-2 for P. vernalis for this period. Apedilum elachistus exhibited the highest productivity: 9.9 g dry wt m-2 yr-1 of plant surface area on M. spicatum, and 8.5 g dry wt m-2 yr-1 on H. dubia. These production estimates are among the highest production values reported for a single species. Additionally, post-ovipositing development times for five chironomid species collected from Myriophyllum and Heteranthera were determined. Three different temperatures (15°, 20° and 25°C) were chosen to rear eggs under 12L: 12D photoperiod. Egg development times ranged between 1-4 days. Larval development times ranged from 44 days at 20°C for Tanypus neopunctipennis to as few as 9 days at 20°C for Larsia decolorata.

[Truncated abstract] An investigation into the causes of heartwood and essential oil content of Australian plantation sandalwood, Santalum album was undertaken. Genetic diversity of 233 S. album, five S. austrocaledonicum and fifteen S. macgregorii trees growing in the Forest Products Commission arboretum, Kununurra WA, was assessed using nuclear and chloroplast RFLPs. Santalum spicatum was chosen as an out-group. Nuclear genetic diversity of the S. album collection was very low, with observed and expected heterozygosity levels of 0.047. This was lower than the results previously reported in the literature for trees in India, however a different technique was used. Based on allelic patterns, the collection was able to be categorised into 19 genotypes; each representing some shared genetic origin. Some groups were highly redundant with 56 trees being represented, while others were populated by just one tree. The essential oil yield and heartwood contents of trees from these genetic groups were compared. Yields were highly variable both within and between groups of trees which share a common genetic history, suggesting a significant environmental component was contributing to the observed phenotype, despite identical soil and climatic conditions. Ancestral lineages were tested using chloroplast RFLPs, although a lack of shared mutations between species made this difficult. Only one S. album tree originating from Timor was resolved using nuclear RFLPs, with the other trees being grouped with material sourced from India. There was no resolution of Indian S. album from Timorese using chloroplast RFLPs, however one S. album tree grown from Indian seed possessed a single unique mutation. The low genetic diversity of the Australian S. album collection is likely to be a combination of incomplete seed sourcing and highly restricted gene flow during the evolution of the species. Combined with information gathered on the phylogeny of the genus by other researchers, S. album is postulated to have originated from an over-sea dispersal out of northern Australia or Papua New Guinea 3 to 5 million years ago. Essential oil yield and composition was assessed for 100 S. album trees growing in the collection, ranging in age from 8 to 17 years. Oil content of heartwood ranged from 30 mg g-1 to 60 mg g-1, and the transition zone 36 mg g-1 to 90 mg g-1. Sapwood contained almost no sesquiterpene oils. Despite the highly variable total oil yields, the chemical profile of the oil did not vary, suggesting there was limited genetic diversity within this region of the genome. Strong, positive correlations existed between v sesquiterpenoids in the essential oil of S. album. ... These represent the first TPS genes to be isolated from sandalwood and will enable further elucidation of oil biosynthesis genes. This thesis compiles a three-pronged approach to understanding the underlying causes of oil yield variation in S. album. As a species for which so little is known, the research presented here provides a major leap forward for tree improvement, breeding and silviculture. Hence the best of Santalum album research is presented.

Submitted by (edna.saturno@ufrpe.br) on 2016-06-21T12:53:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Juliana Ramos de Andrade.pdf: 535601 bytes, checksum: 6196e7d4ba3109b000c13f69d90f6c56 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-21T12:53:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Juliana Ramos de Andrade.pdf: 535601 bytes, checksum: 6196e7d4ba3109b000c13f69d90f6c56 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-14 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / The different conditions for the establishment of plants such as water availability, light intensity, shading preserved fragments differ from the conditions of anthropogenic areas. In dry environments, the herbaceous cover predominates in the re-colonization of deforested areas, can act as a good group to evaluate the biological impacts of changes in habitat heterogeneity in the process of resilience of dry forests. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate whether the natural regeneration of the herbaceous layer in two microhabitat (parts exposed to direct sunlight and diffuse light) differed between preserved and disturbed areas of scrub and describe how this occurs. The study took place in the semi-arid(caatinga) in preserved and disturbed areas, where they were established 50 plots of 1 m² in area, with 25 allocated in microhabitat called direct light and 25 in microhabitat called diffuse light, we assessed the density, height , number of living individuals, number of individuals killed and fruit yield of each species. The herbaceous species were selected for study Delila biflora (Asteraceae), Gomphrena vaga (Amaranthaceae) and Pseudabutilon spicatum (Malvaceae), significant differences between areas and between preserved and anthropogenic microhabitat of direct and diffuse light in terms of density and survival only for first two species. Fruit production was higher in the area preserved for the three species. The study concludes that: 1. the effect of the existence of microhabitat with direct light and diffuse light in areas preserved and anthropogenic depends on the species considered, 2. populations sensitive to variation in light intensity vary in the number of individuals, height and fruit production of plants 3. resilience in areas of anthropogenic semi-arid environments can be characterized by the existence of spatial heterogeneity on the emergence and survival of herbaceous seedlings, suggesting that regeneration areas can occur by anthropogenic spots. / As diferentes condições de estabelecimento das plantas como a disponibilidade de água, intensidade luminosa,sombreamento em fragmentos preservados diferem das condições de áreas antrópicas. Em ambientes secos, a cobertura herbácea predomina na re-colonização de áreas desmatadas, podendo funcionar como um bom grupo biológico para avaliar os impactos das mudanças da heterogeneidade de habitats no processo de resiliência de florestas secas. Diante disso, objetivou-se avaliar se a regeneração natural do estrato herbáceo em dois microhabitates (trechos expostos à luz direta e a luz difusa) diferia entre áreas preservadas e antropizadas da caatinga e descrever como isso ocorre. O estudo ocorreu no semi-árido brasileiro (caatinga) em áreas preservada e antropizada, onde foram estabelecidas 50 parcelas de 1 m² por área, sendo 25 alocadas no microhabitat denominado luz direta e 25 no microhabitat denominado luz difusa, foram avaliadas a densidade, altura, número de indivíduos vivos, número de indivíduos mortos e produtividade de frutos de cada espécie. As espécies herbáceas selecionadas para o estudo foram Delilia biflora (Asteraceae), Gomphrena vaga (Amaranthaceae) e Pseudabutilon spicatum (Malvaceae), houve diferença significativa entre áreas preservada e antrópica e entre microhabitates de luz direta e difusa quanto à densidade e sobrevivência apenas para as duas primeiras espécies. A produção de frutos foi maior na área preservada para as três espécies. O estudo conclui que: 1. o efeito da existência de microhabitates com luz direta e luz difusa em áreas preservada e antrópica depende da espécie considerada; 2. as populações sensíveis à variação da intensidade luminosa apresentam diferenças quanto ao número de indivíduos, altura e produção de frutos das plantas; 3. a resiliência de áreas antrópicas de ambientes semi-áridos pode ser caracterizada pela existência de heterogeneidade espacial quanto a emergência e sobrevivência de plântulas herbáceas, sugerindo que a regeneração de áreas antrópicas possa ocorrer por manchas.