Strawberry plants (Fragaria x ananassa) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) represent species, withinagriculture and forestry respectively, that are traditionally protected by utilization of pesticidesincluding neurotoxic insecticides. More environmentally friendly protection strategies are thereforehighly desirable. Treating plants with specific metabolites naturally occurring in their tissues might alterepigenetic mechanisms, which in turn may strengthen plants self-defense against diseases and weevilattacks. F. x ananassa and P. sylvestris seeds were treated with 2,5 mM nicotinamide and 2,5 mMnicotinic acid in order to investigate possible epigenetical effects by analyzing changes in the level ofthe DNA methylation. The epigenetic changes, for both plants, were analyzed on the global DNA level.Reduction in the DNA methylation level in strawberry leaves as well as the DNA methylation increase inpine needles were observed by means of LUMA-analysis when HpaII restriction enzyme was used in theanalysis. Further investigation is required in order to understand if NIC and NIA may have a significantimpact on pathogen attack in strawberry plants and Scots pine. More research may also unveil ifnicotinamide and nicotinic acid can play a potential role in more sustainable defense strategies ofplants. / Jordgubbsplantor (Fragaria x ananassa) och tallar (Pinus sylvestris) representerar växter inom jord- ochskogsbruk som traditionellt skyddas genom användning av bekämpningsmedel, detta inklusiveneurotoxiska insekticider. Mer miljövänliga skyddsstrategier är därför mycket önskvärda. Behandling avväxter med specifika naturligt förekommande metaboliter genererade av växterna kan påverkaepigenetiska mekanismer. Förändringar på den epigenetiska nivån kan, i sin tur, bidra till förstärkningav växternas eget självförsvar mot sjukdomar och insektsangrepp. Frön av både F. x ananassa och P.sylvestris behandlades med 2,5 mM nikotinamid och 2,5 mM nikotinsyra i syfte att undersökaeventuella epigenetiska effekter. Detta genom att analysera förändringar i graden av DNA metylering ide behandlade plantorna. De epigenetiska förändringarna för jordgubbsplantor och tallar analyseradespå den globala DNA-nivån. Minskad DNA-metylering i jordgubbsblad samt ökad DNA-metylering itallbarr observerades med hjälp av restriktionsenzymet Hpall och LUMA-analys. Ytterligareundersökningar behövs för att kunna förstå om NIC och NIA kan ha en inverkan på patogenangrepp ijordgubbsplantor och tall. Mer forskning kan också avslöja om nikotinamid och nikotinsyra kan ha enbetydande roll inom hållbara försvarsstrategier för växter.

The Swedish forestry and the use of clearcutting models has resulted in great losses of older forests in Sweden, resulting in several species being affected negatively. Hair lichens are important organisms that are providing several ecological functions in forest ecosystems and are declining due to being associated with older forests with high continuity. This study investigates the occurrence and dispersal ability of the genus Alectoria, Bryoria and Usnea between older forests and young secondary forests in three different areas in Storuman municipality, Västerbotten county. Bryoria were found on all trees in all forest patches, both in the old and young forest patches, while Alectoria had much lower occurrence in the young secondary forest. Usnea had no observed pattern in occurrence between the different areas. The average length of the lichens, here used as a proxy for lichen biomass, showed a statistical difference in biomass between areas for genera Bryoria and Usnea. The genera Alectoria showed a difference in biomass between areas, distance to closest older forest and the interaction between these two. Therefore, this study suggests that Alectoria is limited in dispersal in these areas. Some of the results could be explained by distribution and dispersal ability of the studied genera. To further evaluate the differences seen in occurrence and biomass between the genera and the different areas more studies are needed. This could provide important information for sustainable forestry that favors lichens and benefits reindeer husbandry.

Il est probable que les changements climatiques futurs diminuent la croissance forestière en région tempérée. Cette vulnérabilité des espèces face aux contraintes du climat peut être étudiée via les cernes des arbres. Ces derniers sont en effet des archives du carbone utilisé par les arbres pour leur croissance, en lien avec les caractéristiques spécifiques de gestion du carbone et de réponse au climat. L’objectif principal de cette thèse est de déterminer, à partir des cernes, les réponses fonctionnelles de trois essences forestières tempérées (Fagus sylvatica, Quercus petraea et Pinus sylvestris) aux variations climatiques. Pour cela, nous avons réalisé une approche expérimentale en étudiant deux proxys (ou indices climatiques) : la croissance et la composition isotopique en 13C (δ13C) des cernes, à deux échelles temporelles : interannuelle et saisonnière. A l’échelle interannuelle, sur la période 1960-2007, une étude dendrochronologique a été réalisée sur les trois essences et a été complétée par l’analyse du δ13C des cernes (en relation avec le climat). A l’échelle saisonnière, nous avons déterminé précisément, sur une année (2009), les dynamiques de croissance du cerne et les variations de δ13C intra-cerne. Nos résultats mettent en évidence une sensibilité de la croissance et du δ13C des cernes des trois essences aux sécheresses estivales. Grâce à la complémentarité des proxys et des échelles temporelles, nous avons également trouvé des réponses climatiques contrastées entre espèces. La croissance du Hêtre est la plus réactive au climat d’une année à l’autre. Cette croissance ainsi que le δ13C des cernes sont fortement sensibles aux températures de juillet, en plus des précipitations printanières et estivales. Cette réponse immédiate au climat peut être expliquée par une forte dépendance de la croissance au fonctionnement foliaire et une faible utilisation des réserves carbonées pour assurer le début de la croissance. Le Chêne présente lui des arrières-effets climatiques sur sa croissance, via une forte sensibilité aux sécheresses de l’automne précédent, contrairement aux deux autres espèces. Ce résultat est à mettre en relation avec l’utilisation importante de réserves carbonées par rapport aux assimilats pour la croissance du bois initial, cette dernière étant très rapide, comme nous l’avons observé grâce à l’analyse saisonnière de la croissance. Concernant le Pin, la croissance, parce qu’elle dure plus longtemps que celle des décidues, est influencée par les températures et les précipitations de juin jusqu'à août. Le δ13C des cernes de pins est celui qui enregistre le plus la réponse au VPD, aussi bien à l’échelle saisonnière qu'interannuelle, probablement du fait d’une forte sensibilité de la conductance stomatique à ce paramètre. Les informations fournies par les cernes permettent d’appréhender la survie des espèces face aux changements climatiques futurs et peuvent être utilisées pour comprendre le dépérissement lié à ces changements. / Climate change will probably alter the tree growth in temperate forests. The species vulnerability to climatic constraints can be studied using tree rings. The latter's are natural archives of carbon used for tree growth and are linked to species carbon transfer and response to climate. The main thesis objective was to determine the functional response of three temperate species (Fagus sylvatica, Quercus petraea et Pinus sylvestris) under climatic variations using tree rings. For this, an experimental approach was conducted using two proxies (or climatic indices): the radial growth and the carbon isotope composition in 13C (δ13C) of rings at two time scales: interannual and intra-annual (or seasonal). At interannual scale, over the period 1960-2007, a dendrological study was done for three species and was completed by analysis of ring δ13C (in relation to climate). Over one year (2009) at seasonal scale, we precisely determined the radial growth dynamics and the variations in intra-ring δ13C. Our results highlighted growth and ring δ13C sensitivities to summer droughts. Because of proxy and time-scale complementarities, we have also found contrasted climatic responses among species. The beech growth is the most year-to-year responsive to climate. This growth and ring δ13C were highly sensitive to temperature in July in addition to spring and summer precipitation. This quick response of beech growth to climate could be explained by strong growth dependence to leaf functioning and low carbon reserve use to ensure the growth beginning. Contrary to the two others species, long-term consequences of climate on oak growth were found, via a high sensitivity to previous autumnal droughts. This result could be related to the high use of carbon reserves compared to assimilates for earlywood growth, which was very quick as observed by seasonal growth analysis. Concerning pine, the growth was influenced by temperatures and precipitation from June to August because the growth lasted longer for pine than that of the deciduous species. At both seasonal and interannual scales, the ring δ13C of pine trees was the best recorder of the VPD response, probably because of strong sensitivity of stomatal conductance to VPD. The information provided by tree rings allow to anticipate the species survival under future climate change and could be used to understand the declining due to these changes.

Darbo objektas: Alytaus miškų urėdijos Punios girininkijos Punios šilas. Darbo metodai: vizualinis žievės formų ir medžių būklės vertinimas; taksacinių rodiklių ir morfometrinių parametrų matavimai; pHCaCh2, suminių anglies, azoto ir sieros koncentracijų nustatymas. Darbo rezultatai: nustatyta skirtingų žievės formų pušų įvairovė ir paplitimas, būklė ir augimas, morfologiniai ir morfometriniai bei cheminiai rodikliai. Rastos gūbriuotosios (40-70 proc), plokštelinės (27-31 proc), egliažievės (10-15 proc.) ir apykaklinės (pavienės) formų geros būklės pušys. Pušynuose 75-100 proc. gūbriuotųjų, plokštelinių ir apykaklinių pušų pušynuose priklausė viršaujantiems ir vyraujantiems medžiams. Apie 60 proc. egliažievių pušų medžių arde buvo stelbiamos ar užstelbtos. Todėl gūbriuotųjų, plokštelinių ir apykaklinių pušų augimo rodikliai (skersmuo, aukštis, lajos parametrai) iš esmės nesiskyrė, o pas egliažievės pušis buvo mažesni. Gamtinės brandos amžiuje pušies formos pagal žievės raštą būna išreikštos vidutiniškai iki 10-12 m aukščio nuo žemės paviršiaus. Gūbriuotosios ir egliažievės f. vidutinis žievės storis siekė 5 cm, plokštelinės - apie 4 cm. Žiauberyje storiausios (apie 3 cm) plokštelės būdingos gūbriuotajai pušiai, plonesnės (1,5 cm) - gūbriuotosioms, o ploniausia (apie 1 cm) - egliažievėms pušims. Pas egliažievės pušis plokštelių vidutinis ilgis (aukštis) siekė 5 cm, plokštelinėje žievėje - 19 cm, o gūbriuotoje - 28 cm ilgį. Apykaklinės f. pušyse apykaklės gali susiformuoti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of the study: to evaluate the morphological forms of Scots pine bark, the abundance, growth and the condition of trees with different bark forms, morphological, morfometrical and chemical parameters of bark forms. The object of the study: Punios šilas in Punios forest district of Alytus forest enterpsise. Methods: visual assessment of different bark forms and the condition of pine trees; measurements of tree growth parameters and the parameters of morphological bark forms; determination of pH and carbon, nitrogen and sulphur concentrations. The results: It was determined that 3 forms prevailed in Scots pine stands: P. s. f. kienitzii Seitz. – 40-70%; P. s. f. seitzii Schwerin – 27-31%; P. s. f. bonapartei – 10-15%. Meanwhile P. s. f. annulata Caspary occurred seldom only on Nbl forest site. The growth and the condition of the trees of f. kienitzii and f. seitzii not differed, while the trees of f. bonapartei were more suppressed. Mentioned bark forms were expressed up to 10-12 meters from the ground level in pine stems. Mean bark thickness comprised 5 cm for f. kienitzii and f. bonapartei, and 4 cm for f. seitzii. The thickest bark plates were found in the f. kienitzii (about 3 cm), meanwhile were lower in f. seitzii (1.5 cm) and f. bonapartei (1 cm). Mean length of the bark plates comprised: in f. bonapartei – 5 cm; in f. seitzii – 19 cm; in f. kienitzii – 28 cm. The number of the bark rings reached n=5-21 in the stems of f. annulata. The bark of different forms... [to full text]

Le lien qui existe entre la diversité et la productivité des écosystèmes constitue un sujet central en écologie. De nombreuses études ont montré une relation positive entre la diversité et la productivité des forêts, ainsi que leur résistance à différents stress comme à la sécheresse. En revanche, peu de travaux ont permis de comprendre les mécanismes à l'origine des avantages observés dans les forêts à plusieurs espèces comparés aux forêts monospécifiques. En particulier, en raison de la difficulté d'accès aux racines, le rôle du compartiment souterrain dans les interactions entre espèces est particulièrement méconnu. L'objectif de ma thèse a été d'étudier l’influence des interactions entre espèces d’arbres sur le système racinaire du hêtre (Fagus sylvatica) sous différents niveaux de contrainte hydrique. Ces travaux ont montré que, au stade jeune plant, la compétition souterraine entre hêtre, chêne et pin était forte et que mélanger les espèces à ce stade pouvait influencer la croissance du hêtre. La disponibilité en eau a un fort impact sur la croissance des plantules de hêtre mais la présence d’autres espèces à proximité des jeunes plants de hêtre n’a pas amélioré leur réponse à la sécheresse. Au stade adulte, dans une plantation forestière, nous avons montré que la présence de l’érable n’influençait que légèrement la profondeur d’extraction de l’eau du hêtre ou la distribution verticale de ses racines. Nous concluons (i) à une absence de séparation des niches souterraines entre ces deux espèces, tant au niveau spatial que fonctionnel (vis à vis de l'acquisition de l’eau), et (ii) que les mécanismes d’interaction souterraine ne semblent pas expliquer l’origine de la productivité plus forte dans la zone de mélange que dans les zones de monocultures. Enfin, j'ai montré que les peuplements mélangés hébergent une communauté fongique plus riche par rapport aux peuplements purs. Cette plus forte richesse de la communauté fongique dans le mélange pourrait contribuer à une meilleure acquisition des ressources hydriques et minérales dans le mélange. Mon travail suggère que les interactions souterraines entre le hêtre et d’autres espèces forestières ne sont probablement pas le mécanisme principal expliquant les effets positifs des mélanges sur la productivité / The link between species diversity and ecosystem productivity is a central issue in ecology. Numerous studies have shown a positive relationship between forest diversity and productivity, as well as a greater resistance to various stresses such as droughts. On the other hand, few studies demonstrated the mechanisms behind the benefits observed in multi-species forests compared to monospecific ones. In particular, the role of belowground interactions among species in explaining the origin of positive effects of species diversity on ecosystem functioning is unknown. The aim of my PhD work was to study the influence of tree species interactions on the root development of beech (Fagus sylvatica) under different levels of water conditions. We showed that at the seedling stage, underground competition between beech, oak and pine was strong and that mixing these species could influence the growth of the beech. Water availability had a strong impact on the growth of beech seedlings, but the presence of seedlings of other species competing with beech did not particularly improve its response to drought. At the adult stage, in a forest plantation, we showed that maple trees competing with beech did not strongly modify the mean depth of soil water extraction of beech trees or the vertical distribution of beech roots. We conclude that (i) there was no separation of the underground ecological niches of these two species, both spatially and functionally (with respect to water acquisition), and (ii) that the mechanisms of belowground interaction between these two species do not seem to explain the origin of the higher productivity in the mixture than in the monoculture zone. Finally, the richest fungal communities were found in the mixed species zone: we hypothesize that greater fungal community richness in the mixture may improve water and nutrient acquisition and then contribute to higher productivity in the mixed species zone. My work suggests that underground interactions between beech and other forest species are probably not the main mechanism explaining beneficial effects of mixtures on productivity

Abstract Wood is an essential material that has many applications in the fields of engineering and especially in the forest industry, which is particularly important in Fennoscandia. Among the various modification methods for wood, thermal modification has grown substantially over the past decades. It is an environmentally friendly method for increasing the lifetime and usability of timber. The aim of this thesis is to characterize the properties of thermally modified wood as well as to obtain new information on the changes taking place in pinewood due to the thermal modification process. Several NMR methods were used to gain information on the effect of thermal modification on the microstructure and moisture components of Pinus sylvestris pinewood. Pinewood samples thermally modified at different temperatures were studied and compared to corresponding unmodified wood samples. Diffusion of water and methane was studied using pulsed-field-gradient stimulated-echo measurements to determine the highly anisotropic size distribution of pores in different cell structures of pinewood. NMR cryoporometry and relaxometry measurements were conducted to gain information on the amounts and environments of both the bound and free water absorbed into the wood samples. Cryoporometry measurements resulted in an upper limit value for the size of bound water sites and the combination of cryoporometry and relaxometry data enabled the size determination of cell wall micropores. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to visualize the spatial distribution of absorbed free water in the studied samples. Together these methods give a broad overall picture of the effects of the modification process. The results of this work give new insight into the microstructure of thermally modified pinewood and its relationship to moisture, which is of importance for both wood science as well as industry. The applicability of the NMR techniques used here to the study of wood is also proven in this work. Using the techniques developed, it is possible to determine the optimal modification temperature, which is high enough to obtain the desired effects, but low enough not to destroy the microstructure of wood. / Tiivistelmä Puuta pystytään hyödyntämään useilla eri aloilla ja se on materiaalina tärkeä etenkin Fennoskandiassa merkittävälle metsäteollisuudelle. Useiden erilaisten puun käsittelymenetelmien joukossa lämpökäsittely on kasvattanut voimakkaasti suosiotaan viime vuosikymmeninä. Kyseessä on ympäristöystävällinen menetelmä, jolla voidaan pidentää puun käyttöikää sekä käytettävyyttä erilaisissa sovelluskohteissa. Tämän väitöskirjan päämääränä on ollut lämpökäsitellyn puun ominaisuuksien tutkiminen ja uuden tiedon saaminen puussa lämpökäsittelyprosessin myötä tapahtuvista muutoksista. Työssä käytettiin useita eri NMR-menetelmiä lämpökäsitellyn mäntypuun (Pinus sylvestris) mikrorakenteen sekä puussa olevan kosteuden aiheuttamien vaikutusten tutkimiseksi. Työssä tutkittiin eri lämpötiloissa käsiteltyjä mäntypuunäytteitä, joita verrattiin vastaaviin käsittelemättömiin näytteisiin. Veden ja metaanin diffuusiota tutkittiin PGSTE-menetelmällä puun erittäin anisotrooppisen solurakenteen sisältämien huokosten mittojen määrittämiseksi. NMR-kryoporometria- ja -relaksometriamittaukset antoivat tietoa puuhun imeytyneen sidotun ja vapaan veden määrästä ja esiintymisympäristöstä. Kryoporometria-mittausten tuloksista saatiin yläraja sidotun veden esiintymispaikkojen koolle, ja kryoporometria- ja relaksometriamittausten tuottaman tiedon yhdistäminen mahdollisti soluseinämien mikrohuokosten koon määrittämisen. Magneettikuvausta käytettiin näytteisiin absorboituneen veden avaruudellisen jakauman määrittämiseen. Käytetyt menetelmät tarjoavat laajan kokonaiskuvan lämpökäsittelyprosessin vaikutuksista puulle. Tämän työn tulokset antavat puutiedettä ja -teollisuutta hyödyttävää uutta tietoa lämpökäsitellyn männyn mikrorakenteesta sekä sen suhteesta kosteuteen. Väitöskirja myös osoittaa käytettyjen NMR-menetelmien soveltuvan hyvin puun tutkimiseen. Tämän tutkimuksen myötä kehitettyjen menetelmien avulla voidaan määrittää mm. optimaalinen lämpökäsittelylämpötila, joka on riittävän korkea haluttujen ominaisuuksien kannalta aiheuttamatta kuitenkaan puun mikrorakenteen hajoamista.

Tall och gran är de vanligaste trädarterna i svenska skogar. Förutom deras ekonomiska värde är de viktiga värdar för andra organismer och nyttjas oftast när de är döda. Säby Västerskog har skyddats i hundra år och är ett urskogsartat naturreservat där inga fördjupade analyser av dynamiken i trädskiktet har gjorts sedan 1930-talet. Denna studie gjordes med syfte av att uppdatera informationen om reservatets trädstatus samt att undersöka mortaliteten hos skogens barrträd. Det som undersöktes var om mortaliteten skiljde sig mellan trädslag, storleksklass och markslag. Förändringar i grundytan och balansen mellan arten undersöktes också. Träd identifierades med hjälp av data från en detaljerad karta från 1937, det togs mått på deras diameter och noterades vilken mark de stod på. Fler granar än tallar har dött i reservatet sedan 1937. Trädens storlek spelade ingen roll för tallars mortalitet, men väl för granar. Granens mortalitet skiljde sig inte mycket mellan olika markslag, men verkade spela roll för tall som hade högst mortalitet på våtmark och lägst på blockmark. Trots mortaliteten ökade trädens grundyta. Balansen mellan arterna förblev samma. / Scots pine and Norway spruce are the most common tree species in Swedish forests. They are important hosts to other organisms – mostly as dead wood. Säby Västerskog has been protected in hundred years but no in-depth analyses of dynamics in the tree layer have beendone since the 1930s. This study was done to update the information about the reserve’s tree status and examined mortality of conifers. I evaluated if mortality depended on tree species, size of the trees, or the type of ground they stood on. I also examined changes in trees’ basal area. The trees were identified with help of an old, detailed map from 1937. Their diameters were measured and the ground type they were standing on was noted. More spruces than pines had died in the reserve since 1937. Mortality varied with the tree size for spruce but not for pines. The mortality of pines varied among ground types (with the highest on wetlands and lowest on boulder deposits), but not for spruce. Despite high mortality basal area had increased. The balance between the species remained the same.

Alpine and arctic tree line expansion depends on the establishment of tree seedlings above the current tree line, which is expected to occur with climate warming. However, tree lines often fail to respond to higher temperatures. Other environmental factors are therefore likely important for tree seedling establishment. Above the tree line, establishing seedlings encounter existing vegetation such as bryophytes, which often dominate in arctic and alpine tundra. Bryophytes modify their environment in various ways and may mediate climate change effects on establishing tree seedlings, and with that tree line expansion. The aim of this thesis was to understand if and how the environment, in particular bryophytes, mediates the impact of climate change on tree seedling establishment at the alpine and arctic tree line. This was explored by reviewing literature on tree seedling establishment at alpine and arctic tree lines globally. In addition, tree seedling survival and growth of Betula pubescens and Pinus sylvestris were assessed experimentally. Here, individuals were planted into mono-specific mats of different bryophytes species and exposed to warming and different precipitation regimes. The literature review revealed that besides from temperature, tree seedling establishment is affected by a wide range of abiotic and biotic factors including water, snow, nutrients, light, disturbance and surrounding vegetation. Furthermore the review revealed that for example vegetation can change tree seedling responses to climate change. The experiments showed that especially tree seedling survival was adversely affected by the presence of bryophytes and that the impacts of bryophytes were larger than those of the climate treatments. Seedling growth, on the other hand, was not hampered by the presence of bryophytes, which is in line with earlier findings that seedling survival, growth and seed germination do not respond similarly to changes in environmental conditions. Moreover, we found several indications that vegetation above the tree line, including bryophytes, mediated tree seedling responses to warming and precipitation or snow cover. This thesis shows that temperature alone should not be used to predict future tree seedling establishment above the alpine and arctic tree line and that extrapolations from climate envelope models could strongly over or under estimate tree line responses to warming. This underlines the value of multi-factorial studies for understanding the interplay between warming and other environmental factors and their effects on tree seedling establishment across current tree lines.

Alpine and arctic tree line expansion depends on the establishment of tree seedlings above the current tree line, which is expected to occur with climate warming. However, tree lines often fail to respond to higher temperatures. Other environmental factors are therefore likely important for tree seedling establishment. Above the tree line, establishing seedlings encounter existing vegetation such as bryophytes, which often dominate in arctic and alpine tundra. Bryophytes modify their environment in various ways and may mediate climate change effects on establishing tree seedlings, and with that tree line expansion. The aim of this thesis was to understand if and how the environment, in particular bryophytes, mediates the impact of climate change on tree seedling establishment at the alpine and arctic tree line. This was explored by reviewing literature on tree seedling establishment at alpine and arctic tree lines globally. In addition, tree seedling survival and growth of Betula pubescens and Pinus sylvestris were assessed experimentally. Here, individuals were planted into mono-specific mats of different bryophytes species and exposed to warming and different precipitation regimes. The literature review revealed that besides from temperature, tree seedling establishment is affected by a wide range of abiotic and biotic factors including water, snow, nutrients, light, disturbance and surrounding vegetation. Furthermore the review revealed that for example vegetation can change tree seedling responses to climate change. The experiments showed that especially tree seedling survival was adversely affected by the presence of bryophytes and that the impacts of bryophytes were larger than those of the climate treatments. Seedling growth, on the other hand, was not hampered by the presence of bryophytes, which is in line with earlier findings that seedling survival, growth and seed germination do not respond similarly to changes in environmental conditions. Moreover, we found several indications that vegetation above the tree line, including bryophytes, mediated tree seedling responses to warming and precipitation or snow cover. This thesis shows that temperature alone should not be used to predict future tree seedling establishment above the alpine and arctic tree line and that extrapolations from climate envelope models could strongly over or under estimate tree line responses to warming. This underlines the value of multi-factorial studies for understanding the interplay between warming and other environmental factors and their effects on tree seedling establishment across current tree lines.

Orientador: André Gonzaga dos Santos / Banca: Fábio Ferreita Perazzo / Banca: Gustavo Henrique Bianco de Souza / Banca: Taís Maria Bauab / Banca: Alexandra Ivo de Medeiros / Resumo: O objetivo geral deste trabalho foi realizar um estudo químico-farmacológico do extrato etanólico de folhas de Casearia sylvestris Swartz (EEtCs), frações obtidas por extração em fase sólida (EFS1: apolar; EFS2: rica em diterpenos clerodânicos; EFS3: polar) e padrões de diterpenos clerodânicos (DC). Os objetivos da parte química foram caracterizar os padrões de DC por espectrometria de massas (full scan e fragmentação) com fonte de ionização por spray de elétrons (ESI-MS e MSn) e identificar DC no EEtCs e na EFS2 por ESI-MS, ESI-MSn e por cromatografia em camada delgada de alta eficiência com detecção por imagem química formada por espectrometria de massas com fonte de dessorção por spray de elétrons (HPTLC-DESI-MS-IMAGING). A parte farmacológica consistiu na investigação da atividade anti-inflamatória e gastroprotetora do EEtCs, frações (EFS1-3) e padrões de DC. A atividade anti-inflamatória foi avaliada por meio de ensaios em ratos, pleurisia induzida pela carragenina e edema de pata induzido por uma fosfolipase A2 de veneno de Bothrops jararacussu (BthTX-II), e os seguintes ensaios in vitro: atividade enzimática das ciclo-oxigenases 1 e 2 (COX-1 e COX-2) e produção de óxido nítrico (NO) e prostaglandina E2 (PGE2) por macrófagos estimulados por lipopolissacarídeo. A atividade gastroprotetora foi avaliada em modelo de lesões gástricas induzidas por indometacina em ratos e ensaio in vitro de atividade anti-Helicobacter pylori. Os resultados levaram às conclusões a seguir. A caracterização dos padrões de DC por espectrometria de massas permitiu estabelecer o padrão de fragmentação dos DC com anel diacetálico do tipo das casearinas, o qual representa uma importante fonte de informação para desreplicação em estudos metabolômicos de extratos vegetais... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The aim of this study was to carry out a chemical-pharmacological study of the ethanol extract from leaves of Casearia sylvestris Swartz (EtECs), fractions obtained by solid phase extraction (SPE1: nonpolar; SPE2: rich in clerodane diterpenes; SPE 3: polar) and standards of clerodane diterpenes (CD). The objectives of the chemical step was to characterize standards of CD by mass spectrometry (full scan and fragmentation) using electrospray ionization (ESI-MS and MSn) and to identify CD in EtECs and SPE2 by ESI-MS, ESI-MSn and high performance thin layer chromatography/desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (HPTLC-DESI-MS-IMAGING). The pharmacological study consisted in investigation of anti-inflammatory and gastroprotective activities of EtECs, fractions (SPE1-3) and CD standards. The anti-inflammatory activity was assessed in rats through pleurisy induced by carrageenan and paw edema induced by phospholipase A2 from Bothrops jararacussu venom (BthTX-II), and the following in vitro assays: enzymatic activity of cyclooxygenases 1 and 2 (COX-1 and COX-2) and macrophage stimulation by lipopolysaccharide to investigate the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The gastroprotective activity was assessed in a model of indomethacin-induced gastric lesions in rats and in vitro assay of anti-Helicobacter pylori activity. The results led to the following conclusions. The characterization of the standards of CD by mass spectrometry demonstrated that it was possible to establish the fragmentation pattern of CD with diacetalic ring like casearins, which is an important source of information for dereplication in metabolomics studies of plant extracts... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor