BackgroundThis study evaluated local knowledge of the fodder plants of the Caatinga in northeast Brazil (seasonal dry forest). Specifically, the goal was to catalog local knowledge regarding the use of native and exotic forage plants in two rural communities located in the state of Paraíba (northeast Brazil), to provide information for nutritional investigations and to verify how the knowledge of these resources is distributed.MethodsThe communities were followed for three consecutive years, and interviews were conducted with 44 families (20 men and 24 women). Nine of these individuals were determined by the snowball technique to be key informants who held more specific knowledge about the topic. The data were structured into a database and statistically analyzed.ResultsOverall, 136 plants from 37 families and 113 genera were cited, and the knowledge of men was at a higher level than that of women (p < 0.05). Participants demonstrated a sophisticated knowledge of nutritional characteristics such as nutritional value, palatability, availability and productivity. Native plants were highlighted over the exotic, especially for species of the families Cactaceae, Bromeliaceae and Fabaceae.ConclusionsThe great diversity of plants cited by the informants demonstrates the potential of local vegetation and the importance of traditional knowledge in the research process and in the characterization of forage resources. This diversity also favors the selection of promising species for future biotechnological investigations.

The present study tested the ecological apparency hypothesis in a Brazilian rural community. It used the use value to test the information gained through three types of calculations (UV change , UV general , UV potential ). A vegetation inventory was performed in two areas near Capivara, Paraí-ba, Brazil, and 112 informants were interviewed. For the hypothesis test, the Spearman correlation coefficient was used to correlate the phytosociological (vegetation) and ethnobotanical data (use value). The study recorded 25 useful species in the first site and 20 in the second site. Positive correlations were found in the first site, between the UV g to basal area and dominance, and between the UV c and basal area, dominance, and importance value. In the second site, between the UV g and both basal area and dominance and between UV c and basal area, density, and dominance. Apparency explained the local importance of useful plants in construction, technology, and fuel, but was not explanative of medicine. Also, important responses were observed for the different use values.

No abstract

Visando contribuir com informações sobre a diversidade de Myxomycetes em florestas úmidas e savanas Neotropicais, foram inventariadas as espécies de Physarales associadas a diferentes microhabitats no Parque Nacional Serra de Itabaiana, Sergipe, Brasil (10º40'52"S e 37º25'15"W, 180-670 m, 7966 ha). Durante 20 meses consecutivos foram efetuadas coletas de esporocarpos e de amostras de vários tipos de substratos a serem utilizados na preparação de 590 câmaras-úmidas. Coleções representativas do material estudado foram depositadas no Herbário UFP, com duplicatas no herbário MA - Fungi. A abundância e a constância de cada espécie foram determinadas. Apresenta-se uma lista comentada das sete espécies de Didymiaceae e 24 espécies de Physaraceae identificadas e sua distribuição no Brasil. As Physarales estão presentes em todos os microhabitats analisados, esporulando na estiagem e na estação chuvosa; fimícolas e suculentícolas foram registradas apenas em câmara-úmida. As espécies mais abundantes foram Physarum viride (Bull.) Pers., P. stellatum (Massee) G.W. Martin e P. cinereum (Batsch) Pers. Exceto Diachea silvaepluvialis M.L. Farr, P. cinereume Physarum roseumBerk. & Broome, todos os táxons constituem primeira referência para Sergipe. Diderma rugosum (Rex) T. Macbr., Didymium dubium Rostaf. e Physarum pulcherrimum Berk. & Ravenel estão sendo referidas pela primeira vez para o Brasil.

A historical review about the native food species from caatinga in Pernambuco state, Brazil was conducted. A matrix of the food plants was created using a primary source ("Contribution to the study of the flora from Pernambuco, Brazil", by Dárdano de Andrade-Lima) and secondary sources of past use (centuries XVI/ XVII/ XIX), contemporary (50s-70s decades) and current (from the 70s decade) to the central work. This study has revealed the potential of the native food flora from caatinga and the importance of prioritizing the record of this information, which is proven, the number of research for nutritional analysis of these species is still limited.