We investigated the influence of socioeconomic factors (age, gender, and occupation) on the local knowledge of medicinal plants in the Araripe National Forest, Brazil, and the priority of conservation of the species as perceived by people. Additionally, priority species for in situ conservation were identified by calculating conservation priority (CP). Initially, free lists were developed with 152 informants in order to identify the plants known and used by them. Based on the most cited plants in these lists, a salience analysis was performed to identify the ten most prominent tree species. In a second moment, through a participatory workshop, these ten species were classified by the perception of local experts as to their environmental availability and intensity of exploitation. Then, the population size of the forest plant species was quantified through a phytosociological sampling and the conservation priority index (CP) of the species was calculated. A total of 214 ethnospecies were cited by the informants, which were identified in 167 species. Local knowledge was influenced by socioeconomic factors, with positive correlation between age and local knowledge and difference in knowledge among professions. Among the ten most prominent tree species in terms of their medicinal importance, Hancornia speciosa was highlighted as a priority for conservation in the experts’ perception because it has low environmental availability and a high exploitation rate. The ten species were ordered by the CP differently from the ordering made by the local experts’ perception, indicating that people’s perception of species conservation status may not correspond to the actual situation in which they are found in the forests. Conservationist measures based on the perception of informants need complementary ecological studies on the species accessed.

A fenologia observa o desenvolvimento vegetativo e reprodutivo das plantas e a interferência que fatores bióticos e abióticos realizam em cada evento fenológico. Entretanto, estudos fenológicos são ainda incipientes em florestas tropicais secas, especialmente no Semiárido brasileiro. Assim, objetivou-se estudar a fenologia de seis espécies lenhosas da caatinga (Dipteryx odorata, Cordia oncocalyx, Poincianella pyramidalis, Manihot pseudoglaziovii, Handroanthus heptaphyllus e Pseudobombax cf. marginatum), além da relação entre fenofases e variáveis ambientais. As fenofases foram observadas em viagens quinzenais à Floresta Nacional de Açu, Nordeste do Brasil. O brotamento foliar ocorreu no início da estação chuvosa e queda foliar no início da seca. Verificou-se que apenas Dipteryx odorata não floresceu. As outras espécies floresceram em meados da estação chuvosa ou no final desta. A frutificação ocorreu geralmente em meados do período chuvoso e no início do seco. A precipitação foi o fator que mais influenciou as fenofases. No entanto, outras variáveis também apresentaram uma correlação significativa principalmente com brotamento e queda foliar. Os dados fenológicos detectados para essas espécies foram similares aos observados em outras áreas de caatinga, sugerindo que as plantas lenhosas desse ecossistema possuem uma tendência de suas fenofases, com poucas modificações ao longo de um gradiente espacial e temporal. Palavras-chave: Fenofases; FLONA/Açu; Floração; Frutificação; Semiárido AbstractPhenological study of native tree species in a protected area of caatinga in Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. Phenology takes into consideration the vegetative and reproductive development of plants under Biotemas, 27 (2): 31-42, junho de 2014 ISSNe 2175 http://dx

Marine angiosperms are submerged marine plants with a wide global distribution, occurring in temperate and tropical areas where they form meadows that harbour algae and marine fauna that are important for the functioning of the coastal ecosystem. This study is a floristic survey of the seagrasses occurring in the coastal region of the State of Piauí, Brazil. Five species were recorded for two genera in two families; for the Cymodoceaceae: Halodule wrightii Asch., Halodule beaudettei (Hartog) Hartog and Halodule emarginata Hartog; and for the Hydrocharitaceae: Halophila decipiens Ostenf. and Halophila baillonis Asch. ex Dickie. Species descriptions, an identification key, and information on geographic distributions and habitats of the five taxa are presented. All species are native but only Halodule emarginata is endemic to Brazil, and is reported here as a new record for Piauí, extending its range northwest from the coast of the neighbouring state of Ceará.