MARRA, R.C., TREMARIN, P.I., ALGARTE, V.M., LUDWIG, T.V. Epiphytic diatoms (Diatomeae) from Piraquara II urban reservoir, Paraná state. Biota Neotropica. 16(4): e20160200. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1676-0611-BN-2016-0200Abstract: We conducted a taxonomical study of epiphytic diatoms on the macrophytes Polygonum hydropiperoides, Ludwigia peruviana and Alternanthera philoxeroides collected in the mesotrophic reservoir Piraquara II flooded in 2009, located in the state of Paraná. A total of 135 infrageneric taxa were identified, among them five at generic level and other five are first records to the state. We provided illustration, valve metrics, meristics limits and taxonomic reference for each taxon. Also, life forms and species frequency are given. The most frequent diatoms totalized 15.3% of total identified taxa and sporadic species represented 54.7%. Achnanthidium minutissimum (Kützing) Czarnecki and Brachysira neoexilis Lange-Bertalot occurred in more than 90% of analyzed samples. Among the very frequent diatoms we found other species included in Achnantidium, Fragilaria and Eunotia. The solitary Discotella stelligera (Cleve & Grunow) Houk & Klee and the short chain Aulacoseira tenella (Nygaard) Simonsen are free living species that entangle among diatoms from the biofilm. Keywords: Bacillariophyta, freshwater, macrophytes, mesotrophic, periphyton, taxonomy. Diatomáceas epifíticas (Diatomeae) no reservatório urbano Piraquara II, estado do ParanáResumo: Realizamos um estudo taxonômico das diatomáceas epifíticas nas macrófitas: Polygonum hydropiperoides, Ludwigia peruviana e Alternanthera philoxeroides, coletadas no reservatório Piraquara II, uma represa urbana mesotrófica inundada em 2009, localizado no estado do Paraná. Um total de 135 táxons infragenéricos foi determinado, entre os quais cinco foram citações pioneiras para o Estado. Ilustrações, limites métricos, merísticos e referências taxonômicas para cada táxon foram providenciadas. Também, dados sobre formas de vida e frequência das espécies foram adicionados. As diatomáceas mais frequentes totalizaram 15,3% dos táxons determinados e as espécies esporádicas representaram 54%. Achnanthidium minutissimum (Kützing) Czarnecki and Brachysira neoexilis Lange-Bertalot ocorreram em mais de 90% das amostras analisadas. Dentre as diatomáceas muito frequentes encontram-se outras espécies de Achnanthidium, Fragilaria e Eunotia. Discostella stelligera (Cleve & Grunow) Houk & Klee, uma diatomácea solitária, e Aulacoseira tenella (Nygaard) Simonsen, com cadeias curtas, são espécies livres que se emaranham entre as diatomáceas do biofilme.

The shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora.

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Actinella leontopithecus-rosalia is a poorly known diatom described from southeast Brazil. Its similarity with other Actinella taxa and the lack of morphological data make it difficult the species recognition by researchers. This study addresses unpublished morphologic and morphometric details of frustule and expands the geographic distribution of A. leontopithecus-rosalia to tropical and subtropical regions of South America. The analysis of type and paratype materials and additional Brazilian samples under light and electron microscopy allowed us to establish the synonymy of A. lange-bertalotii with A. leontopithecus-rosalia, and to compare them also with the related A. modesta.

Blueberries are valued for their taste and their high nutritional benefits, including their antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. In vitro culturing is an alternative method for clonal propagation, and has been used in many biotechnological studies. Most blueberry research is concentrated on highbush and lowbush taxa (Vaccinium corymbosum and Vaccinium angustifolium respectively), with only limited investigations of rabbiteye cultivars (Vaccinium virgatum) that are more suitable for subtropical climates and regions with warmer winters as a result of climate change. There is therefore a need to determine in vitro protocols for that species and group of cultivars. We examined here adventitious shoot regeneration in the 'Delite' rabbiteye blueberry cultivar. Leaf explants were cultured in vitro in Woody Plant Medium (WPM), and the effects of different thidiazuron (TDZ) concentrations, the orientation of the leaf (adaxial or abaxial surface in contact with the medium), and two portions of the leaf segment (basal or apical) were examined. De novo shoot development was studied using light and scanning electron microscopy. All concentrations of TDZ used showed similar survival and regeneration rates; 0.5 μM TDZ showed high efficiency in regenerating adventitious shoots (100%, with 57 adventitious shoots/ explant), as did the adaxial surface in contact with the medium using either the apical or the basal portion of the leaf (97% shoot regeneration, 47.5 adventitious shoots/explant). Anatomical analyses showed direct and indirect organogenesis. The shoots developed leaf primordia with stomata, trichomes, and well-developed vascular tissues, with further elongation and rooting of the plants. We therefore describe here a high-efficiency regeneration method through de novo shoot organogenesis using TDZ in foliar explants of rabbiteye blueberry, with direct and indirect organogenesis.

A vegetação urbana influencia as condições climáticas e biológicas de determinado local, e podem trazer inúmeras contribuições ecológicas, econômicas e sociais. Portanto, objetivou-se avaliar quali-quantitativamente a arborização da Praça Agostinho Nohama, localizada na zona norte do município de São Paulo (SP), para garantir os benefícios proporcionados pelas áreas verdes. Para tanto, foram inventariados todos os indivíduos arbustivos e arbóreos com circunferência a altura do peito (CAP) ≥10 cm, e observaram-se características físicas, biológicas e fitossanitárias. Foram quantificados 333 indivíduos vivos, distribuídos em 85 espécies, pertencentes a 67 gêneros de 36 famílias. Há cultivo de espécies exóticas no local. Sobre as condições gerais dos espécimes amostrados, 289 indivíduos (85,3%) estão em bom estado de conservação, 39 (11,5%) necessitam de cuidados por apresentarem injúrias físicas e/ou biológicas e, 11 (3,2%) precisam ser removidos, por oferecerem risco aos seus frequentadores. A Praça apresenta importante papel ecológico, por interagir com líquens, insetos, epífitas e aves. A fim de contribuir com a diversidade regional e possibilitar atividades de educação ambiental, sugere-se um plantio das espécies nativas do complexo, Cantareira.

The Paranaguá Estuarine Complex (PEC) is one of Brazil's largest southwest Atlantic estuarine systems, possessing a rich microalgae diversity that remains to be fully explored. Therefore, due to the increasing interest in the microalgae biotechnological potential, this study isolated and identified diatoms found in the PEC. The diatoms were purified and analyzed with light and scanning electron microscopy for morphological identification, while DNA sequences were used for molecular identification. Although a diatoms rich diversity was obtained, only a few were viable after the cultivation period. The two best-selected strains were identified as belonging to two genera, Nitzschia and Navicula. The rbcL region was found to be the most informative for species identification. Morphological and molecular analyses allowed for the identification of HIGHLIGHTS • Species identification by morphological and molecular analyses • The first rbcL sequence report for Navicula pseudoantonii • First record of Navicula pseudoantonii in the American continent