SABIIA - Sistema Aberto e Integrado de Informação em Agricultura (Sabiia)

Scarano,Fabio Rubio; Cattânio,José Henrique; Crawford,Robert M.M..

Root starch and glucose content were measured for young saplings of 18 Amazonian tidal várzea tree species during a dry season. The pattern of carbohydrate storage depended on the type of plant involved and soil topography which is directly linked to flood regime. Most plants showed high root carbohydrate content at this point in the dry season, however, several typically flood-tolerant species (particularly palm trees) presented a low root carbohydrate content, suggesting a strategy of acquiring reserves during the wet season to survive the dry season, when depletion occurs. Plant survival in these flood-prone forests seems to be the result of more than only one adaptive mechanism.

Structure and phytogeographic relationships of swamp forests of Southeast Brazil

Palavras-chave: Amazon; Carbohydrate; Flooding; Roots; Tidal várzea.

Ano: 1994

URL: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-33061994000200002

Kurtz,Bruno Coutinho; Gomes,Jorge Caruzo; Scarano,Fabio Rubio.

Swamp forests are associated with soils that are saturated or inundated because of a high water table. In Brazil, little is known about the plant ecology of such forests. In this paper, we aimed to describe the phytosociological structure of the tree layer of swamp forests in Restinga de Jurubatiba National Park, in the northern part of the state of Rio de Janeiro, and to evaluate the floristic similarities between these forests and some other possibly related types of vegetation formations in Brazil. The sampling included 84 species, within 62 genera and 34 families. The Shannon diversity index was 3.42, and the Shannon evenness index was 0.77. The forests studied showed an oligarchic structure; Tapirira guianensis, Calophyllum brasiliense and Protium...

A profile of the impact of Acta Botanica Brasilica: reflections on how to improve visibility and recognition of a scientific journal

Palavras-chave: Atlantic Forest biome; Jaccard similarity coefficient; Phytogeography; Phytosociology; Coastal sand plain.

Ano: 2013

URL: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-33062013000400002

Scarano,Fabio Rubio; De Toni,Karen; Amarante,Cristiana Vasconcellos Goulart.

We have estimated the ISI-impact factor of Acta Botanica Brasilica for the past six years, calculated the journal's h-index, calculated the journal's self-citation, examined country and institutions of origin of the papers that cite Acta papers, and examined scope and profile of the most-cited papers published by the journal. Results demonstrated a steep rise in impact factor and citation frequency in 2008, which is most encouraging, but also revealed that the journal is below the level of maturity expected of a 20-year old journal. Visibility of the journal is mostly national although, surprisingly, journal's self-citation of 12% is fairly low. We use Acta as an example to discuss possible strategies to enhance the international visibility of botanical...

In situ variation in leaf anatomy and morphology of Andira legalis (Leguminosae) in two neighbouring but contrasting light environments in a Brazilian sandy coastal plain

Palavras-chave: H-index; Impact factor; Scientometrics; Self-citation.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-33062009000200032

Pereira,Daniela Carvalho; Barros,Cláudia Franca; Scarano,Fabio Rubio.

Andira legalis (Vell.) Toledo is a legume shrub widespread along the sandy plains of the Brazilian coast. It occurs both shaded, in forest habitats, or exposed to full sunlight, in the vegetation islands growing on sand deposits. Previous studies reported a high range of morpho-physiological variation for this species along a geographical gradient. This study compared leaf morphology and anatomy of A. legalis in two distinct but adjacent light environments: a dense forest (shaded) and a scrub of Palmae (exposed). We studied the amplitude of variation for these traits within a small (0.5 ha) geographical area. Leaf anatomy parameters were measured for five leaves collected from five plants in each habitat. The parameters measured were leaf and mesophyll...

Synecological comparisons sustained by ecophysiological fingerprinting of intrinsic photosynthetic capacity of plants as assessed by measurements of light response curves

Palavras-chave: Andira legalis; Atlantic forest; Leaf anatomy; Restinga; Sun-shade plants.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-33062009000100028

Lüttge,Ulrich; Scarano,Fabio Rubio.

In some literature variations in photosynthetic rates are considered to be of little relevance for individual fitness. This depends among other things on how one defines fitness, i.e. if one takes strictly Darwinian fitness as seed production or if one needs to evaluate particular traits and consider plant establishment. It also matters if one takes the Darwinian "organism individual" as the central entity in evolution ("individual fitness") or the "species individual" in a modified "Structure of Evolutionary Theory" sensu Stephen Jay Gould. A phenotypically expressed trait like photosynthetic rate, even if intra- and interspecific differences may be small, can matter in habitat performance and niche acquisition. Light dependence curves (LCs) of...

Palavras-chave: Ecophysiology; Fitness; Light dependence curves; Physiological syn-ecology.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-84042007000300002

Why publish?

Scarano,Fabio Rubio.

This paper forwards an opinion about authors' and journals' motivations for scientific writing. Personal and institutional motivations are listed and discussed and, in regard to biodiversity sciences, I propose that a nationalistic motivation is also pertinent in a biodiversity-rich country such as Brazil. Curiosity and competitiveness should be combined for better results. Finally I discuss ground-breaking science within a post-modern perspective, and how the mere act of scientific writing might trigger both scientific and social revolutions.

Rock outcrop vegetation in Brazil: a brief overview

Palavras-chave: Citation frequency; Impact factor; Science in Brazil; Scientific journals; Scientific writing.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-84042008000100017

Scarano,Fabio Rubio.

This paper overviews the special issue of the Brazilian Journal of Botany dedicated to "Rock outcrop vegetation in Brazil". The main topics covered by this issue are phytogeography and vegetation ecology, plant life on shallow soils, plant reproduction and auto-ecology, morpho-physiology and plant adaptation, and finally conservation and global change. This collection of studies, in addition to other recent publications on Brazilian rocky outcrop vegetation, show that measurements of most of the relevant ecological and evolutionary parameters are under way and that scientific attention is now given to most Brazilian regions. However, there are still several gaps to be bridged: 1) inselbergs and high mountains in the Amazon and the Brazilian northeast, in...

Brazil on the spot: Rio+20, sustainability and a role for science

Palavras-chave: High altitude vegetation; Mountain biodiversity; Rock outcrop vegetation; Tropical inselbergs.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-84042007000400002

Scarano,Fabio Rubio; Silva,José Maria Cardoso da; Guimarães,André Loubet; Raik,Daniela; Boltz,Frederick.

Rio +20, or the United Nations Conference for Sustainable Development, will take place at the end of this month of June 2012. In this paper, our central argument is that Brazil, as the host of Rio+20, has a historic opportunity to make the conference a success and take a decisive step in becoming a world leader in the shift from the traditional development paradigm to a new, sustainable development paradigm. To do that, Brazil will have to resolve a paradox: on the one hand the country has modern legislation and world class science, and on the other hand very poor social and environmental decision-making in recent times. In this column, we examine the green economy as a trajectory that leads to sustainable development and describe some pilot experiences at...

Plant-plant associations and population structure of four woody plant species in a patchy coastal vegetation of Southeastern Brazil

Palavras-chave: Green economy; Rio+20; Sustainable development; United Nations Conventions.

Ano: 2012

URL: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-84042012000200010

Correia,Cristiane Maria Brandão; Dias,André Tavares Corrêa; Scarano,Fabio Rubio.

We examined plant population structure and interspecific associations for juveniles and adults of four woody species (Andira legalis (Vell.) Toledo, Clusia hilariana Schltdl., Protium icicariba (DC.) Marchand and Vernonia crotonoides Sch. Bip. ex Baker) in a patchy vegetation on a sandy coastal plain (restinga) in SE - Brazil. We found 101 vegetation patches in a 0.5 ha grid and these were divided into two distinct size classes, with large patches (> 20 m²) containing the majority of adult individuals of the species studied. The most abundant species, P. icicariba (465 individuals) and C. hilariana (312), had actively regenerating populations, whereas A. legalis (20) and V. crotonoides (338) showed evidence of intermittent regeneration. The regeneration...

Species composition and biogeographic relations of the rock outcrop flora on the high plateau of Itatiaia, SE-Brazil

Palavras-chave: Coastal vegetation; Interspecific association; Restinga; Succession.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-84042010000400009

Ribeiro,Kátia Torres; Medina,Branca Maria Opazo; Scarano,Fabio Rubio.

We studied the flora of vegetation islands on rock outcrops on the Itatiaia Plateau (22°21'S and 44°40'W), at 2,400 m.a.s.l. A total of 114 vascular plant species, which correspond to ca. 20%-25% of the currently inventoried flora of the plateau, were sampled in 197 small vegetation islands (total area of 0.034 ha). Xerophytes and hydrophytes were often found side by side due to environmental heterogeneity at a small scale, explaining in part the high species diversity. Rock outcrops may support floras quite distinct from those in neighbouring habitats, due to the action of strong environmental filters, but in Itatiaia the geographic distribution patterns among rupicolous plants appear to mimic those described for the whole flora around it, with 15.1% of...

Perspectives on biodiversity science in Brazil

Palavras-chave: Atlantic rain forest; Biogeography; "campos de altitude"; Endemisms; Rock outcrops; Rupicolous plants.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-84042007000400008

Scientia Agricola

Scarano,Fabio Rubio.

Biodiversity issues in Brazil have reached a critical point. On one hand, biodiversity science is increasing in quality and quantity, however on the other, habitat destruction in all major biomes still maintain alarmingly high rates. This paradox, from a scientific perspective, has two central tenets that scientists should focus on. First, although science related to biodiversity is of high standard in Brazil as compared to that of peers in the world, it is still not at the leading edge of research. Second, the wealth of information built up by strong research programmes, such as Biota/Fapesp - to which this special issue of Scientia Agricola is dedicated - is beginning to help decision-makers to improve precision and quality of their decisions concerning...