As one of the largest agricultural producers in the world, Brazil is one of the countries that generates the most agro-industrial waste, such as vinasse, generated in the various processes of the sugar and alcohol industry, and which, when discarded inappropriately, can generate several negative impacts, mainly on water resources. It turns out that the high load of organic and mineral material in vinasse, which can cause harm to the environment, is also a source of nutrients for the growth of microalgae, making it possible to associate the bioremediation of this effluent with the production of compounds of interest, through biomass generated by these microorganisms. With this in mind, in this study the growth in vinasse and the biomass generated from 10 strains of microalgae from the Collection of Microorganisms and Microalgae Applied to Agroenergy and Biorefineries, from Embrapa Agroenergia (DF, Brazil), were analyzed in order to select those with the better performance during cultivation using this residue. After this stage, the objective was to evaluate the impact that vinasse has on the quantitative and qualitative production of biomass from 4 strains, carrying out comparative growth between vinasse and the synthetic medium BG11, in two different cultivation systems and volumes. In screening the 10 strains, all demonstrated good growth in vinasse, with small differences being observed in the biochemical analysis of their biomass, but these are generally expected when analyzing different species. Regarding comparative growth, while analyses of pigments and fatty acids from microalgae biomass grown in a volume of 10 mL demonstrated that vinasse did not generate any impact, positive or negative, on the production of these molecules, alterations are noted when analysing the biomass produced in the 1 L cultures, including in growth, biomass yield, cell diameter and the molecules of interest analyzed (fatty acids and pigments), indicating that both the change in the composition of the vinasse and the conditions of cultivation may have had a significant impact on the development of microalgae in this residue. Auxin analysis adds to these results, demonstrating that these microorganisms have the potential to produce phytoregulatory molecules and that this production can be directly affected by vinasse, its composition and the cultivation system in which it is applied.

As a basic discipline, Botany occupies a central role in the understanding of plant life and its interaction with the environment, transcending the limits of biological sciences. It is Within the Cerrado biome, it is crucial to improve the ways we teach Botany to encompass the Cerrado biome, enabling the students to get to know and to increase their empathy with a fascinating ecosystem that is currently highly threatened. The first chapter analyses teh presence of Botany in the Brazilian education documents, highlighting the gaps found within the Common National Curricular Base (BNCC) and the Moving Curriculum of the Federal District. Following that, the second chapter proposes na investigative didactic sequence using communication and information technologies (CITs), aiming to make Botany teaching more meaningful and stimulating. Finally, the third chapter explores the potential of interpretative trails as a didactic resource, based in a floristic survey carried out at the Chapada Imperial Ecological Reserve. Such initiatives aim to promote a dinamic and contextualized approach to Botany teaching, contributing towards the formation of citizens that are both knowledgeable and engaged towards their environment and its conservation.

Aquatic macrophytes colonize most aquatic ecosystems. The dynamics and distribution of aquatic macrophytes are subject to numerous biotic and abiotic factors, with their diversity being determined by the combination of environmental factors such as isolation, habitat diversity, hydroperiod, wetland size, and anthropogenic pressures. In this sense, our aim is to understand the dynamics and distribution of aquatic macrophytes in the southern Amazonia, evaluating variations on both environmental and temporal scales. To describe a species list, field collections supplemented with herbarium records for the southern Amazonia were used. Sixteen points along the Teles Pires River and its tributaries were selected to study environmental and temporal variation. At these points, the occurrence, biomass, and life forms of the aquatic macrophyte community were recorded, along with limnological parameters and surrounding vegetation. Herbarium records were used to determine floristic relationships between watersheds, describing contrasting compositions among basins, sub-basins, and micro-basins. In addition to a comprehensive species list and floristic comparisons with other domains, we clearly describe patterns of environmental and temporal variation in the structure of the aquatic macrophyte community, as well as provide information on the composition of these species by basin in the southern Amazonia.

The representability of native species in the ornamental plants market is scarce and the introduction of native species in this market can help the conservation of genetic material of these species by their knowledge, use and popularization. In Brazil, a low number of native species are found in floricultures and nurseries and this is a vast field for the development of new research and studies regarding the cultivation, domestication and propagation of native species for ornamental use. From a ranking of species of Cuphea section Melvilla, a section of the genus that presents several species notables for the beauty of their flowers, the species Cuphea pulchra Moricand (Lythraceae) was chosen for evaluation of its potential as an ornamental pot plant due to its attributes meeting several criteria. For the evaluation of the ornamental potential, the "Composite Index of Ornamental Potential of Tropical Species" was used as a basis, through which a set of desirable characteristics for potential native ornamental species was evaluated, including the gathering of morphological and phenological data, aspects of the interaction of the species with fauna, rusticity, among others. With this species, we explored data on ways of propagation and handling, aspects of great importance to support a greater use of native species in the ornamental market. Viability and seed germination tests, evaluation of behavior for seedling production in nurseries, cuttings tests, pruning and plant wiring tests, and substrate tests were performed. Cuphea pulchra proved to be a rustic plant, resistant to high temperatures and low humidity, with beauty, viability for cultivation and management, with great potential to be incorporated into the ornamental pot plant market.

Microalgae are photosynthetic organisms capable of biofixing CO2 and producing high value compounds from the biomass in their cell growth. Some species are capable of releasing extracellular metabolites with potential applications, but only the biomass is processed to obtain these products. Meanwhile, huge volumes of cell growth-medium remain unexplored. Microalgae’s growth-medium optimization is focussed on nitrogen sources and the selection of most promising species, like Chlorella Sorokiniana. Therefore, the present study aimed to analyze the impact of C. Sorokiniana’s growth under a mixture of three nitrogen sources combined in the production of extracellular compounds. Four culture media were used: the species standard (BG11) as control; a culture with urea (BGU) as the main nitrogen source, a culture with potassium nitrate (BGK) as the main nitrogen source, and a culture with a mix of urea, potassium nitrate and ammonium nitrate (BGCON) as the main nitrogen source. Culture growth was monitored using optical density, cell Count and weighing the dry biomass. Compound detection was done using gas chromatography in conjunction with mass spectrometry. Metabolites were identified by comparing them to mass spectra using the NIST Research Library and were then quantified using the MetAlign software. The culture with BGK showed the highest cell density and dry biomass productivity when compared to the control (BG11). This is an expected result since ammonium nitrate in high concentrations may inhibit biomass growth. It is possible that this may be the reason why the media containing Nitrate and Ammonium Nitrate (BG11, BGK, and BGCON) allowed for slower growth compared to the BGU medium, in which Urea is the main nitrogen source. The comparison of medium by CG-EM detected significant differences in 30 compounds from a total of 752 founds, 3 of which were identified. Tests with compounds from no urea medium (BG11 and BGK) presented 11 compounds with significant differences from a total of 599 analyzed, of which 3 were identified. From this present study, it is concluded that C. Sorokiniana has the potential for the production of biomass and extracellular metabolites and in the future, further compounds may be identified, quantified and found to have biotechnological applications.

Introduction: The cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao L.), a species of the Malvaceae family, is a crop of great cultural and economic importance in the world, mainly due to the production of chocolate. However, about 38% of the cultivated cocoa is periodically lost due to pests and diseases, and also, the difficulty of storage, due to the recalcitrance of the seeds. Due to narrow-based genetics and throughout the life cycle, genetic improvement programs are time-consuming, which makes it necessary to develop more efficient intelligence methods for the multiplication of genotypes of interest, such as somatic embryogenesis. Objective: The objective of this work is to develop an optimized protocol for somatic embryogenesis in cocoa varieties, in addition to describing and anatomically characterizing different types of callus and somatic embryos obtained during the different stages of the process. Methodology: This study was carried out at Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, in Brasília-DF. Explants formed by staminoids were collected from flowers of three mother plants (752, 754 and 755) and cultivated in culture media based on the research by Li and collaborators (1998), with the addition of cytokinins kinetin and meta-Topolin in concentrations of 0; 0.5 and 1.0 mg L-1, following a completely randomized experimental design in a triple factorial scheme (3 genotypes × 2 cytokinins × 3 concentrations). The treatments were formed by 5 replications of 10 staminoids each. Results: In the process of somatic embryogenesis there was the formation of calluses after two weeks and the development of somatic embryos in ten weeks. Two types of calluses were identified and differentiated during the experiment, called granular and nodular. The “754” genotype, in the control treatment and in the treatment with the addition of 1 mg L-1 of kinetin, stood out in the rate of formation of somatic embryos. During a phase of somatic embryo development, a high rate of presentation of explants was treated, especially those originating from the control treatment, the treatment most responsive to embryo development. Conclusions: The study demonstrated the existence of genotypic variation in the somatic embryogenesis response in cacao. Callus delivery did not affect embryo formation and the basal region of the staminoid is the most responsive. The addition of test cytokinins did not significantly increase the generation of somatic embryos. Therefore, the medium originally established by Li and collaborators can still be used as a commercial standard for genotypes such as those studied in this work, not requiring the addition of cytokinins, despite the reports in other genotypes.

Morphological vegetative characteristics have often been used in the taxonomic distinction of species within the Piper genus, but variation in size, shape, and indumentum of vegetative parts has led to the creation of species complexes with unclear boundaries. In Brazil, some species occurring in the Cerrado, such as Piper aduncum L., P. corintoanum Yunck., P. flavicans C.DC., P. fuligineum Kunth, P. gaudichaudianum Kunth, P. hispidinervum C.DC., P. macedoi Yunck., and P. malacophyllum (C. Presl) C.DC., are often confused due to their morphological similarity and are included in the “Piper aduncum” Complex. In this study, we investigated the phylogeny of the group using the ITS marker in conjunction with morphological characteristics, morphometric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of seeds in order to clarify the taxonomic identity of these species. 181 specimens of the seven species of the Complex were used for the analyses, and 294 seeds were examined. The analysis revealed that it is not possible to distinguish all the species solely based on morphological or morphometric characteristics, as there is overlap among all the species. However, three internal groups were formed. The first group, denoted as (g), included all specimens of P. gaudichaudianum and was characterized by leaves without basal extensions and curved spikes. The second group, denoted as (f/fl/mc), comprised all individuals of P. fuligineum, P. flavicans, and P. macedoi and was characterized by the presence of basal leaf extensions and erect spikes. The third group, denoted as (a/co/hi/ma), included all individuals of P. aduncum, P. corintoanum, P. hispidinervum, and P. malacophyllum and was characterized by leaves with basal extensions and curved spikes. The results presented here culminate in a taxonomic treatment of species delimitation including note for the synonymization of P.corintoanum to P.aduncum.

The objective of this work was to refine the somatic embryogenesis protocol of an interspecific hybrid of oil palm (Elaeis oleifera x E. guineensis) developed in a biphasic system by improving the differentiation and regeneration stages of plants. In a second experiment, morphological, anatomical, and histochemical differences were examined in normal and hyperhydric somatic embryos of oil palm subjected to treatments with gibberellic acid (GA3). After obtaining these results, proteins and genes differentially expressed in hyperhydric or non-hyperhydric somatic embryos during regeneration will be evaluated. Immature leaf explants of oil palm genotype B351733, inoculated in 2016 on semisolid culture medium supplemented with 30 g/L sucrose, 450 μM Picloram, and 2.5 g/L activated charcoal, were used. For multiplication, calli formed on leaf explants were transferred to a new medium consisting of semisolid MS culture medium supplemented with 30 g/L sucrose, 5 μM Picloram, 20 μM 2-isopentenyladenine (2iP), and 2.5 g/L activated charcoal for 90 days. After 3 months, calli were transferred to Petri dishes with semisolid MS culture medium supplemented with 30 g/L sucrose, 1 g/L casein, 0.25 g/L glutamine, asparagine, arginine, and cysteine, and three concentrations of GA3 (0, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/L) and kept for 210 days. Differentiated somatic embryos that germinated were transferred to a liquid regeneration medium composed of half-strength MS medium supplemented with 30 g/L sucrose, 1.0 g/L hydrolyzed casein, 0.25 g/L glutamine, asparagine, arginine, and cysteine, 1.0 g/L polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVP), and two concentrations of indolebutyric acid (IBA): 1.5 and 11 mg/L. Genetic fidelity analyses were conducted to detect somaclonal variation using ISSR technique with leaves from regenerated plants. For morphological, anatomical, and histochemical analyses, somatic embryos cultured in MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L GA3 displaying normal (Nm) and hyperhydric (Hh) characteristics were photographed, embedded in historesin, and stained with toluidine blue, Lugol's iodine, and Xilidine Ponceau. For proteomic and gene expression analyses, randomly selected normal and hyperhydric somatic embryos from the control and higher GA3 treatment were rapidly frozen in liquid nitrogen. Somatic embryos were macerated and stored at -80°C for RNA extraction. A total of 19 genes potentially involved in hyperhydricity were selected from the literature, and primers were designed using Primer3plus software. Three biological replicates of each condition were used for RNA extraction with Trizol (Invitrogen) and purified using RNAeasy columns. After purification, cDNA synthesis was performed for RT-qPCR analysis using a 7300 96-well Real-Time PCR Systems thermocycler (Applied Biosystems). Candidate genes were chosen based on the literature, selecting those possibly causing hyperhydricity. The results obtained so far showed that the treatment with 1.0 mg/L GA3 led to an increase in differentiation rate (86.2%) and germination (38.4%) of somatic embryos. Despite being the best treatment, the abnormality of hyperhydricity was observed during the differentiation and somatic embryo formation stage. However, the relative risk analysis still showed a higher proportion of somatic embryo formation due to abnormal embryos. Germinated embryos transferred to the liquid medium showed a higher rooting percentage in the 11 mg/L IBA treatment (37%) compared to the lower auxin concentration medium (20%). Furthermore, it was observed that media supplemented with IBA presented secondary somatic embryogenesis. The results suggest the high capacity for clonal plant production of the interspecific hybrid Elaeis oleifera × E. guineensis - B351733 by supplementing the culture medium with GA3 during callus differentiation and somatic embryo germination stages. Regarding the analysis of genetic fidelity, some somaclonal changes were observed in 4 out of 30 analyzed plants. Morpho-anatomical and histochemical analysis results showed a higher number of Nm somatic embryos differentiated per explant, with a germination rate close to zero in Hh somatic embryos. Additionally, a higher accumulation of proteins and starch was observed in Nm somatic embryos compared to Hh ones. It was also found that in Nm somatic embryos, protein reserves were located more in the proximal region (embryonic axis), whereas starch reserves accumulated more in the distal region of somatic embryos. Hh somatic embryos did not show starch reserves and exhibited a higher number of intercellular spaces compared to Nm embryos. However, some Hh somatic embryos exhibited histochemical characteristics similar to Nm, which might explain the occurrence of reversions from Hh to Nm states observed in this study. The results revealed that out of the 19 genes, 17 showed differential gene expression in hyperhydric embryos. Genes involved in stress response, energy metabolism, defense, membrane transport, hormonal regulation, and development were positively regulated, with a particular emphasis on ethylene synthesis and transport. Ethylene production is common in plants under water stress, which, along with gibberellins, promotes plant elongation. Ethylene can also, in some cases, promote water channel opening, leading to plant hyperhydrosis.

Human-accelerated climate change has caused extinctions and reduced biodiversity around the world. Environments with a high frequency of disturbances, such as savannas, may be particularly threatened. The Cerrado biome, a biodiversity hotspot, is mainly composed of savanna formations and has been under great pressure due to habitat loss and climate change. To understand the impacts of climate change on Cerrado vegetation, we carried out two experiments with tree species widely distributed in this biome. In the first experiment we used the species Qualea grandiflora and Tabebuia aurea to test the effect of different durations of dry spells on their development, using irrigation treatments with intervals of 1d, 8d and 15d. Irrigation treatments did not cause seedling mortality of both species. The initial development of Q. grandiflora showed no changes between the different irrigation treatments. Treatment with 15d between irrigations caused less accumulation of T. aurea root biomass, probably due to water stress. However, T. aurea taproot growth did not change between irrigation treatments. The taproot depth may be an important strategy for the survival of seedlings of tree species in savannas. In the second experiment, we used Kielmeyera coriacea, Qualea grandiflora, Tabebuia aurea and Hymenaea stigonocarpa to observe seedling growth parameters of these species in two different scenarios: current, based on historical data; and future, based on IPCC projections for 2100 according to SSP3-7.0. All species showed an increase in the relative growth rate and in the total biomass when submitted to the future scenario. The biomass distribution found in the current scenario of K. coriacea and H. stigonocarpa was maintained when submitted to the future scenario, while Q. grandiflora and T. aurea showed greater investment in aerial than root biomass due to the increase in temperature and concentration. of carbon dioxide. K. coriacea was the species that presented the smallest alteration of the parameters observed in the future scenario and Q. grandiflora was the species that presented the greatest alteration of the initial growth. Although responses to the future scenario varied in relation to the species, all species were favoured by the future scenario. This result may indicate that seedlings of savanna tree species will have better chances of recruitment under conditions of high temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The successful invasion of exotic species might be related to their allelopathic properties, which could hamper the recruitment of native species (novel weapon hypothesis). Also, native species might produce allelochemicals harmful to exotic species, thereby contributing with community resistance to invasion (homeland security hypothesis). Andropogon bicornis is a native grass of wide occurrence over savannas of the Cerrado biome in Brazil and employed in ecological restoration. Its congeneric A. gayanus is an African grass that has invaded native and degraded areas within this biome. The present study assessed the allelopathic potential of A. gayanus and A. bicornis on the initial growth of two native (A. fastigiatus and Lepidaploa aurea) and two exotic species (Melinis minutiflora and Stapfochloa elata) of wide occurrence over the Cerrado. Leaves or roots of the donor (Andropogon) species were each mixed with soil samples collected in the same areas where they spontaneously co-occur with their target species at ratios of 0.75, 1.5 and 3% (litter/soil volume). We found that the exotic A. gayanus inhibited the growth of all target species, what agrees with the novel weapon hypothesis. The native A. bicornis stimulated the growth of the two native species and S. elata but inhibited the growth of the exotic M. minutiflora, in line with the homeland security hypothesis. Our studies suggest that allelopathy might have a part in the invasive process of A. gayanus. On the other hand, the allelopathic potential of A. bicornis inhibited the growth of M. minutiflora, suggesting that A. bicornis might help to control the spread of this exotic grass. We conclude that allelopathy might be involved in the interactions between native and exotic species and be properly used in controlling the spread of exotic species over native and degraded areas of the Cerrado.

Eupatorieae has 2200 species grouped into 182 genera belonging to 20 subtribes. Among the 20 subtribes Praxelinae is the second largest in terms of numbers of the species, wiht around 193 species grouped into seven genera: Praxelis, Chromolaena, Eupatoriopsis, Lomatozona, Praxeliopsis, Eitenia e Osmiopsis. Except for Osmiopsis, the other genera hve representatives in Brazil, mainly in the Cerrado. The Praxelinae subtribe is considered mophyletic, however, the evotionary relationships between the genera are are still uncertain. Considering that in a study published in 2016, only 57% of the genera and 19% of the species of Praxelinae were sampled, there is a need for further sutudies through a greater sampling of the subtribe’s species. Therefore, we seek to: i) reconstruct the phylogeny of the subtribe Praxelinae; ii) present new nomenclatural features in Praxelis; iii) confirm the inclusion of genera circumscribed within the Praxelinae based on morphology using molecular tools. As results, we present three manunscripts in chapter form. The first chapter corresponds to the phylogeny of the Praxelinae subtribe. A total of 32 species of Praxelinae in a matrix of 202 Asteraceae (mostly Eupatorieae) were analyzed, and ten new nuclear and /or plastid sequences (ITS and ndhF) were generated, thus sampling all genera of the tribe, as well as their type species. In the second chapter, we present a published manuscript that includes the description of a new species of Praxelis and a new synonymization in P. capillaris, as well as the recognition of the previous synonymization of P. grandiflora in P. kleinioides disregarded by Flora and Funga of Brazil. Finally, in the third chapter, we investigate the origin of Osmiopsis plumieri, discuss the incongruity found between the topology of the nuclear and chloroplast trees which strongly suggests that the species is a hybrid between Koanophyllon and Praxelis, and review the taxonomic consequences of its hybrid status.

The genus Arachis has 83 described species, 67 found in Brazilian territory and 46 endemic to Brazil. The genus is divided into nine sections, its species with a natural distribution in south american territory and increasing economic and ecological value. The fruits morphological study is mostly focused on its main cultivated species, Arachis hypogaea L., data that this work complements with the characterization of fruits in wild species, in order to expand knowledge, help management of materials in Germplasm Banks, as well as analyzing the morphological diversity between populations. The study was carried out with a total of 46 species, 36 occurring in national territory and 29 endemic to the country, contained in eight of the genus’s sections. Measurements of length and width of fruit segments were carried out, as well as morphological characterization according to beak, reticulation, crest and nipple, condition of the pericarp, presence of hair, soil adhesion and isthmus insertion site. The descriptors used were valuable in some cases in the differentiation and identification of samples and species, and an identification key was created as of them for the species of the very diverse section Heteranthae Krapov. & W.C.Greg., of which the nipple presence is more typical. Low morphological and morphometric diversity was observed in Procumbentes Krapov. & W.C.Greg., with the exception of the very divergent cultivar Arachis villosulicarpa Krapov. & W.C.Greg. Length increase in segments was observed in coastal populations for Arachis stenosperma Krapov. & W.C.Greg., and centrifugal pattern of increase, from the species dispersion center, in segments between populations of Arachis veigae Santana S.H. & Valls. Arachis pintoi Krapov. & W.C.Greg, on the other hand, showed distributed diversity without distinction between populations of three river basins. Through characterization, it was also possible to indicate potencial inaccuracies in the identification of samples.

The Malpighiaceae family is more diverse in the neotropical region, with South America as its center of diversity. Some genera of Malpighiaceae are highlighted for presenting species with economic, ornamental and Banisteriopsis caapi (Spruce ex Griseb.) C.V. Morton for religious use. Banisteriopsis sensu stricto (s.r) has 61 species that occur from northern Mexico to southern Argentina and the largest number of taxa are found in Brazil, with emphasis on the Central Plateau, where 48 are found, 34 of which are endemic. Gaps in the knowledge of Banisteriopsis remain pending, as is the case of names that lack lectotypifications and groups of species that are difficult to circumscribe. Due to the sociocultural importance of the Ayahuasca beverage, a study of the species of a strongly supported clade that includes B. caapi more five species: B. schwannioides (Griseb.) B. Gates, B. adenopoda (A.Juss.) B. Gates, B. pulchra B. Gates, B. confusa B. Gates and B. latifolia (A.Juss.) B. Gates. These taxa are related to species groups, the Malifolia group was analyzed, as it contains B. confusa and B. latifolia and five more difficult to circumscribe species, not included in the phylogeny and with a distribution centered on the Cerrado. The objective of this work is to expand the phylogenetic knowledge, morphological and nomenclatural of the genus Banisteriopsis to understand the evolution of the clade where B. caapi and the Malifolia group are located. The first step of this work was a nomenclatural study with the proposition of lectotypes and a neotype of names related to the clade of B. caapi. For the constitution of this chapter, the protologues were revised so that the lectotypes and neotypes were in accordance with the author's concept of each name. Four lectotypifications and one neotypification were proposed. The second step, which constitutes chapter 2, was a morphometric analysis of the group constituted by B. malifolia, which is formed by six species and a variety of difficult circumscription. 22 quantitative and 15 qualitative characters and more information about a collector, location and geographic coordinates of 176 specimens were collected. The delimitations of seven species were tested and, in the second hypothesis, it was verified the possibility of these seven species being reduced to two taxa that represent the subgroups B. malifolia e B. variabilis. To test the delimitation proposal that can better explain the morphological variability present in the dataset, a PERMANOVA analysis was used in the morphological distance matrix, independently comparing the morphological variation with the classification by seven species and by two groups. The characters that best discriminate the taxa were analyzed. For qualitative characters, independence tests were used using the chisquared contingency table. For continuous characters, Kruskal-Wallis analyzes were performed with subsequent discrimination between taxa using the Wilcoxon paired test. To test whether the morphological variability of the widely distributed species is greater than that of the narrowly distributed species and to test whether the groups are more morphologically cohesive than the species, an ANOSIM analysis was performed. ANOSIM was conducted comparing whether the variability found in the morphological distance matrix was better explained by the proposed delimitation with seven species or with two groups. To analyze whether samples that are geographically close are more morphologically similar, a geographic distance matrix was created to be compared with the morphological distance matrix. The two matrices were then subjected to a distance correlation analysis through the Mantel Test using the “mantel” function implemented in the vegan package v2.5. The degree of conservation of the species was analyzed using the Geospatial Conservation Assessment Tool (GeoCAT) based on the guidelines of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). An identification key and illustrations were constructed. The results revealed that the hypothesis of seven species is superior to the two species. The results for the ANOSIM analysis showed that the species that have a wide distribution have low morphological variability and the most restricted do not have low morphological variability. The result of the Mantel test did not confirm the third hypothesis about the geographically closer individuals being more morphologically similar. It was shown that the hairiness character of the leaf and the length of the petiole are the most discriminating of the subgroups and species, respectively. Banisteriopsis latifolia, B. hatchsbachii and B. hirsuta are threatened.In the third and final stage of this work, a phylogenetic analysis of the species related to B. caapi was carried out with the objective of including sequences of species that had not yet been included in the phylogeny of the genus and to clarify the evolutionary relationships of the clade. Twelve samples were sequenced with matK and PHYC primers, not having satisfactory and clean samples for analysis. The second sequencing was performed with 23 samples with trnL, trnK, PHYC and ITS primers. Only the ITS samples from B. caapi, B. oxyclada and B. membranifolia showed cleaner sequences and defining base pairs. Maximum Likelihood Analysis, presented clades with low bootstrap value, Maximum parsimony and Bayesian Analysis presented high bootstrap values and posterior probability.  

Brazil is considered a megadiverse country and has large remnants of vegetation, which still cover about 60% of the country and harbor a considerable part of the Earth's species in a variety of ecosystems. One key ecosystem is the Cerrado, which harbours a rich and endemic flora but highly threatened by habitat loss and degradation caused mainly by agricultural expansion. Despite its importance, many areas in the Cerrado remain poorly sampled, particularly those in the Matopiba, an agricultural frontier located in the northern portion of the Cerrado. To fill biodiversity gaps in that region, we carried out a floristic survey in the Estação Ecológica Serra Geral do Tocantins (EESGT), one of the largest reserves in the Cerrado. Based on field inventories and search on public species occurrence databases (3623 records) we cataloged 985 vascular species for the EESGT, distributed in 136 families and 483 genera. Ferns and Lycophytes comprise 33 spp. belonging to 17 families and 27 genera, while angiosperms have 952 spp. distributed in 119 families and 456 genera. The richest families are: Fabaceae (114 spp.), Poaceae (58), Rubiaceae (50), Asteraceae (41), Cyperaceae, Melastomataceae and Myrtaceae (39), Malvaceae and Euphorbiaceae (27), Apocynaceae (26), Eriocaulaceae (23), Malpighiaceae (21) and Lamiaceae (20). Most species (871) in our checklist were not evaluated for the degree of threat by the national authority on endangered plants (CNCFlora). Among 113 species evaluated, two were considered Critically Endangered, nine Endangered and seven Vulnerable. New species occurrences were recorded for the states in which the EESGT is located (23 for BA and 222 for TO). We also list 16 species that are considered endemic to the Matopiba region. Therefore, the present work brings important records of species relevant to conservation, as they can support actions for the management and conservation of Brazilian biodiversity.

Banisteriopsis C.B.Rob. occurs from Mexico to Tropical America, has 61 described species and belongs to the family Malpighiaceae Malpighiaceae is widely distributed throughout the Neotropics, encompassing 77 genera and more than 1,300 species. Banisteriopsis caapi (Spruce ex Griseb.) C.V. Morton stands out in the family because of its widespread use as a component of Ayahuasca, Hoasca, Yagé, Vegetal, Santo Daime and many other names. Ayahuasca was originally used by indigenous groups in the northwest Amazon. Rubber tappers founded the three main religions in Brazil that use the tea in religious rituals: the União do Vegetal (UDV), Santo Daime and Barquinha. Many developments of these religions and diverse uses of Ayahuasca have been practiced throughout Brazil, from where it has expanded to almost every continent. It is noteworthy that the use of Ayahuasca in Brazil is regulated by Resolution No. 5 of CONAD, November 4, 2004, which explicitly states that the tea is made from a decoction of the vine B. caapi and the leaf of Psychotria viridis Ruiz & Pav. Because B. caapi is widely cultivated by the traditional communities that use it, the occurrence of lineages with morphologies and teas with distinct characteristics is recorded, which are treated as "etnotaxa. In formal science there have also been records by botanists, who have considered some etnotaxa as species. One example is B. inebrians C.V.Morton described based on a sample from the etnotaxa 'yagé-del-monte' in Colombia. This name is accepted as a synonym of B. caapi in most databases, but is considered a good species by some authors. Two species of Tetrapterys were also described based on etnotaxa. Although the recognition of etnotaxis is abundantly described in the literature, the same does not occur with regard to herbarium sampling. Besides not being very abundant, most of the herbarium specimens are from sterile individuals. Banisteriopsis rusbyana (Diplopterys longialata (Nied.) W.R.Anderson & C.Davis) is a name given to an Ayahuasca etnotaxa, described on the basis of a sterile specimen. Thus, Ayahuasca is a consensual term applied to a tea of distinct botanical composition. A team from the University of Brasilia has done a study, with herbarium documentation, of the etnotaxa recognized by the urban groups that make use of Ayahuasca. Several etnotaxa are recognized by such groups but, as in the international scenario, the smallest part of the herbarium vouchers are fertile. Intrigued by this problematic linking or not the etnotaxa to formal taxa, the questions that outlined this thesis emerged: 1. "Are the etnotaxa recognized by the urban Brazilian Ayahusaque communities B. caapi or do they belong to another species already described? Can the etnotaxa be considered as taxa, following the parameters of formal science, that is, is the most accepted circumscription of B. caapi satisfactory? Could Banisteriopsis caapi be a recent domesticated species? To answer these questions, three chapters were developed, trying to use the best methodological tools. Finally, morphometric analyses of the available vegetative characters - including characters from the stem anatomy made available by another study - and of the generated DNA sequences, as barcode, were performed. Principal Component Analyses (PCA), Gaussian Mixed Models (MMGs), Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA), the BarcondingGap, Meier's Best close match, Neighbour-Joining (NJ) and Rosenberg's probability of reciprocal monophyly analyses were used to test models, where ethnotaxes would or would not be considered species (Chapter 3). In all phylogenetic analyses, the etnotaxa were positioned in a large polytomy, with no genetic differentiation to separate the etnotaxa, as well as not being positioned close to other clades of Banisteriopsis. The biogeographical study showed that the genus originated in the Cerrado and spread to the Amazon, with a dipersion peak around 18 million years ago. The dating showed that B. caapi appeared 3.2 million years ago, i.e., its origin predates the arrival of man in America. The six groups/ethnotaxes tested in the morpho-anatomical analyses were confirmed, they are: Arara, Ourinho, Pajezinho, Quebrador, Caupuri and Tucunacá. Considering that the molecular analyses do not show significant differences in DNA sequences, we argue that the etnotaxa analyzed are part of the B. caapi circumscription. Thus, the etnotaxa analyzed here, from crops of Ayahuasca religious centers, do not belong to another species, especially Banisteriopsis. The current circumscription of B. caapi does not include part of the etnotaxa recognized in the ethnocalysification, those with a stem different from the type specimen. The fact of morphological differentiation brings the inference that the etnotaxa may be domesticating, but the lack of difference in genotype means that a closer analysis is needed to confirm this possible domestication. Thus, this work encourages further research to better understand ethnoclassification.

The Orchidaceae are recognized for their uniquely beautiful flowers. Because of this, they are widely used as ornamental plants, either as cut flowers or pot plants. The seedling production process begins with the asymbiotic germination of their seeds, followed by a multibrotting phase and the elongation of the plants grown in vitro, and later acclimatization. Each of these stages requires the use of culture medium and growth regulators appropriate for each species. Thus, our work aimed to develop protocols for all phases of in vitro cultivation of two Cyrtopodium species native to the Cerrado with ornamental potential: C. parviflorum and C. withneri. Initially, seed viability was measured using the tetrazolium (TTC) test in two conditions of preconditioning for 24 h, soaking in distilled water or in 10% sucrose solution, and two types of staining with 1% TTC, diluted in water or in a phosphate buffer, and as a control, direct staining with 1% TTC without soaking was performed. After this step the asymbiotic germination of the seeds was performed, where three Knudson C (KC) and Murashige & Skoog (MS) culture media were tested, in normal concentration and with half salts (½ MS), with and without the addition of activated charcoal (AC). Protocorms obtained from asymbiotic germination were grown on medium without addition of AC, in 10 combinations of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) in order to verify the best concentration for induction of multibrotting. Buds from the multibrotting stage with 2-2.5 cm height were elongated in two systems: i. gelled medium with and without AC; ii. Temporary Immersion Bioreactor (TIB) with immersion for 3 min every 2, 4 or 8 h, without growth regulators except for 8 h. Plants then obtained in the elongatio n phase were transferred to a greenhouse and grown in vermiculite substrate for 100 days for acclimatization. Leaf samples were extracted from plants at the end of the elongation and acclimation phases to quantify chlorophyll and carotenoid levels. Leaf samples from these phases were also fixed in FAA 50, and later the epidermis was dissociated to count stomata and determine stomatal density. The viability test using the TTC showed differences among the species and among the treatments used, especially regarding soaking. The most uniform treatment was the one with soaking in 10% sucrose solution and staining in 1% TTC diluted in water. The germination occurred with high percentage in the three analyzed media, with positive effect of the addition of A C. However, germination on KC medium was not viable, since the death of practically all the developed protocorms occurred. Cyrtopodium parviflorum showed preference for germination on MS, while for C. withneri the preference was for ½ MS, both media with AC added. The multibrotting phase showed high survival of both species at lower concentrations of BAP, with a significant reduction at 2 and 4 mg/L (T7-T10). The production of shoots was also affected by the increase in BAP concentration, especially in C. parviflorum, which had root development inhibited at any concentration employed (0.5-4.0 mg/L). The other parameters evaluated also indicated the deleterious effect of the cytokinin used. The use of NAA also did not prove to be advantageous, since cultivation without the addition of growth regulators showed, in general, the best results. The elongation phase presented contrasting differences between the two systems. In the TIB system the mortality of the explants was almost complete, while in the gelled medium there was survival higher than 90%. In the gelled medium, the explants developed successfully, with greater height than described in the literature. The acclimatization was performed only with elongated plants in gelled medium with and without AC. Cyrtopodium withneri showed 100% survival and C. parviflorum 94%. The plants fully developed their pseudobulbs, and some new sprouts. The substrate used, vermiculite, was adequate for this stage. At the end of the 100 days of acclimatization, there was a difference in the size of the plants, with C. withneri reaching twice the height of C. parviflorum plants. This difference in height may just be the manifestation of the genetic characteristics of each species. Thus, the acclimatization of C. parviflorum and C. withneri can be conducted in a greenhouse with 50% light, daily irrigation, and the use of vermiculite as substrate. The quantification of chlorophylls and carotenoids showed significant increases of these pigments when passing from the elongation phase to the end of the acclimatization. The contents of these pigments varied during the phases, being higher for C. parviflorum at the end of acclimatization, and for C. withneri at the end of elongation. Stomatal density showed practically no difference among species and treatments, as well as when compared to plants grown in field conditions. In general, the stomatal density of the two species was high, being a characteristic of them, because in the literature there are species with high density and others with low stomatal density. At the end of the study it could be verified that the in vitro production of seedlings of C. parviflorum and C. withneri can be successfully performed with the use of the protocols evaluated here, being recommended the germination, multibrotting and elongation in MS for C. parviflorum and ½ MS for C. withneri, and acclimatization in vermiculite. The use of growth regulators and elongation in TIB are not recommended, due to the low response of the species to these substances and to the elongation system.