KNOWLEDGE AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF BRAZILIAN BIODIVERSITY: BIOTA

KNOWLEDGE ANDSUSTAINABLE USE OF BRAZILIANBIODIVERSITY:BIOTA-FAPESP PROGRAM

THE STATE OF SÃO PAULORESEARCH FOUNDATION

KNOWLEDGE ANDSUSTAINABLE USE OF BRAZILIANBIODIVERSITY:BIOTA-FAPESP PROGRAM

SÃO PAULO – BRAZIL

2008

THE STATE OF SÃO PAULO RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Celso LaferPresident

José Arana VarelaVice-president

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Celso LaferEduardo Moacyr KriegerHerman Jacobus Cornelis VoorwaldHorácio Lafer PivaJosé Arana VarelaJosé de Souza MartinsJosé Tadeu JorgeLuiz Gonzaga de Mello BelluzzoSedi HiranoSuely Vilela SampaioVahan AgopyanYoshiaki Nakano

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Ricardo Renzo BrentaniChief Executive

Carlos Henrique de Brito CruzScientific Director

Joaquim José de Camargo EnglerAdministrative Director

Catalogação-na-publicação elaborada pelo Centro de Documentação e Informação da FAPESP

Knowledge and sustainable use of Brazilian biodiversity: Biota-FAPESP Program / The State of São Paulo Research Foundation. – São Paulo : FAPESP, 2008.208 p. : il. ; 21 cm.

Tradução de: Conhecimento e uso sustentável da biodiversidade brasileira: o Programa Biota-FAPESP

1. FAPESP. 2. Pesquisa e desenvolvimento – São Paulo. 3. Ciência. 4. Tecnologia. 5. Projetos de pesquisa – São Paulo (Estado). 6. Biodiversidade. 7. Sustentabilidade. I. The State of São Paulo Research Foundation. II. Título: Biota-FAPEP Program.

CDD 507.20816103/08

Depósito Legal na Biblioteca Nacional, conforme Lei no 10.994, de 14 de dezembro de 2004.

The foundations for environmental conservation

Brazil is the country with the greatest biodiversity, being home to between 15 and 20per cent of the total number of species on the planet, in six large biomas: Amazonia,Caatinga, Atlantic Rainforest, Cerrado, Pantanal and Pampa. The exact dimension of thisbiological wealth will probably never be known, given the continental dimensions of thecountry, the extent of its marine platform and the complexity of its ecosystems. A consi-derable part of this patrimony has been, and continues to be, irreversibly lost, even befo-re it was known, due principally to the fragmentation of habitats, excessive exploitation ofnatural resources and contamination of the ground, the waters and the atmosphere.

Knowledge and conservation of these biomas and their flora, fauna and microorga-nisms is essential, for the very preservation of life on the planet. Aware of this, the State ofSão Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), one of Brazil’s principal agencies for the fun-ding of scientific and technological research, has played an outstanding role in theseendeavors to map the biodiversity in the State of São Paulo. Located in the southeast ofBrazil, on the frontier between tropical and subtropical regions, São Paulo presents anenormous topographical and climatic diversity, representing an area of transition (ecoto-ne) between two biomas – Atlantic Rainforest and Cerrado – with different ecosystemsand enormous biological richness.

In addition to supporting individual projects which lead to a better understanding ofBrazilian nature, as it has done for more than four decades, FAPESP supports projectsof long duration, with multi-institutional bases, such as the thematic Phanerogamic Floraof the State of São Paulo, a survey of the diversity of plants with flowers begun in 1994,which uncovered a large number of new species and the results of which are beingpublished.

In 1999, working closely with the scientific community, FAPESP created the Biota-FAPESP Program, aimed not only at discovering, mapping and analyzing the origins,diversity and distribution of the flora and fauna of the State of São Paulo, but also at eva-luating the possibilities of sustainable exploitation of plants or animals with economicpotential and assisting in the formulation of conservation policies on forest remnants.

In nine years, the Program has supported 84 projects – including Thematic Projects,Support for Regular Research or awards developed in the Support for Young ResearchersProgram – and 400 grants, ranging from Scientific Initiation to Post-doctorate . This publi-cation includes information on projects approved under Biota-FAPESP since the start ofthe program on March, 25 1999, up to July 2008. It also includes a collection of features onthe Program, published in Pesquisa FAPESP magazine.

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Biota-FAPESP Program

The Biota-FAPESP Program has been called the Virtual Institute of Biodiversity owingto the form of its organization, integrating researchers from several institutions and theirstudents. Scientists from the leading public universities in the State of São Paulo, researchinstitutes and non-governmental organizations participate in projects to discover, mapand analyze the biodiversity distributed in land and marine environments and in otherecosystems, as well as proposing alternatives and public policies to preserve it. Biota-FAPESP involves around 1,200 professionals (900 researchers and students from SãoPaulo, 150 collaborators from other states and 80 from abroad).

The 84 research projects supported have resulted in the identification and descriptionof 500 new species of plants and animals, the training of 180 masters and 60 PhDs, infor-mation records on more than 12 thousand species and databases with the contents of 35biological collections. An endeavor that can be translated into the publication of 700 arti-cles in scientific periodicals, 20 books and two atlases.

The information produced by the Biota-FAPESP Program (www.biota.org.br) is indatabases open to the scientific community of Brazil and abroad. Standardization of the col-lections has made it possible to construct the Environmental Information System, SinBiota(http://sinbiota.cria.org.br), which registers and integrates the collections of plants or ani-mals carried out in the State of São Paulo, with geographical coordinates of thousands ofspecies, which may be consulted using the scientific name of the plant or animal, or thename of the collector, or the locality or date of collection.

It is also possible to see the geographical distribution of the points of collection sinceSinBiota is laid out on a cartographic base detailing remnants of native vegetation, refo-rested areas with exotic species (Pinnus and Eucalyptus), conservation units, the river androad networks and the urban areas. This is the second database: the Biota-FAPESP ProgramAtlas, which incorporates the Forest Inventory of São Paulo, a survey coordinated by theForestry Institute. Elaborated on the basis of field surveys, aerial photos and satellite ima-ges, the Inventory monitors the area occupied by remnants of native vegetation in theState of São Paulo.

Based on a larger system, Species Link (http://splink.cria.org.br), has accumulated 2million records of data resulting from research activities or contained in archives ofnational and foreign biological collections.

Other developments of Biota-FAPESP are the electronic scientific magazine Neo-tropica (www.biotaneotropica.org.br), with the relevant results of studies on biodiversityin the Neotropical region, associated or not with the Program, and the Biota Network ofBioprospection and Biotrials (BIOprospecTA – www.bioprospecta.org.br), which integratesresearch groups in the State of São Paulo engaged, directly or indirectly, with the prospec-tion of new compounds of economic interest in microorganisms, macroscopic fungi,plants, invertebrates (including marine) and vertebrates.

In 2007, in conjunction with the Ministry of State for the Environment, the Programproduced the book Guidelines for the conservation and restoration of the State of São Paulo(launched in November 2008) and a series of maps which constitute the scientific supportto orient the strategies of conservation, preservation and restoration of the native biodi-versity in the State of São Paulo.

Based on the book and on the maps – especially the map of Priority Areas forIncreasing Connectivity (see at the end of the publication) –, the Ministry of State for theEnvironment established, by means of a resolution (SMA – 14), in March 2008, the pro-cedures for the suppression of native vegetation for the division of land into lots or anybuilding in urban areas, laying down that the analysis of all requests for use of areas withnative Forest should be based on the categories of importance for the preservation andcreation of conservation units as defined by the publication coordinated by the Biota-FAPESP program.

In September of the same year, a joint resolution of the ministries of the Environmentand of Agriculture and Supplies (SMA – SAA 004) laid out the technical guidelines for thelicensing of enterprises from the sugar-alcohol sector in the State of São Paulo, based alsoon data produced by the Biota-FAPESP Program.

FAPESP: in step with social and economic development

FAPESP’s strategy for promoting science and technology in the State of São Pauloadheres to three principles: the training of human resources, support for academicresearch – especially fundamental in nature, and support for research undertaken with aview to applications. At the same time, the Foundation has maintained, from the date itwas instituted, its commitment to promoting the dissemination and application of resultsof the investments it makes in research in all areas of knowledge. In this role as inducerand promoter of applications of science, the Foundation acts in harmony with the aspira-tions of the São Paulo and Brazilian society and the country’s needs for social and econo-mic development.

To achieve its mission of training qualified human resources and generating knowled-ge, FAPESP has different lines of funding: grants, at different levels and in different moda-lities, and financial support for regular and thematic research projects, awarded to resear-chers at doctoral level in research institutes or institutions of higher education in the Stateof São Paulo.

In research geared to applications the Foundation supports academic projects gearedto specific themes, such as biodiversity, neuroscience, bioenergy and global climate chan-ges, and also the linking up of academic research with research in businesses or in govern-ment, or even research projects in small enterprises.

The Biota-FAPESP Program is multidisciplinary and includes principally ThematicProjects – of long duration and with extensive objectives – Support for Regular Researchand projects from the Young Researchers in Emerging Centers. Working alongside expe-rienced scientists, around 400 grant-holders are making contributions to the scientific dis-coveries of Biota-FAPESP.

MINISTRY OF STATE FOR THE ENVIRONMENTMINISTER’S OFFICE

PUBLISHED ON 14-03-88 – SECTION I – PAGE.36

RESOLUTION SMA-14 OF 13 MARCH 2008.

Defines procedures for the suppression of native vegetation for the division of land into

lots for any building in the urban area.

The MINISTER OF STATE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, in the use of the powers inves-ted in him by Article 94 of the State Decree nº 30,555, of 3 October 1989:

Considering the establishment in article 14 paragraph “a” of the Federal Law nº 4,771, of15 September 1965, which defines in addition to the general precepts to which use of theforests is subject, The Federal or State Public Authority may prescribe other norms whichmeet local peculiarities;

Considering the convenience of defining the basic criteria and general guidelines for thegranting of authorizations for the suppression of native vegetation in order to divide landinto lots or any building for urban use;

Resolves:

Article 1 - The authorization for the suppression of native vegetation for the division ofland into lots or for any building in the urban area, in this last case excepting those buil-ding for Works of public interest the object of Resolution SMA 13-2008, should complywith what is laid down in this Resolution and other pertinent legal norms, by means ofthe presentation of a specific technical study.

Article 2 - The authorization for the suppression of native vegetation for dividing landinto lots or any building in the urban area may be granted by meeting the following con-ditions:

I) authorization may only be conceded for the suppression of vegetation when the preser-vation of native vegetation in the corresponding area is guaranteed to correspond to, atleast, 20% of the area of the property.

II) with respect to that stipulated in clause I, the authorization for the suppression ofvegetation may be granted for up to 70 % of the area of the fragment of native vegetationexisting in the property, in the case of vegetation in the initial stage of regeneration, andfor up to 50 % of the area of the fragment of vegetation existing in the property, in thecase of native vegetation in the medium stage of regeneration.

III) with respect to that stipulated in clause I, in the case of property located on the urbanperimeter defined before the publication of Federal Law 11,428-2006, the suppression ofvegetation in advanced stage of regeneration may be granted for up to 30% of the areaoccupied by the fragment of native vegetation existing on the property.

IV) the remaining vegetation on the property should be annotated in the margin of theregistration of the property in the competent Land Registry Office as Green Area, withannotation being exempt in the case of lots less than 1,000 m2 in area.

§ 1 - Areas of permanent preservation can be annotated as Green Areas, in accordancewith Resolution CONAMA 369-2006.

§ 2 - Where two or more stages of regeneration exist within the property which is the sub-ject of analysis, the criteria will be applied which corresponds to the more advanced stageof regeneration.

§ 3º - In dealing with property located in the urban perimeter defined after the publica-tion of Federal Law 11428-2006 the suppression of native vegetation in advanced stage ofregeneration will not be authorized.

§ 4 - In petitions requesting the suppression of vegetation for lots located in establishedconstruction sites, the Green Areas existing in the construction site should be verified,which if covered by native vegetation could be considered for the purpose of meeting thepercentage of vegetation to be preserved, taking into account, in these cases, the total areaof the fragment of vegetation existing within the construction site, as well as the total areaof the construction site.

Article 3 - The authorization for the suppression of native vegetation for the division ofland into lots or for any building in the urban area, will only be granted when in confor-mity with the Urban Development Plan or through authorization from the Municipality.

Article 4 - In the processes of licensing properties devoid of native vegetation a GreenArea should be constituted corresponding to, at least, 20% (twenty per cent) of the totalterrain.

Sole paragraph – in the case of an area covered in native vegetation not existing in the per-centage envisaged in the ordinance, a signed commitment will be required for the forestryrecomposition of the green area through the planting of native species, allowing plantingof exotic species as pioneers.

Article 5 - In the technical analysis of the requests for the suppression of vegetation thelocality of the vegetation to be suppressed should be evaluated to ascertain whether it islocated in areas indicated for preservation and creation of conservation units of comple-te protection or in priority areas for the establishment of urban green areas, legal reservesor private reserves of the national patrimony and for the restoration of ecological corri-dors linking up fragments of native vegetation, in accordance with the “Project Guidelinesfor Conservation and Restoration of Biodiversity in the State of São Paulo”, coordinatedby the Biota-FAPESP Program.

Sole paragraph – In the case of requests for suppression of vegetation in areas indicatedin the ordinance, supplementary compensatory measures may be demanded in relation tothe ecological importance of the fragment.

Article 6 - This regulation comes into force on the date of its publication, revoking pre-vious dispositions.

FRANCISCO GRAZIANO NETOMinister of State for the Environment

MINISTRY OF STATE FOR THE ENVIRONMENTMINISTER’S OFFICE

PUBLISHED ON 20-09-08 – SECTION I – PAGE 93-94

JOINT RESOLUTION SMA-SAA N 004 OF 18 SEPTEMBER 2008.

Defines Agro-environmental Zoning for the sugar-alcohol sector

in the State of São Paulo.

The Ministers of State for the Environment and for Agriculture and Supplies, in the useof the powers invested in them, Considering the importance of sugarcane activity in theState of São Paulo and its growing expansion, in compliance with the terms of the Agro-environmental Protocol signed between the Government of São Paulo and the sector;Considering the need to refine the procedures for environmental licensing of sugar-alco-hol enterprises and the management of agricultural areas, and to stimulate the sustaina-ble production of ethanol respecting natural resources and controlling pollution, withsocio-environmental responsibility; Considering the need for regulation of the technicalcriteria for the establishment of conditions and differentiated requirements in processesof environmental licensing;

RESOLVE:

Article 1 – Agro-environmental Zoning for the sugar-alcohol sector in the State of SãoPaulo is defined, in accordance with the annexed map, which establishes the followingclassification for areas:

I – Adequate, which corresponds to the territory with edaphoclimatic suitability favorableto the development of the cultivation of sugarcane and without specific environmentalrestrictions;

II – Adequate with Environmental Restrictions, which corresponds to the territory withedaphoclimatic suitability favorable to the cultivation of sugarcane and incidence of Areasof Environmental Protection – (AEP); areas of medium priority for the increase of con-nectivity in accordance with the indication of the Biota-FAPESP Project; and hydrogra-phic basins considered critical;

III – Adequate with Environmental Restrictions, which corresponds to the territory withedaphoclimatic suitability favorable to the cultivation of sugarcane and with incidence ofbuffer zones of the Integral Protection Conservation Units – IPCU; areas of high priorityfor the increase of connectivity indicated by the Biota-FAPESP Project; and areas of highvulnerability of subterranean waters in the State of São Paulo, in accordance with publi-cation IG-CETESB-DAEE - 1997; and

IV – Inadequate, which corresponds to State and Federal Integral ProtectionConservation Units – IPCU; to fragments classified as of extreme biological importancefor conservation, indicated by the Biota-FAPESP Project for the creation of Integral Pro-tection Conservation Units – IPCU; to Wild Life Zones in the Areas of EnvironmentalProtection – AEPs; to the areas with edaphoclimatic restrictions for the cultivation ofsugarcane; and to areas with declivity of more than 20%.

Article 2 – The units of the Ministries for the Environment and for Agriculture andSupplies should take into consideration this mapping for the development of their activi-ties in their respective fields of action.

Article 3 – This regulation comes into force on the date of its publication.

FRANCISCO GRAZIANO NETOMinister of State for the Environment

JOÃO DE ALMEIDA SAMPAIO FILHOMinister of State for Agriculture and Supplies

Thematic Projects – Biota, 17

AGRONOMY

1 Vegetal biodiversity and edaphic organisms in ecosystems of natural and impacted narrowleaf Brazilian pine in the State of São Paulo, 19

BIOLOGY

2 Fauna and flora of remanant forest fragments in northwestern São Paulo State: basis for biodiversity conservation studies, 19

BOTANY

3 Phycological flora in the State of São Paulo, 20

4 Conservation and sustainable use of the plant biodiversity from the Cerrado and Atlantic Rainforest: the storage carbohydrates and their role on the adaptation and maintainance of plants in their natural habitat, 21

5 Morphological, anatomical, histochemical and ultra-structural studies in plants of the Cerrado (lato sensu) in the State of São Paulo, 22

6 Atlantic Rainforest aromatic in São Paulo State: chemical composition of volatile oils and biological activity analysis, 23

7 Embryogenetic studies as a basis for strategies of reproduction and conservation of tree species, 23

8 Diversity of red macroalgae (Rhodophyta) of São Paulo State, Brazil, based on barcoding, morphology and geographic distribution (Rhodo-SP), 23

ECOLOGY

9 Species and interaction diversity in plants and phytophagous insects, 24

10 Diversity of zooplankton in relation to the conservation and degradation of the aquatic ecosystems in the State of São Paulo, 24

11 Lepidoptera of the State of São Paulo: diversity, distribuition resources and use for environmental analysis and monitoring, 25

12 Strengthening of the Biota-FAPESP information system and study of the development of a GIS for the Program, 25

13 The conservation feasibility of the cerrado remnants in São Paulo State, 26

14 Biodiversity conservation in fragmented landscapes at the atlantic plateau of São Paulo (Brazil), 26

15 Structure and functioning of hydrographic basins of meso - and micro - scale in the State of São Paulo: bases for generating and sustaining biodiversity, 27

16 Diversity, dynamic and conservation of trees in forests in the State of São Paulo: studies in permanent plots, 28

17 Ethnoecology of the sea and of the land on the São Paulo coast of the Atlantic Rainforest: fishing areas and use of natural resources, 28

18 Atlantic Ombrophylus Dense Forest: floristic composition, structure and functioning within the Serra do Mar State Park, 29

19 Biodiversity and sustainable use of pollinators, with emphasis on Meliponini bees, 29

GENETICS

20 Monitoring and enlargement of the germplasm bank of medicinal plants of the Cerrado, 30

GEOSCIENCES

21 Biosphere-atmosphere interaction (phase 2): Cerrado and land use changes, 30

MICROBIOLOGY

22 Molecular ecology and polyphasic taxonomy of bacteria of environmental and agroindustrial importance, 31

Summary

23 Diversity of endophytic microorganisms and their biotechnical potentia, 31

24 Biodiversity and functional activities of microorganisms from mangrove of São Paulo State, 32

CHEMISTRY

25 Conservation and sustainable use of the plant biodiversity from the Cerrado and the Atlantic Rainforest: chemical diversity and prospecting for potential drugs, 33

26 Sustainable use of the brazilian biodiversity: chemical and pharmacological prospection on higher plants, 33

27 Conservation and sustainable use of the diversity from Cerrado and Atlantic Rainforest: chemical diversity and prospecting for potential drugs – phase I, 34

28 Search for potential antitumoral, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antidiabetic, acetylcholInesterase and mieloperoxidase inhibitory natural compounds from Cerrado and Atlantic Rainforest, 34

29 Native and cultivated passifloras in Brazil. Pharmacognostic, phytochemical and pharmacological evaluations concerning popular uses and development of local phytomedicines, 34

30 Bioprospection in fungi: the search of lead compounds for drug design and enzymes for pharmaceutical and industrial applications, 35

31 Bioprospection of the brazilian arthropods fauna searching for leader drugs for rational development of novel pharmaceuticals and pesticides, 35

FOREST RESOURCES AND FOREST ENGINEERING

32 Inventory methods of the biodiversity of tree species, 36

ZOOLOGY

33 Fish diversity of the headwaters and streams of the upper Paraná river system in State of São Paulo, Brazil, 37

34 Survey and biology São Paulo state of benthic freshwater insects and oligochaetes, 38

35 Systematics evolution and conservation of eastern brazilian mammals, 38

36 Biodiversity of Isoptera and Humenoptera, 39

37 Benthic marine biodiversity in the State of São Paulo, 39

38 Diversity of mites of agricultural importance and other arthropods associated with them in the State of São Paulo, 40

39 Biodiversity of Arachnida and Myriapoda of the State of São Paulo, 40

40 Diversity and conservation of the reptile fauna in the southeastern Atlantic Rainforest, 41

41 Evolution of the southeastern brazilian reptile fauna from cretaceous: paleontology, phylogeny and biogeography, 41

42 Geographic limits and causal agents of Diptera endemism in the Atlantic Rainforest, 42

43 Survey and biology of aquatic Insecta and Oligochaeta in lotic systems in the state of São Paulo, 43

Young Researchers in Emerging Centers – Biota, 45

ECOLOGY

1 Spatial components of the diversity of aquatic insects in streams of the Atlantic Rainforest in the State of São Paulo, 47

2 Effects of the Forest fragmentation in the State of São Paulo and other regions of the south and southeast of the country in the functioning of populations of fig trees and in the fig-wasp mutualism of figs, 47

OCEANOGRAPHY

3 Blooming of potentially harmful microalgae on the coast of the State of São Paulo, 47

CHEMISTRY

4 Chemical, biological and biosynthetic evaluation of species of red macroalgae of the Bostrychia (Rhodophyta, Rhodomelaceae) genus, 48

5 Studies on the biotransformation of pentacyclic triterpenes by filamentous fungi and evaluation of the antitumoral and trypanocide activities of the derivates , 49

6 Obtaining structural analogues of pimaradienoic acid through the process of fungal biotransformation and study of the effect of these metabolites on the activity of the TcDHODHenzyme and on the contraction of the vascular smooth muscle of the aorta artery of mice, 49

ZOOLOGY

7 Evaluation of the biotic integrity of the rivers of the northwest region of the State of São Paulo, Alto Paraná basin, using communities of fish, 49

Support for Regular Research – Biota, 51

BIOPHYSICS

1 Use of HTS tests in the identification of leading compounds of natural products and approachesto rational planning of medicines for selected targets of parasitic diseases, 53

BIOLOGY

2 Qualitative and quantitative ethnobotanical studies in traditional communities in the PETAR –Alto Ribeira State and Tourist Park and its environs, Iporanga, SP, 53

3 Bioluminescent coleopterans (fireflies) of the Atlantic Rainforest: biodiversity and use as environmental indicators, 54

BIOCHEMISTRY

4 Screening for specific proteasome inhibitors followed by the determination of proapoptotic and antitumoral properties in cell culture, 54

5 Search for inhibitors of antioxidant proteins of Xylella fastidiosa, 54

BOTANY

6 Embryology of species of Asteraceae in the Cerrado lato sensu, 55

7 Morphoanatomy of the vegetative organs and chemical profile of species of the Smilax l. (Smilacaceae) genus, 55

8 Taxonomic aspects of Croton L. (Euphorbiaceae) in the southeast region of Brazil, 56

ECOLOGY

9 Biodiversity of interaction between fruit-eating vertebrates and plants of the Atlantic Rainforest of southeast Brazil, 56

10 Fish and fishing in the Atlantic Rainforest in the south of the State of São Paulo (Brazil), 57

11 Floristic and structural characterization of six fragments of the seasonal semidecidual forest in the environmental protection area of Souzas and Joaquim Egídio, Campinas, SP, 58

12 Diagnosis of populations of birds and cynegetic mammals in the conservation units of the São Paulo Atlantic Rainforest, 58

13 Physiognomic survey of the benthic marine communities of consolidated substrate in the State of São Paulo, 58

14 Biodiversity and social processes in São Luiz do Paraitinga, SP, 59

15 Environmental information system of the Biota-FAPESP Program: development of indicators for monitoring, updating of the titles of the cartographic base and upgrading of the Biota Neotropica magazine, 59

EDUCATION

16 Biodiversity of the Cerrado: a proposal for practical work in the field of the teaching of botany and ecology in the three levels of schooling, 59

PHARMACOLOGY

17 Antimicrobial and anticancer activity of extracts and active principles obtained from vegetal species in the State of São Paulo, 60

GENETICS

18 Genetic structure of natural populations of Cryptocarya spp. (Lauraceae) through isoenzymatic and DNA markers, 60

GEOSCIENCES

19 Biosphere-atmosphere interaction in natural ecosystems and agroecosystems: a monitoring of sugarcane and Cerrado (wooded savanna), 61

20 Environmental study of the river Itanhaém estuary,southern coast of the State of São Paulo, 61

VETERINARY MEDICINE

21 The biodiversity of characterized reproductive models to be preserved in the State of São Paulo. Structure and management of reproduction, placenta and placentation, 62

MICROBIOLOGY

22 Distributed information system for biological collections the integration of Species Analyst and SinBiota, 62

23 Recovery of the biodiversity of an area of Atlantic Rainforest contaminated by heavy metals: a proposal for bioremediation, 63

URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING

24 Environmental Atlas of the municipality of São Paulo: phase 1 – diagnosis and bases for the definition of public policies for green areas in the municipality of São Paulo, 63

CHEMISTRY

25 Bioprospection on the metabolism of prokaryotes from brazilian biomas: exploitation of microbial transformations for synthesis of chiral pharmaceuticals and bioactives compounds, 63

26 The bioprospection of the fauna of arthropods in the State of São Paulo in the search for leader-compounds for the rational development of new Medicines and pesticides, 64

27 Bioprospection of microorganisms for applicationin the synthesis of quiral alcohols of pharmaceutical and industrial interest, 64

FOREST RESOURCES

28 Physiognomic-ecological units associated with remnants of natural vegetal cover, 65

29 Distribution of the community of palm trees in the altitudinal gradient of the Atlantic Rainforest in the northeast of the State of São Paulo, 65

ZOOLOGY

30 Consolidation of the infrastructure and computerization of the fish collection in the Department of Zoology Ibilce/Unesp, São José do Rio Preto, SP, 66

31 Diversity and conservation of the reptile fauna in the southeastern Atlantic Rainforest, 66

32 Diversity of fish in streams and headwaters in the basin of the river Ribeira de Iguape in the State of São Paulo, 66

33 Biodiversity of arachnids (except mites) in the Cantareira State Park, São Paulo, Brazil, 67

34 Systematics, taxonomic revision and biogeographyof the Heptapterini gill, 1861 (Ostariophysi, Siluriformes, Heptapteridae) class, 67

35 Evaluation of the potential of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as bioaccumulators of heavy metals, 67

Research Grants, 69

Scientific InitiationMasters DegreeDoctorateFast-track DoctoratePost-doctorateResearch Abroad

Selection of reports on biodiversity –Pesquisa FAPESP magazine, 129

Thematic Projects

Pequí(Caryocar brasiliense)

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BIOLOGY

Fauna and flora of renmant forest fragments in northwestern São Paulo State: basis for biodiversity conservation studies

PROCESS

2004/04820-3

COORDINATOR

Orlando Necchi Junior

INSTITUTION

São José do Rio Preto Institute of Biosciences,Arts and Exact Sciences / São Paulo StateUniversity (Ibilce/Unesp)

START: DEC 2005FINISH: MAR 2010

Forest fragmentation is an increasing and noto-rious process in the tropical region. A clearly unders-tanding of this process and its consequences is fun-damental to avoid biodiversity losses and a/so tocorrectly manage the sustainable use of the remai-ning biota. A perfect and disturbing example of thisprocess refers to the northwestern region of the Stateof São Paulo, characterized by the presence ofSemideciduous Stational Forests and Savannahs,which are restricted to 9% of their original area andwere replaced by pastures, crops, and urbanization.In consequence, the region is considered the mostdeforested and fragmented in São Paulo State, andalso the one with the smallest number of conserva-tional units. This situation will not be reverted with-out a suitable environmental management. Even so,the area still harbors a high species richness, whichparadoxically has been scarcely studied. The mainobjective of this project refers to the inventory ofseveral taxonomic groups (algae, bryophytes, fungi,plants, and aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate andvertebrate animals). Twenty forest fragments, selec-ted according to their size and surrounding matrix(e.g. sugar cane, citrus, pasture, rubber trees, andurban areas), will be sampled. The principal expec-ted products are: 1) a diagnosis of the environment,providing a solid database allowing a better conser-vation of the biota; 2) a draft with the possibleeffects of the fragmentation in the population dyna-mics and physiology of species; 3) a description ofthe role of the fragments as maintainers of the regio-nal biodiversity and as reservoirs of potential speciesto act in the colonization of other areas and a/so inthe agriculture biological control. The project willadd important new findings to the knowledge of thebiodiversity of this region. Finally, its most signifi-

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AGRONOMY

Vegetal biodiversity and edaphic organisms in ecosystems of natural and impacted narrowleaf Brazilian pine in the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

2001/05146-6

COORDINATOR

Elke Jurandy Bran Nogueira Cardoso

INSTITUTION

Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture / University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)

START: APR 2004FINISH: MAR 2008

Araucaria angustifolia is an endangered tree ofhigh economic value, which belongs to the Braziliansubtropical forest of high altitude. This species isconsidered under risk of extinction due to its pre-vious exploration and dizimation, mainly for itsvaluable wood. Although A. angustifolia nowadaysoccupies only a very restricted area of the State ofSão Paulo, this ecosystem presents a high biodiver-sity of plants, animaIs and microorganisms. The lossof this biodiversity could imply the loss of sustaina-bility of the forests. The main objectives of thisresearch project are to survey the plant and micro-bial biodiversity of the ecosystem and their interac-tions. The specific objecives are: a) to characterizethe floristic biodiversity; b) to identify the structureofthe associated soil-bome microbial community,using molecular (DGGE) and biochemical (Biolog)techniques; c) to isolate and identify, through mor-phologic and molecular methods, the arbuscularmycorrhizal fungi associated to Araucaria; d) to iso-late and identify the associated diazotrophic, rhizos-pheric or endophytic bacteria; e) to evaluate the soilbiochemical processes, as C or N microbial biomass,CO2 evolution, the metabolic coefficient and enzy-matic soil activity; t) to study the genetic variabilitybetween individuaIs of the Araucaria forest emplo-ying molecular markers -RAPD and AFLP or DNAsequences of organelles; g) to survey the diversity ofthe macrofauna and to estimate the importance ofcertain functional groups; h) to obtain this informa-tion with regard to the two contrasting seasons(summer and winter), in two regions of the State ofSão Paulo (Campos do Jordão and Apiaí), in nativeand disturbed ecosystems.

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cant relevance concerns to the construction of asolid basis for future studies and actions on the con-servation of this valuable biota.

BOTANY

Phycological flora in the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

1998/04955-3

COORDINATOR

Carlos Eduardo de Mattos Bicudo

INSTITUTION

Institute of Botany / Ministry of State forthe Environmental (SMA-SP)

START: JUL 1999FINISH: SEP 2003

Despite algae studies in Brazil having already over160 years of publications, the first 124 years arealmost solely the contributions of foreign specialiststhat either visited sparse sites of the Brazilian terri-tory in search of algae material or received in theirown countries small lots of material collected forstudy. Only in the last 40 years did Brazilian studentstake over the task of studying the algal biodiversity ofthe State of São Paulo. Analysis of the 47 publicationsthat deal with the taxonomy of the macroscopicmarine benthic algae of the State of São Paulodemonstrated that the State's algalflora is representedby 308 taxa (corrected list), 198 (64.3%) of which areof Rhodophyceae, 68 (22.1%) of Chlorophyceae, and42 (13.6%) of Phaeophyceae. However, many gapsstill exist in the information on the São Paulo Statemacroscopic marine benthic algalflora due to, main-ly, the lack of institutional or individual programsthat aim at including the survey of the São PauloState seaweed flora in an organized manner.Furthermore, due to methodology limitations themacroscopic marine benthic algae community of theintertidal zone of rocky beaches and estuaries remai-ned unstudied, except for a few instances. The infra-littoral, only accessible by diving or dredging equip-ment, was completely ignored. Therefore, it isabsolutely necessary to taxonomically explore theinfralittoral rocky shores since the algalflora of theseareas may support different community composi-tions when compared to the supralittoral. Anotheraspect for consideration is the very probable unde-restimation of the taxa number for the State of SãoPaulo due to the superficiality of some of the floristicsurveys. The 12 publications that constitute the enti-

re taxonomic literature on marine bluegreen alga efor São Paulo list the occurrence of 108 taxa in thestate's supralittoral zone. It is important to note,however, that three of these publications date fromthe period 1930-1963 and the others from 1983 on,which proves that the study effort of this algal groupis still extremely recent. Furthermore, the area thathas been covered up to now is extremely restricted, sothat the total number of taxa already identified (108)is severely underestimated and does not at all repre-sent the real taxonomic diversity of the marineCyanophyceae of the State of São Paulo. Regardingfreshwater forms, a preliminary analysis based oninaccurate catalogues totaled 2,226 taxa already do-cumented for the State of São Paulo. These figures aredistributed as follows: 1,053 of Zygnemaphyceae, 388of Cyanophyceae, 299 of Chlorophyceae, 110 ofEuglenophyceae, 62 of Xanthophyceae, 61 of Bacilla-riophyceae, 49 of Oedogoniophyceae, 46 of Chry-sophyceae, 43 of Cryptophyceae, 41 of Dinophyceae,31 of Charophyceae, 21 of Prasinophyceae, 14 ofRhodophyceae, and 8 of Raphidophyceae. It soonbecomes clear that some of these totais are extremelydistorted because they are very dependent on theexistence or absence of specialists in the differentalgal groups. Consequently, because there are specia-lists presently working on Charophyceae, Cryptophy-ceae, Cyanophyceae, Euglenophyceae, Rhodo-phyceae, and Zygnemaphyceae, the numbers referringto their respective totais of taxa reasonably reflect thisreality. On the other hand, the numbers referring toBacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Chrysophyceae,Dinophyceae, and Xanthophyceae are absolutelyincorrect and underestimated due to the present lackof specialists in these groups. Another point to bediscussed is that some comparatively small algal clas-ses in terms of species number and infraspecific taxa,such as Charophyceae, Cryptophyceae, and Rhodo-phyceae, have already been surveyed at the State ofSão Paulo levei within a major project that aims atsurveying the state's freshwater algalflora. The exis-ting plan that includes specific gathering of materialof the various algae groups by specialists that willobviously increase the accuracy of the informationcollected. Numbers of taxa presently available for theCharophyceae, Cryptophyceae, and Rhodophyceaeare, therefore, extremely reliable. Some other groups,like the Cyanophyceae and Zygnemaphyceae, still arein an inventory phase at the state level. This impliesthat the total number of taxa already mentioned forthese groups are, on one hand, relatively high com-pared to the others, but on the other hand, Glose toreality, in spite of still being incomplete. The totalnumbers of taxa for the other groups (Oedogonio-phyceae, Euglenophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Chryso-phyceae, Xanthophyceae, and Dinophyceae) are to a

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greater or lesser extent inaccurate and for frombeing Glose to reality. Finally, groups such as theEustigmatophyceae and the Chrysophyceae, whichpossess a siliceous exoskeleton, have not yet had flo-ristic inventory started due to the lack of specialists,incomplete dominion of specific methodology, orlack of highly specialized equipment (transmissionand/or scanning electron microscopes). Conse-quently, the total number of freshwater algal taxa thatoccur in the State of São Paulo will easily double oreven triple if an organized, extensive, joint programof surveying the algal biodiversity of the state is esta-blished. The main objectives of the present plan are:(1) know the biodiversity of the different algal groupsin the area of the State of São Paulo through the sur-vey of the state's algalflora, including seaweeds, fres-hwater phytoplanktonic and periphytic forms, andsoil and subaerial forms; (2) to foster the capacity ofthe State of São Paulo and of the public and privateorganizations of the whole country to manage,monitor, and utilize its biodiversity of algae; (3)detect areas in the State of São Paulo in which loss ofbiodiversity is occurring, considering spatial andtemporal scales; (4) evaluate the efectiveness of theconservation effort in the State of São Paulo for algaethrough the identification of areas and priority com-ponents for conservation; (5) enable the State of SãoPaulo to estimate the value of its algal biodiversityand of some of its services such as: conservation ofwater resources, biological control, etc; (6) providetraining of specialized personnel in taxonomy andsystematics of algae mainly in the State of São Paulo,but also in other states in the country; (7) subsidizeprojects in ecology, genetics, citology, molecular bio-logy, etc, which will demand previous, essential kno-wledge of the local algalflora composition; and (8)improve the quality of formal and informal teachingof Biological Sciences and Environmental Educationin the State of São Paulo, but also in other states ofthe country regarding knowledge, conservation, andrational utilization of its algal biodiversity. ThePhycology Section, the Coordination Center for theII Algalflora of the State of São Paulo, already hasand will place at disposal of the project the follo-wing: (1) a complete survey of the literature contai-ning references to algae material for the State of SãoPaulo; (2) a corrected list of the macroscopic marinebenthic forms and an inaccurate one of the conti-nental (phytoplankton, periphyton, soil, and subae-rial) ones; (3) a herbarium containing more than15,000 exsiccatae of macroscopic marine benthicforms and almost 3,000 vials containing fixed andpreserved material of the freshwater forms; (4) thelibraries of the Instituto de Botânica and those ofeach faculty member in the Phycology Section of theInstitute of Botany, the best and most complete

phycological library with emphasis on taxonomyand systematics of algae in Latin America; (5) a vehi-cle for field work; (6) laboratorial infrastructurerepresented by sampling devices and equipment,stoves for the drying of material, microscopes, che-micals and vials, etc; (7) more than 35 years of tradi-tion in the taxonomy and systematics of both marineand freshwater algal forms, which led the NationalCouncil for Scientific and Technological Dev-elopment (CNPq) to consider the Phycology Sectionof the Institute of Botany a National Center ofExcellence in the area. Some products from the deve-lopment of the present project will be: (1) produce aseries of 13 volumes of the São Paulo State algalflo-ra; (2) produce manuals for identification of algae tobe used in high schools and universities throughoutthe country; (3) produce slides, CD-roms, and otherillustrative materials for use in teaching and researchinstitutions of the country; (4) train taxonomistsand systematatists of algae for the state, country, andother countries in Latin America; (5) subsidize pro-ject on environmental impact evaluation, ecology,genetics, physiology, cytology, molecular biology, etcthat will necessarily demand fundamental knowled-ge of the local floristic compositon.

Conservation and sustainable use of the plant biodiversity from the Cerrado and Atlantic Rainforest: the storage carbohydrates and their role on the adaptation and maintainanceof plants in their natural habitat

PROCESS

1998/05124-8

COORDINATOR

Marcos Silveira Buckeridge

INSTITUTION


START: APR 1999FINISH: AUG 2005

There are periods when plants temporarily losetheir capacity to maintain their own autotrophy, i.e.when the photosynthetic system becomes tempora-rily non operational (dormancy for example). Thoseperiods can be considered as the weakest links of thelife cycle of plants, since they become totally depen-dent on their reserves in order to restart growthwhen environmental conditions are favorable. Plantsstore reserves of organic compounds (carbohydratesand lipids mainly for carbon and energy resource),

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and proteins (for nitrogen), which are mobilisedduring specific periods and under straight metaboliccontrol. Thus, the energetic needs and at the sametime carbon are provided as raw material for restar-ting of growth. The latter demands high quantitiesof carbon mainly for processes as respiration, celldivision and elongation. The main storage carbohy-drates' in plants can be divided into intracellular andextracellular reserves. Those accumulated within thecells can be found in the vacuole (fructans, sucroseand raffinose series) or into the cytoplasm (starch)and those stored in the extracellular space are com-posed of polysaccharides such as hemicelluloses andpectin’s. Each type of polysaccharide used as a reser-ve corresponds to one or more strategies of survi-ving, including water imbibition and defence. In thisway, it is possible that the maintenance of biodiver-sity in tropical environments presents a relativelyhigh dependence on the period of accumulation andmobilization of reserves. It is therefore important tostudy these phenomena in detail if one wishes tounderstand how biodiversity can be maintained orused in a sustainable fashion. On this basis, the pre-sent proposition intends to study the biosynthesisand degradation of some of the main storage car-bohydrates from plants native to Cerrado (a savan-na-like vegetation) and the Tropical Forest. Thephysiological and cytochemical consequences for thefollowing growth and development will be studiedconcomitantly. We expect these results to contributetowards a strong scientific basis for the conservationand recuperation of those ecosystems (Cerrado andTropical Forest) consistently being degraded. Wealso expect the results to provide means for the sus-tainable use of the biodiversity.

Morphological, anatomical, histochemical and ultra-structural studies in plants of the Cerrado (lato sensu) in the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

2000/12469-3

COORDINATOR

Sílvia Rodrigues Machado

INSTITUTION

Botucatu Institute of Biosciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)

START: NOV 2001FINISH: SEP 2006

Several factors have contributed to the devasta-tion of the Cerrado, such as the use of wood forenergy production (firewood and charcoal), agricul-tural use or extensive cattle raising, impact caused bytourism, and mineral exploration. This situation hasgot worse as vegetal resources have been indiscrimi-nately destroyed, without a knowledge of the manydifferent biological aspects of species representativeof this biome. Although some structural peculiari-ties of the Cerrado, plants are well known, data inliterature are limited to a few species and are of res-tricted access, being part of unpublished Ph.D. andMaster theses. Many morphological, anatomical,histochemical, and ultrastructural aspects of mostrepresentatives of this biome are unknown despitethe richness and diversity of this vegetation. Thegeneral objective of this project is to perform a com-prehensive and integrated morphological, anatomi-cal, and ultrastructural study of the Cerrado speciesin São Paulo State, in order to detect their commoncharacteristics. The specific objectives are: to studythe morphology and anatomy of subterraneanorgans, leaves, fruits, and seeds; to characterize themicromorphology of leaf, fruit, and seed surface; todescribe the morphology of the seedling at differentstages of post-seminal development; to survey thestructures of vegetative propagation, determiningthe nature of the subterranean systems and identif-ying the main reserve compounds; and to characte-rize the morphology and histochemistry of thegland structures present in vegetative and reproduc-tive organs. Representative species of the Cerradovegetation in São Paulo State will be selected accor-ding to existing floristic surveys, including speciesof the Anacardiaceae, Apocynaceae, Asteraceae,Erythroxylaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Leguminosae,Malpighiaceae, Melastomataceae, Myrtaceae andVochysiaceae. The studies on post-seminal develop-ment will be performed in a germinator and in agreenhouse. For the anatomical studies, slides will beprepared with usual techniques, using hand-cut andmichrotome sections from material embedded inparaffin, paraplast, and historesin. For the histoche-mical studies, the samples will be fixed in an appro-priate medium and sections win be stained with spe-cific reagents, The ultrastructural studies willinclude analyses by scanning and transmission elec-tron microscopy, using samples prepared accordingto conventional protocols. The team's interest in thistype of vegetation, the previous ability of workingtogether in research projects, and the necessity ofinteraction of diverse specialities will help this pro-ject provide prompt and consistent data.

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Atlantic Rainforest aromatic in São PauloState: chemical composition of volatileoils and biological activity analysis

PROCESS

2002/12215-7

COORDINATOR

Paulo Roberto Hrihorowitsch Moreno

INSTITUTION

Institute of Chemistry / University of São Paulo (USP)

START: JUN 2004FINISH: MAY 2008

This proposal aims at to contribute with the kno-wledge of the chemical constitution of volatile oilsfound in native species of the Atlantic Rain Forest aswell as verifying the putative pharmacological acti-vity of these oils (antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antitumour activities). The spe-cies whose oils presented constituents interesting forthe aroma or pharmaceutical industries will be selec-ted for posterior studies of in vivo and in vitro pro-pagation aiming at the sustainable use and the main-tenance of germoplasm. The main goal of thisproposal is to contribute for the sustainability of thebiome, pointing its economic potential in accordan-ce with the current demands. The search of the sus-tainable development has influence either in theprocess of selection of potential species or in themethods of production of the raw material. Theemployment of natural products in the cosmeticindustries or in those specialized in Phytomedicinesis limited by the scale of the collection and the sus-tainable use of the forest. In the great majority of thecases, the industry looks for new cultivars that willguarantee the scale of production of the raw materi-als. In this way, the development of the biotechno-logy, particularly that of genetic engineering, facili-tates the culture of medicinal and aromatic plants farof its natural habitat, contributing to evolve fromextractive to culturing.

Embryogenetic studies as a basis for strategies of reproduction and conservation of tree species

PROCESS

2004/03333-1

COORDINATOR

Eny Iochevet Segal Floh

INSTITUTION

Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)

START: MAR 2005FINISH: FEB 2009

The use of plant cell tissue and organ cultureshas emerged as important tool when the propaga-tion of tropical woody plants in the reforestationprograms is concerned. This technique has beenadopted for plants in which the massive propagationhas been precluded by low productivity and or lowviability of seeds, long-term seed maturation, andlimited vegetative propagation. In this regard, invitro somatic embryogenesis has been successfullyapplied in production of somatic cell and viableembryos, in a morphogenetic process closely relatedto the natural process of zygotic embryogenesis. Themajor aim of this project is to investigate majorphysiological, biochemical and molecular changesduring the somatic embryogenesis of Araucariaangustifolia and Ocotea catharinensis, two economi-cally important woody plants in the AtlanticRainforest of southern Brazil. The results wouldpave the way to determine a general biotechnologi-cal process required to propagate and to manageimportant tropical woody plants.

Diversity of red macroalgae (Rhodophyta) of São Paulo State, Brazil,based on barcoding, morphology and geographic distribution (RHODO-SP)

PROCESS

2007/51270-7

COORDINATOR

Mariana Cabral de Oliveira

INSTITUTION



In this project we propose the screening of the redmacroalgae (Rhodophyta) biodiversity for the Stateof São Paulo (Brazil), which includes more than 50%of the diversity known for this group in the country.For that, the barcoding technique will be used, sup-plemented with morphological and geographic distri-bution. These data will be integrated to the data from

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Biota (1998/04955-3), to generate data, sample andDNA banks. Studies on the biodiversity of marinealgae of São Paulo have been carried out since 1950;however, this knowledge is based only on morpholo-gical data and only sporadically supplemented withmolecular data. The taxonomic identification of redalgae is notoriously difficult due to: a relatively simplemorphology and anatomy, which are convergent inmany species; phenotypic plasticity; and complex life-cycles with heteromorphic stages. The comparisons ofDNA sequences have been fundamental for biodiver-sity studies and for the inference of the relationshipsamong the different groups of organisms. Molecularmarkers that allow the identification of species havebeen denominated "barcoding" The barcoding tech-nique generates a great amount of data in relativelyshort time. These data, organized and available indatabanks, can be used for many different types ofresearch, including biodiversity screenings, conserva-tion and the detection of cryptic and exotic species;development of DNA probes for various applications,taxonomy and phylogenetic studies, ecophysiology,forensics, etc. This project is pioneer in the countryfor algae, and might be used as a model for othersimilar projects in the country.

ECOLOGY

Species and interaction diversity inplants and phytophagous insects

PROCESS

1998/05085-2

COORDINATOR

Thomas Michael Lewinsohn

INSTITUTION

Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

START: MAY 1999FINISH: JUL 2004

This project proposes to expand the inventory ofa model system to allow the development and testingof descriptive and predictive models for the structu-re of biological diversity and its response to differentfactors. We intend to investigate components of eco-logical communities chosen on a functional andstructural basis. In this way, it should be feasible toascertain more directly the relationship of biologicaldiversity to its historical and functional determi-nants. We also expect to produce effective methodsto parameterise biological diversity with regard toenvironment-altering processes, as a tool to monitor

ecological effects of environmental change, to prio-rize conservation areas, and so forth. The model sys-tem for this project are the Compositae (Asteraceae)and their associated phytophagous insects. Based onprevious experience, we intend to inventory syste-matically the host association of different phytopha-gous groups (especially Lepidoptera, Diptera andColeoptera) and if possible their parasitoids, withAsteraceae in different habitats and areas with variousdegrees and kinds of disturbance. We will prioritiseCerrado areas, due to the interest in conservation ofCerrado and extensive pre-existing information.Other areas to be prioritised include highlandmeadows in mountain ranges (Serra do Mar,Mantiqueira, and Espinhaço) and bogs in variousbiomes. We will also prioritise invading and ruderalspecies in agroecosystems and disturbed habitats.Field work will be essentially carried out throughoutthe State of São Paulo and neighboring states. Theobjectives of this study include: to investigate thestructure of biological diversity in subsets of naturalcommunities composed of plants and their associa-ted phytophagous insects and natural enemies; todevelop methods to separate total biological diver-sity in components of different spatial, temporal andstructural scales; to correlate diversity in these sys-tems with that of other taxa or community subunits;to investigate the structure of species interactions inthese model systems by applying existing analysesand theory or by developing new approaches; toinvestigate the contribution of genetical, phylogene-tic, chemical and ecological factors in determiningspecies diversity or interaction diversity and itsvariation on different spatial, structural and timescales; to investigate the response of species diversity,interaction diversity and species composition to var-ious regimes or histories of disturbance or impact.

Diversity of zooplankton in relation to the conservation and degradation of the aquatic ecosystems in the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

1998/05091-2

COORDINATOR

Takako Matsumura Tundisi

INSTITUTION

São Carlos International Institute of Ecology Ltd

START: MAR 1999FINISH: NOV 2003

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The project is aimed at the analysis of the zoo-planktonic biodiversity and its relationship with thetrophic state of the continental aquatic systems inthe State of São Paulo. It is intended to establish rela-tionships between diversity, organic pollution andtoxic substances. Great emphasis will be given to thestudy of the taxonomy, biology, physiology and eco-logy of the principal zooplanktonic groups: Proto-zoa, Rotifera, Clarocera and Copepoda. Transferenceof scientific knowledge to the public in general,through involvement of the Project, with the 1st and2nd grades of the public school network.

Lepidoptera of the State of São Paulo:diversity, distribuition resources and usefor environmental analysis and monitoring

PROCESS

1998/05101-8

COORDINATOR

Keith Spalding Brown Junior

INSTITUTION


START: JAN 2000FINISH: JUN 2007

Information about the distribution and ecology ofmany large invertebrate groups is very scarce in SãoPaulo, especially in the interior where the originalvegetation is strongly fragmented. Such informationcould lead to important theoretical and practical kno-wledge, essential for the evaluation and conservationof biological diversity and endemic or threatened spe-cies, in the remaining natural systems. Inventories ofup to 3000 species in nine reasonably well-knownfamilies of herbivorous Lepidoptera (silk-moths -Saturniidae, hawk-moths -Sphingidae, tiger-moths -Arctiidae, loopers - Geometridae, and the five fami-lies of butterflies)and their environments and resour-ces, will be made in 44 subregions in the state, withthe 40 in the interior representing various types andsizes of forest or Cerrado fragments. Each region willbe visited and inventoried by observation and stan-dard censuses (collecting only when necessary foridentification, or for additional biological or chemicalstudy) and mapped by project teams for 1-3 daystwice a year during three years, working together withlocal naturalists whenever possible. The data-basethus obtained (combined with previous information,most already colleted), as well as identification andmonitoring manuals, will be made available to localnatural history and conservation groups and persons

throughout the state, on the Internet and by othermedia. New and already existing reference collectionswill be organized and supported in various parts ofSão Paulo. Sites or interactions of special importancewill be studied and recommended, when necessary,for permanent protection. Optimal indicator groupsof Lepidoptera will be identified and standardized, sothat monitor strained in each region can use them tofollow environmental changes.

Strengthening of the Biota-FAPESP information system and study of thedevelopment of a GIS for the Program

PROCESS

1998/05117-1

COORDINATOR

Carlos Alfredo Joly

INSTITUTION


START: JAN 1999FINISH: AUG 2003

The information system to support Biota-FAPESPaims at contributing towards the conservation andsustainable use of São Paulo's State biodiversity, pro-moting and facilitating the access of information tothe scientific community, government and society ingeneral. The system was launched in July, 1997, as anopen, cooperative and integrating network, usingthe internet as a means of communication and dis-semination of information. It was a very importantsupporting tool for the workshop "Basis for theConservation of São Paulo's State Biodiversity" heldin July, 1997 (http://www.bdt.org.br/bdt/biotasp/workshop/). Biota-FAPESP aims at integratingscientific information per se and with different fieldsof interest such as legislation, conservation unitsetc., aiming at both a thematic and geographicapproach. It aims at collaborating adn complemen-ting existing initiatives and includes the launching ofthe Biota Neotropica an online publication space forthe national and international scientific community.The study of GIS available on the internet requiresthe establishment of standards and a follow-up ofnew developments (software, systems) on the net. Itwill be necessary to relate databases to GIS systems,producing images and maps as an output. Produc-tion and distribution of images online and on CDsto both scientific and educational communities issought as a first step, following the development/adoption of a web GIS interface.

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The conservation feasibility of the Cerrado remnants in São Paulo State

PROCESS

1998/05251-0

COORDINATOR

Marisa Dantas Bitencourt

INSTITUTION


START: APR 1999FINISH: SEP 2003

The hight rate of Cerrado disappearance, poin-ted out in the last Forest Inventory in the State of SãoPaulo, showed the urgency in establishing conserva-tion and restoration means to maintain those rem-nants. The interdiciplinarity of the teams envolved isthe guarantee of success in indicating the Cerradoareas where the ecological and economical conserva-tion is feasible. Taking the advantage of the IF effortand the experience of the teams in Cerrado, this pro-ject aim to: a) upgrade the physiognomic classeswithin those remnants; b) indicate their conserva-tion status and degradation agents; c) indicate howtheir (per fragment) plant species can be economi-cally feasible; d) evaluate the legal instruments toincentive conservation and disincentive degrada-tion; and e) inform non academic community aboutthose findings. The number of remnants studied willresult from a previous spatial analysis hierarchichy,scheduled depending on time and money.

Biodiversity conservation in fragmented landscapes at the atlanticplateau of São Paulo (Brazil)

PROCESS

1999/05123-4

COORDINATOR

Jean Paul Walter Metzger

INSTITUTION



Habitat fragmentation is presently one of themost serious ecological problems at present. In thetropics, a huge number of species is being lost every

day even before becoming known by science. Sincefragmented habitats will be the pattern in the future,environmental management actions must be taken toavoid the ruin of biological diversity and all benefitsderived of it. This projects intends to study some vitaleffects of fragmentation in a landscape formed bysecondary tropical forest fragments of the AtlanticRainforest biome (23"35'S,23050'S; and 46o45'W,47o15'W) and to provide ecological basis for regionalmanagement, in order to promote the persistance ofthe highest number of species in the landscape. Inthis context, the main objective of this project is toverify what spatial arrangement and which landscapeelements are needed to maintain the biological diver-sity, by: i) describing the history of fragmentationand regeneration of the landscape; ii) relating fragr-ment size and matrix type to species diversity ofsome taxonomic groups, including trees, birds andprimates; iii) relating the landscape structure withthe presence/abundance of forest (meta)populations,according to their sensitivity to fragmentation; iv)investigating the ecological processes which determi-ne the maintenance of (meta)populations, particu-larly those related with the influence of the surroun-ding matrix and forest connectivity. These objectivesmatch the requests of the Biota-FAPESP Program.The project design includes eight sub-projects, dea-ling with the same landscapes and groups of forestfragments, with complementary objectives. We pro-pose an approach that involves a multiple scale analy-sis, where either the whole landscape and the frag-ments will be focused on, detailing on the matrix andcorridor effects; studies will be carried out at thepopulation and community levels, where a widerange of taxa will be examined (woody plants, prima-tes, birds); umbrella-species and key-processes whichmay maintain high biodiversity will be the sought.Different theories on landscape ecology will be testedand parameters of the spatial landscape structure andof habitat quality will be integrated to metapopula-tion models, particularly the incidence functionmodel. To understand the present landscape structu-re and its history of fragmentation and regeneration,two types of landscapes will be distinguished- oneformed by a forest matrix, and another by an agricul-tural matrix. They will be characterized considering-i)landscape connectivity and heterogeneity, forestfragmentation and isolation (sub-project1); ii) geo-morphological and pedological features, and mainphysical geo-indicators for measuring the magnitudeand velocity of key abiotic processes (sub-project 2).Each fragment will be characterized by: i) size; ii)heterogeneity of the forest eco-units; iii)internalenvironmental quality and heterogeneity of the eco-units; iv) shape and edge effects; v) border comple-

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xity; vi) degree of isolation and connectivity, and thepotential for (re)colonization; vii) age and history ofregeneration, as obtained by the analysis of aerialphotographs from 1962, 1973 and 1988 (sub-projects1 and 3). To relate biodiversity patterns with forestfragment size and matrix type, twelve fragments willbe studied in detail, concerning: 1) species composi-tion and diversity of adult trees (sub-project 3); ii)species composition and diversity of tree seedlingsand saplings (sub-project 7); iii) the abundance of sixbird species (sub-project 6); iv) the biomass and den-sity of primates (sub-project 5). The influence ofmatrix and corridors on seed flows (sub-project 8),forest regeneration (sub-project 7), movement ofselected bird species (sub-project 6) will be analyzedin more detail, dealing with a reduced number offragments. Fragment size and connectivity will alsobe related with patch-occupancy patterns of speciesmore and less sensitive to fragmentation, to estimateextinction risks and potentials for species (re)coloni-zation. By working with high- and low-demandingspecies, we may verify the conditions at which thehigh demanding species are kept in the landscape, aswell as the landscape types which support only lowdemanding species. Here, 50 to 60 fragments will beconsidered, from 4-5 ha to 90 ha, being around halfof them in the landscape with a forest regenerationmatrix, and the others in the landscape with agricul-tural matrix. Initially, the following organisms willhave their patch-occupancy patterns considered- i)six bird species (sub-project 6); ii) one endemicpalm-tree species (sub-project 4); iii) several tree spe-cies (sub-project 3). The comparison of these twogroups of fragments in terms of size, environmentalquality (sub-project 3) and spatial attributes (isola-tion, connectivity, matrix type) (sub-project 1) mustindicate the factors which dictate the permanence ofa given species in the landscape. Incidence functionmodels will be applied to analyse patch-occupancypatterns and simulate the species occurrence in diffe-rent scenarios of the landscape evolution. Thisapproach will allow us to identify the best fragmentconditions for maintaining the species in the landsca-pe in a long term basis, assuming they behave asmetapopulation, providing direct ecological basis forthe conservation management of tropical forest frag-ments. One of the main results of the project propo-sed will be the generation of a database with spatiali-zed information on the regional physiography,structure and dynamics of the regional flora andlandscape, besides publications in specialized jour-nals, diffusion articles, multimidia material, such asCD-Rom and on-line data base, and a guide for theregional woody species, directed to non-specialists,particularly children of public regional schools.

Structure and functioning of hydrographicbasins of meso- and micro- scale in theState of São Paulo: bases for generatingand sustaining biodiversity

PROCESS

1999/05279-4

COORDINATOR

Luiz Antônio Martinelli

INSTITUTION

Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Cena/USP)

START: JAN 2000FINISH: AUG 2004

The paradigm of this project is that biodiversityin a watershed is generated and preserved by inter-actions between the physical environment, biogeo-chemical processes and human actions. Therefore,based on this statement, biodiversity can not beproperly addressed without a comprehensive char-acterization of the structure and functioning of awatershed. The Biota-FAPESP Program open anunique opportunity to closely investigate the effectsof landscape attributes and ecosystem biogeochem-istry on the biodiversity, since this programe encom-pass several studies devoted to these topics. In thisproject we intend to address the biogeochemistry ofmeso-scale (103 to 104 km2) and micro-scale (101 to102 km2) Watersheds as a subsidiary information tounderstand the results of ongoing biodiversity stud-ies of the Biota-FAPESP Program. The link betweenenvironmental factors and biodiversity will be made:(1) by working in the same basins or sub-basins of theBiota-FAPESP Projects devoted to address aquaticbiodiversity and (2) through specific parameters andanalysis that link landscape attributes and ecosystembiogeochemistry with those related to biodiversity.At the meso-scale level our specific objective is todetermine if chemical and physical attributes ofrivers and atmospheric composition respond differ-entially across a gradient of anthropogenic impacts.The approach in this case will be to compare meso-scale basins with different degrees of human impacts.The specific scientific questions to be answered are:Question 1 - What are the effects of the domesticsewage, industrial effluents and land-use ou carbon,nitrogen and phosphorus distributions in riversunder different degrees of impact? In order toanswer Question 1 we intend to compare key param-eters of aquatic biogeochemistry among watershedswith different levels of human impact. Question 2 -What are the effects of urbanization, industrial activ-

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ities, and land-use on the atmospheric compositionin watersheds under different degrees of impact? Inorder to answer Question 2 we propose to comparethe wet and dry deposition in the selected water-sheds. At micro-scale we intend to address the bio-geochemistry of small watersheds in order to answerthe following scientific questions: Question 2: Is bio-diversity related with some measurable chemical orbiological variable in the water? Question 3: Is bio-diversity related with some measurable landscapeattribute of the watershed and specifically those ofthe riparian zone? Our approach to answer thesequestions is to compare micro-scale watershedswithin a gradient of biodiversity.

Diversity, dynamic and conservation of trees in forests in the State of SãoPaulo: studies in permanent plots

PROCESS

1999/09635-0

COORDINATOR

Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues

INSTITUTION

Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture / Universityof São Paulo (Esalq/USP)

START: OCT 2001FINISH: MAY 2007

The project Diversity, dynamics and conservationin São Paulo State Forests: 40ha of permanent parcelswill be carried out in four Conservation Units (P.E.Ilha do Cardoso, E.E. de Carlos Botelho, E.E. deCaitetus, E.E. de Assis), representing the four mainforest formations of São Paulo State (Restinga Forest,Slope Atlantic Rainforest, Semideciduous SeasonalForest and Cerradão). 256 permanent sub-parcels of400m2 will be placed in each area, in a major parcel of320x320m, totalizing 10.24ha of represented area ineach area and 40.96ha at the four areas. The majorparcel in each area will be placed using images pro-duced by multiespectral videography. In each sub-parcel all specimens with PAP bigger or equal to15cm will be sampled, georeferenced and identified.In each represented area soil (three dephts in eachparcel) and topography (1:500 scale) will be charac-terized in detail; a continued characterization (4years) of weather, ground water and light will be car-ried out, considering all units of the forest mosaic,and also a characterization of the microbian soilfauna, through the 16S rDNA profile produced byDGGE method. A characterization of the speciesoccurring in each area (in various forms of life) will

be carried out, and illustrated guides for field recog-nition of each forest species sampled will be elabora-ted. The structure will be characterized with twophytossociological, physionomic and sylvigenic sur-veys, with intervals of 3 years between them and thespatial distribution will be estimated through K func-tion. Literature models of generation and mainte-nance of biodiversity and forest dynamics will be tes-ted for the community and species and comparedbetween the areas. The vegetational data will be cor-related with physical data of each area, between areas,in order to understand the difference between thevegetational types and adequate practices of manage-ment and conservation. The data will be also compa-red with those generated in permanent parcels fortypically tropical formations.

Ethnoecology of the sea and of the land on the São Paulo coast of the Atlantic Rainforest: fishing areas and use of natural resources

PROCESS

2001/05263-2

COORDINATOR

Alpina Begossi

INSTITUTION

Nucleus for Environmental Study and Research /Campinas State University (Nepam/Unicamp)


The general objective of this study is to continuethe survey on the use of natural resources by theinhabitants of coastal areas of São Paulo AtlanticRainforest, in particular by caiçara artisanal fishers.We intend to continue mapping de areas used forartisanal fishing, and the analyses of the vegetationand fish catch used, such as for consumption andmedicine. We also intend to include ethnoecologicalstudies, focusing on the local knowledge concerningfish habitat, feeding behavior and nomenclature. Wechoose three representative areas of the Sao Paulocoast, areas that are important regarding the mana-gement and conservation of the natural resources, aswell as complementary areas in relation to previousresearch projects: the region close to Bertioga(south), Ilhabela (center), and Ubatuba (Picinguaba-Puruba-north). Therefore, these three patches orspots will be case studies looking for general patternsof interaction caiçaras-natural resources for the SãoPaulo coast. Expected results include, besides publi-

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cations in scientific journals, two books: one aboutethnoichthyology and the other about ethnobotanyof São Paulo coast.

Atlantic Ombrophylus Dense Forest: floristic composition, structure and functioning within the Serra do Mar State Park

PROCESS

2003/12595-7

COORDINATOR

Carlos Alfredo Joly

INSTITUTION



Structure and floristic composition will be deter-mined in the following Atlantic Rainforest types: LowLand Ombrophylus Dense Forest (5 to 50 m abovesea level), Submontana Ombrophylus Dense Forest(50 to 500 m above sea level), and MontanaOmbrophylus Dense Forest (500 to 1.200 m abovesea level). All trees with a DBH? 4,8 cm that fall insi-de 14 1ha permanent plots, divided into a grid of 10x 10 meter parcels, will be considered. The 14 perma-nent plots will be established along the altitudinalgradient, 4 independent plots in each forest type plus1 plot of Restinga Forest (sand dunes type of forest)and 1 extra plot of Low Altitude Ombrophylus DenseForest. In the case of botanical families with relevantecological roles, such as the Leguminosae in the nitro-gen cycle, or Bromeliaceae, Melastomataceae, Rubia-ceae, Solanaceae, Moraceae and Piperaceae responsiblefor the maintenance of key populations of pollinatorsand dispersors, a comprehensive floristic survey willinclude herbaceous, lianas and epiphytes. Data analy-sis will be conducted using the FITOPAC computerprogram. Where appropriate, more detailed analyseswill be conducted using multivariate methods suchas Canonical Correlation, Correspondence Analysis,PCA and PCO. The database on composition andstructure of the forest will allow a choice of species formore detailed studies on reproduction biology; seedanatomy and reserves; germination; photosynthesisand water use efficiency; nitrogen assimilation, trans-port and metabolism; plant populations structureand dynamics; techniques; genetic structure of plantpopulations using molecular markers; determinationof forest age by DBH classes and using 14C; determi-

nation of annual average growth rates of key species;and phenology. Multivariate analyses will be used tocheck for functional groups, or groups of species thatshare a common behavior and ecology. The compa-rison of different groups along the altitudinal gra-dient will allow investigation of the effect of altitudein the functioning of these groups. Simultaneously,the inputs of nitrogen through precipitation, biologi-cal fixation, and soil mineralization and nitrificationwill be determined, along with key parameters of Nlosses through denitrification and export by streams,allowing a preliminary nitrogen mass balance alongthe altitudinal gradient. Water and carbon balance ofthe forest will be estimated along with the seasonalvariation of this balance through use of micrometeo-rological towers and Eddy-covariance technique. Thephotosynthesis/respiration balance of the ecosystemwill be used to determine the role of the forest as asink or source of carbon to the atmosphere. Our finalgoal is to integrate the results of all activities listedabove, scaling-up from individual trees, to families,to functional groups, and finally to phytophysiogno-mies, allowing us to understand forest structure andfunctioning. The outcomes of this project will allow,for the first time, a full comparison between theAtlantic ODF and the Amazon ODF, and will enhan-ce our capability in understanding how this biomewill respond to future climatic changes.

Biodiversity and sustainable use of pollinators, with emphasis onMeliponini bees

PROCESS

2004/15801-0

COORDINATOR

Vera Lúcia Imperatriz Fonseca

INSTITUTION

Center for Technology / Campinas State University(Unicamp)

START: MAY 2006FINISH: APR 2009

The Convention of Biological Diversity andMillennium Institute consider environmental servi-ces provided by pollinators, among then the bees, asa priority research for XXI century. To keep the con-servation and sustainable use of pollinators meansto ensure food security, sustainable agriculture andwild plant conservation. This project has 4 compo-nents: 1. evaluation of the status of the interactionsamong bees and plants; 2. the dynamic of popula-tion of native bees, evaluated with molecular tools;

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3. problems that limit the use of bees in agriculture;4. information technology tools for research andextension in ecosystem services with emphasis onbees as pollinators. Improving the knowledge basison bees focuses reproductive aspects (individual andcolonial), swarming, nest foundations, colonygrowth, protein diets for colony feeding, sex alloca-tion, monitoring flight activity and bees on flowers.Traps nests will be used to study solitary bee diver-sity in habitat fragments. Nogueira-Neto melipona-ries in São Simão (SP), Luisiania (Goiás) and Xapuri(Acre) will be intensively studied, as well as stinglessbees nests found on the university campuses in SãoPaulo and Ribeirão Preto will be used, as control. Afield station will be established in Mossoró (RioGrande do Norte), where colony absconding is veryfrequent (30% to 50% of colonies in apiaries). A newprogram for beekeeping development was establis-hed at this location, monitoring absconding andcorrelated environmental conditions. Artifical dietsand foraging behavior will also be studied, includingefficiency on some crops, including sunflower andmelon. This research will also include a study ofAficanized bee biology and dynamics, using mor-phometrics to help understand ther migratorybehavior. Amongst the social bees, stingless bees(Meliponini) are very representative int ropical areasand could be used as crop pollinators, as well as forwild flower pollination.

GENETICS

Monitoring and enlargement of the germplasm bank of medicinalplants of the Cerrado

PROCESS

1999/10610-1

COORDINATOR

Ana Maria Soares Pereira

INSTITUTION

Center for Natural and Technological ExactSciences / University of Ribeirão Preto (Unaerp)

START: FEB 2001FINISH: APR 2007

Species from the Bignoneaceae family were selec-ted as target for this proposal due to their economicaluse as source of bioactive molecules, also because theyare under the risk of extinction. The aim of this workis to establish an in vitro germoplasm bank of theremaining accesses of Zeyheria montana, Anemo-paegma arvense and Jacaranda decurrens, native to five

regions in São Paulo state. Studies on viability andpreservation of seeds will be performed and concur-rently monitoring of genetic material through RAPDand AFLP molecular markers will provide relevantinformation about genetic variability thus helping inthe choice of individuals to characterize the diversityof the germoplasm bank. Besides, analysis of chemicalmarkers (active compounds) of the three target spe-cies will be conduct in parallel in order to identify thedifferent chemotypes and to find correlation betweengeographic location, genetic variability and yield inbioactive substances of each species. The final purpo-se is the in vitro preservation of individuals whichrepresent the existent variability and chemotypes ofeach site of origino Overall results will permit theconception of a model for further studies on preser-vation of medicinal species of the Cerrado.

GEOSCIENCES

Biosphere-atmosphere interaction (phase 2): Cerrado and land use changes

PROCESS

2002/09289-9

COORDINATOR

Humberto Ribeiro da Rocha

INSTITUTION

Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and AtmosphericSciences / University of São Paulo (USP)

START: SEP 2004FINISH: AUG 2008

The Brazillian savanna (Cerrado) is the primiti-ve bioma covering from the Southeast Brasil toSoutheast borders of Amazonia, and its area hasreduced to 20%, being concerned as one of the mostthreathened ecosystems worldwide. Whereas theSoutheast Brasil was deforested in the 19th century,its current land use as agrosystems has little kno-wledge in terms of sustainability. As well, inAmazonia, escalating soybean production and log-ging occurs by several means due to increasing defo-restation, thus threathening the savanna wetlandsnear Ilha do Bananal (the world largest fluvialisland), a zone of abundant life and water resources.This project proposes to quantify the long termdynamics of water, energy and CO2 fluxes over dryCerrado (in Southeast Brasil) and seasonally floodedCerrado (ecotones) in Bananal Island, and over theagrosystems Sugarcane and Eucaliptus. The mainissues to be adressed are to characterize and compa-re the ecophysiological functionality, dependency of

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climate and water availability; patterns of CO2 sinkand sources of the ecosystems. It will investigate theimpact of land use changes on the hydrological andcarbon cycle on the catchment (observationally) andregional (numerical models) scales. Ecological inves-tigation will be pursued in paralell, namely those ofstudying the carbon exchanges and pathways on thewater, C & N cycling using isotope studies. Physical-climate investigations will study the large scale clima-te variability and its influence on the surface fluxes(and v.v.). This proposal encompasses researchers andobjectives of three different programs: (i) the Biota-FAPESP Program, (ii) the Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Interaction Experiment in Amazonia(LBA) and (iii) the La Plata River Basin Experiment(PLATEX/GEWEX).

MICROBIOLOGY

Molecular ecology and polyphasic taxonomy of bacteria of environmentaland agroindustrial importance

PROCESS

1998/05068-0

COORDINATOR

Gilson Paulo Manfio

INSTITUTION

Chemical, Biological and AgriculturalPluridisciplinary Research Center (CPQBA) /Campinas State University (Unicamp)

START: OCT 1999FINISH: MAR 2004

A limited number of research groups in the Stateof São Paulo (and Brazil as a whole) carry outapplied microbiology research focused on the taxo-nomic characterization and technological explora-tion of the indigenous microbial diversity. Some ofthese include bioremediation of organochloride-polluted areas, biodigestion of recalcitrant com-pounds in industrial effluents, biological nitrogenfixation in non-leguminous agricultural crops andsystematic studies of phytopathogenic bacteria ofagricultural interest and bacterial contaminants offood processing industry. Taxonomic expertise andinfra-structure for developing molecular taxonomicwork were identified as key factors hampering theadequate development of most of these studies.Limiting factors ranged from phenotypic and che-motaxonomic characterization of organisms, tomolecular typing of strains and phylogenetic analy-sis. Taxonomy is essential for the identification of the

main components of the microbiota associated tobiological processes and provides relevant informa-tion on the phenotypic and genomic diversity of theorganisms. Isolated organisms for future study, whe-never possible, need to be made available to thescientific community through deposit of strains inculture collections. In addition to focussing on thestudy of bacterial diversity for potential applica-tions, an important element of this proposal is theestablishment of a thematic network in the State ofSão Paulo for the development of polyphasic taxo-nomy and microbial molecular systematics. Severalmethodologies relevant to the development of thestudies described below will be implemented in theproject, including: 16S rDNA sequence analysis: forthe phylogenetic placement and identification ofuncultured organisms and novel bacteria; DNA-DNA homology: for assessing the heterogeneity ofcomplex taxonomic groups and adequate descrip-tion of novel organisms at the species level; chemo-taxonomy: for the allocation of organisms at genusand species level by the analysis of cellular compo-nents and taxonomic description of novel generaand species; molecular typing methods, includingRAPD, RFLP of 16S rDNA and spacer regions, REP,ERlC- and BOX-PCR, DGGE and PAGE: for asses-sing the diversity of organisms at the genome leveland determining genome diversity of cultured andnon-cultured organisms; molecular probes: for thedetection and functional analysis of microorganismsin the environment, targeting at family, genus and/orspecies level or at functional genes (e.g., nitrogen-fixing genes, biodegradation pathways of organoch-lorides, pathogenicity genes).

Diversity of endophytic microorganismsand their biotechnical potential

PROCESS

1999/09177-1

COORDINATOR

Itamar Soares de Melo

INSTITUTION

Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation(Embrapa)

START: JAN 2001FINISH: MAY 2005

Endophytic bacteria and fungi are defined asorganisms that live in association with plants formost if not all of their life cycles. They live within theintercellular spaces and may confer benefits to theplant, and the benefits may be reciprocal, resulting in

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an enhanced symbiotic system for specific plant cha-racteristics. Therefore, the use of endophytic bacteriaand fungi opens up new areas of biothechnologicalexploitations, which drive the necessity to isolate andculture these organisms. The biochemical versatilityand diversity of endophytes represent an enornousvariety of genes that are still unknown. More andmore useful gene functions are being discovered, par-ticularly for environmental remediation and indus-trial processes. This project pruposses to study thebiological diversity of endophytic microorganismsfrom important plant species growing in São PauloState, such as: maize, soybeans, citros, coffee, cassava,Brachiaria and Dicksonia (xaxim); to study the mole-cular diversity (molecular systematics); to determinethe chemical diversity, mainly of secondary metabo-lites-antibiotics; to assess the potential of endophytesin the biological control of most important patho-gens of the host plants. Also, it is objective of thisproject to study best methods of preserving represen-tative general and specific groups.

Biodiversity and functional activities of microorganisms from mangrove of São Paulo State

PROCESS

2004/13910-6

COORDINATOR

Itamar Soares de Melo

INSTITUTION

Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation(Embrapa)


Mangrove communities are recognized as highlyproductive ecosystems that provide large quantitiesof organic matter to adjacent coastal waters in theform of detritus. The detritus serves as a nutrientsource and is the base of an extensive food web inwhich organisms of commercial importance takepart. The collective term mangrove designates aninterdital wetland ecosystem formed by a very spe-cial association of plants and animals, fungi, bacte-ria, microalgae, invertebrates etc, which proliferateluxuriantly in the coastal areas and rivers estuaries.Mangrove ecosystems cover roughly 60 - 75% of theworld's tropical and subtropical coastlines. Brazil,Indonesia, and Australia have the greatest abundan-

ce of mangrove. These wetland ecosystems areamong the most productive and diverse in the worldand more than 80% of marine catches are directly orindirectly dependent on mangrove and other coastalecosystems worldwide. There is evidence to proposea close microbe-nutrient-plant relationship thatfunctions as a mechanism to recycle and conservenutrients in the mangrove ecosystem. Althoughmangrove ecosystems are rich in organic matter, ingeneral they are nutrient-deficient, especially ofnitrogen and phosphorus. In spite of this, mangro-ves are highly productive. This paradox may beexplained by a very efficient nutrient recycling sys-tem in which scarce essential nutrients are retainedand new nutrients are regenerated from decompo-sing mangrove leaves. Microbial activity is responsi-ble for major nutrient transformations within amangrove ecosystem. In tropical mangroves, bacte-ria and fungi constitute 91% of the total microbialbiomas, whereas algae and protozoa represent only7% and 2%. Despite numerous studies on biogeo-graphy, botany, zoology and economic impact, littleis known about the biodiversity and activities ofmicrobes in mangrove waters, sediments and rhizos-phere. Microorganisms from mangroves open upnew areas of biotechnological exploitations, whichdrive the necessity to isolate and culture these orga-nisms. The biochemical versatility and diversity ofrare microorganisms represent an enormous varietyof genes that are still unknown. More and more use-ful gene functions are being discovered, particularlyfor environmental remediation and industrial pro-cesses. Thus, this project proposes: to study the bio-logical diversity of microorganisms from sediments,rhizosphere and endophytes of red mangrove (con-sidering both number of species and the partition ofabundance), especially, cyanobacteria, bacteria,fungi, actinomycetes and archaeobacteria; to studythe molecular diversity present within a specie orgenus based in comparative sequencing of 165rDNA; ARDRA and BOX-PCR; to study the generalbiodiversity including non-culturable bacteria, byPCR-DGGE; to determine the chemical diversity,mainly secondary metabolites; to study the mainfunctional groups of bacteria involved in nitrogenfixation and phosphate solubilization; to assess thepotential of rhizobacteria in biological control ofplant diseases in hydroponic systems. Also, it isobjective of this project to study the best methods ofpreserving representative genera and specific groupsand to organize a culture collection of all identifiedmicroorganisms isolated from mangroves. Ourobjective is to make this collection available for dis-tribution and utilization.

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CHEMISTRY

Conservation and sustainable use of theplant biodiversity from the Cerrado andthe Atlantic Rainforest: chemical diversityand prospecting for potential drugs

PROCESS

1998/05074-0

COORDINATOR

Vanderlan da Silva Bolzani

INSTITUTION

Araraquara Institute of Chemistry / São Paulo State University (Unesp)

START: DEC 1998FINISH: NOV 2004

The main goal of this project is to search forbioactive compounds from plants species occurringin the São Paulo State, specially in the remanescentCerrado and Atlantic Rainforest. The screening of plantextracts by means of bioassays designed to detectpotential anticancer, antioxidant, antifungal andantimalarial compounds will establish a model forfurther investments in this field in order to preserve,to study and to exploit rationally the remaining floraof São Paulo State. For some species selected in thescreening, cell and tissue cultures will be developedto allow preservation of its germplasm as a reliablesource of renewable materials. Undifferentiated tis-sues will also be used as an alternative source ofcompounds and for biosynthesis and regulation stu-dies of major secondary metabolites.

Sustainable use of the Brazilian biodiversity: chemical and pharmacologicalprospection on higher plants

PROCESS

2002/05503-6

COORDINATOR

Wagner Vilegas

INSTITUTION

Araraquara Institute of Chemistry /São Paulo State University (Unesp)

START: AUG 2003FINISH: JUL 2008

The apparent incompatibility between chemicaland pharmacological investigation of a plant speciescan be solved with the strong determination of dea-

ling rationally with the problem. The research groupson Natural Products Chemistry from the IQ-Araraquara-Unesp, on Pharmacology, from IB-Unicamp and IB-Botucatu-Unesp and on BiologicalSciences, from FCF-Araraquara-Unesp have started acollaboration 2 years ago, and have already produceda significative amount of work, with relevant resultson the investigation of plant species with anti-ulcer,anti-oxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activities. These results arose from anapproach that includes ethnobotanical and ethno-pharmacological research, pharmacological, micro-biological and mutagenicity assays with crudeextracts or infusions, chemical screening to determi-ne new chemical classes of compounds, isolation andstructural determination of compounds and use thecompounds or enriched fractions to determine thepossible pharmacological mechanisms of the actioninvolved with the detected properties. This projectdeals with the continuation of the integrated chemi-cal and pharmacological investigation of plantextracts, this time investigating species that composesthe bioma Cerrado of the State São Paulo, compara-tively to the Bioma Cerrado of the State of Tocantins,which it is also under our investigation. To performthe phytochemical step we intend to use the usualchromatographic techniques, mainly those for theanalysis of polar substances (GPC, XAD2, DCCC,HSCC, HPLC, etc) , and to determine the structure ofthe isolated compounds through spectrometricmethods (NMR, IR, UV, and MS). To evaluate thebiological activities, the possibility of toxicicity andgenotoxicity effects of each species will be determi-ned. Simultaneously, we will evaluate the activity ofthe extracts and pure substances (or enriched frac-tions) against different experimental models of pep-tic ulcer disease which operate by distinct mecha-nism of ulcerogenesis in man. The analgesic andantiinflammatory activities will be examined byusing of chemical and thermal pain models and theclassic inflammatory assays in rats or in mice.Through these models, we will quickly evaluate thepresence or absence of these activities. The antimi-crobial activity will be assayed against Gram positiveand Gram negative bacteria, and also on the etiologi-cal agent of tuberculosis, M. tuberculosis. The deter-mination of the antiulcerogenic mechanisms will beinvestigated through the effect of the isolated subs-tances (or enriched fractions) on specific receptors,enzymes and substances produced in response to thegastric lesion, such as the expression of the new epider-mic growing factor. Simultaneously, the antioxidantactivity of extracts/substances will also be evaluated,mainly those related to the possible mechanisms ofthe antiulcerogenic activity. Furthermore, assays forthe detection of mucus, prostaglandins, somatosta-

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tin, gastrin and others involved with mechanisms ofgastric secretion will also be evaluated. Assays againstHelycobacter pylori, the most important bacterialpathogen of humans involved in the pathogenesis ofpeptic ulcer disease will also be performed. Finally,assays to detect the production of NO, H2O2 andTNF will be performed with extracts, substances andenriched fractions to evaluate their potential immu-nostimulating activity.

Conservation and sustainable use of the diversity from Cerrado and AtlanticRainforest: chemical diversity andprospecting for potential drugs – phase II

PROCESS

2003/02176-7

COORDINATOR

Vanderlan da Silva Bolzani

INSTITUTION


START: NOV 2004FINISH: AUG 2009

The main goal of this project is to search leadmolecules from plant species and endophytic fungioccurring in the State of São Paulo, especially in theCerrado and Atlantic Rainforest. The project wasconceived to identify antioxidant, anti-inflamma-tory, antifungal, anticancer, antimalarial and acetyl-cholinesterase inhibition lead compounds fromplant species of these biomes. With a strong multi-disciplinary relationship, this is the second phase ofthe bioprospecting program, initiated four years ago,when Biota-FAPESP was created as a permanentFAPESP’s Program. Besides the main goals on drugdiscovery, biodiversity conservation, and sustainableeconomic growth, this project also is supported onadvanced natural product chemistry knowledgesuch as: to evaluate, correlate and develop chemicalmethodologies to study intra- and inter-specificvariability in some selected bioactive species; todevelop micropropagation and cell cultures of rareplants producing active compounds; to study bios-ynthetic pathways and particularly determine theactivity of phenyltransferases, terpene cyclases andcytochrome P-450 oxido-reductases, for kinetic stu-dies and further proteomic and functional analysis.This should lead to the cloning of genes that even-tually can be used for recombinatorial biosynthesisof heterolgous overexpression in other plants; to

conduct studies on structure activity relationships(SAR) of some lead compounds previously identi-fied; to sustain and maintain the virtual database(datamine) already initiated in phase I.

Search for potential antitumoral, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antidiabetic,acetylcholInesterase and mieloperoxidaseinhibitory natural compounds from Cerrado and Atlantic Rainforest

PROCESS

2004/07932-7

COORDINATOR

Dulce Helena Siqueira Silva

INSTITUTION



The changing strategies for preservation and sus-tainable use of biodiversity in Brazil in the past fewyears evidences the intrinsic value of this enormousbiological resource of potentially new bioactivecompounds, and represents one of the greatest chal-lenges nowadays facing the accelerated process ofdevastation of several Brazilian biomes. The syste-matic bioactivity evaluation of crude extracts andpure compounds from São Paulo State biota associa-ted with additional information on chromatogra-phic profile, spectrometric data and/or biologicalactivity shall result in value-added material, whichwill be available for further studies. These mightconverge to hits or lead compounds to pharmaceuti-cal, agroceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetics industry,which is expected to bring great contribution forconservation and sustainable economic develop-ment from the biodiversity of São Paulo State.

Native and cultivated passifloras inBrazil. Pharmacognostic, phytochemicaland pharmacological evaluations concerning popular uses and development of local phytomedicines

PROCESS

2004/07933-3

COORDINATOR

Massayoshi Yoshida

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INSTITUTION



The rational and scientific use of medicinalplants from the Brazilian rainforest is currently con-sidered an important scientific and therapeuticalalternative, mainly by the great pharmaceuticalindustries. The genus Passiflora, Passifloraceae, com-monly used by the folks in tropical and subtropicalregions has already been proven to have potentialtherapeutical activities. The species Passiflora incar-nata has been used in many countries as anxiolytic,sedative and antispasmodic in Brazil. Many phyto-therapics (medicines) with Passiflora extracts can befound in the market. However, as no therapeuticalactivity could yet be suitably proven, there are noscientific data of its efficacy. The present work aimsat isolating and biomonitoring the active substancesof the extracts of the species. Eventualy the specieswith proven pharmacological activity will be charac-terized considering their macroscopic aspects, andthe contents of their bioactive substances will also bedetermined.

Bioprospection in fungi: the search of lead compounds for drug design and enzymes for pharmaceutical and industrial applications

PROCESS

2004/07935-6

COORDINATOR

Jairo Kenupp Bastos

INSTITUTION

Ribeirão Preto School of Pharmaceutical Sciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Fungi have been less explored than plants in bio-prospecting programs, especially the endophytes,which remain a promising and practically unexplo-red source of interesting bioactive natural products.One of the major advantages of working withmicroorganisms in a natural products discoveryprogram is the possibility to screen a vast number ofcultures on a small scale, before identifying themicroorganisms, while retaining a high probabilityof success in reproducing both the activity and the

metabolite production on a large-scale fermenta-tion. Another advantage is that manipulations inculture conditions may lead to a wider range ofcompounds produced by fungi than it would beavailable from traditional production of extractsfrom plants. In this project we propose to exploit thechemical and biological potential of endophytic andsoil fungi collected in São Paulo State in threeapproaches: i) obtainment of crude extracts frommicrobial cultures to be evaluated in antimicrobialassays performed in our labs and other bioassaysprovided by the network. The most promisingextracts will be fractionated, aiming to obtain newleads for drug development; ii) obtainment of pro-ducts from biotransformation reactions of bioactivenatural products previously isolated in our labs(grandisin, budlein A and tagitinin C) and evalua-tion of their biological activities in bioassays of thenetwork, and iii) production of enzymes, whichmight be useful in industrial processes (xylanase,glucose oxidase, phytase, amylase, acid and alkalinephosphatases) and as new pharmaceuticals (L-aspa-raginase). The proposed antimicrobial screening, asthe first one, may be an indication of a wider rangeof bioactivity, which shall be detected by the otherassays available in the network.

Bioprospection of the Brazilian arthropods fauna searching for leaderdrugs for rational development of novel pharmaceuticals and pesticides

PROCESS

2006/57122-7

COORDINATOR

Mário Sérgio Palma

INSTITUTION

Rio Claro Institute of Biosciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)


Many modern medicines currently prescribedwere initially discovered in the nature. Despite theprogresses in chemistry and in the development ofsophisticated instruments used in the combinatorialsynthesis of novel compounds, the scientists are stillusing the nature as source of inspiration for thedevelopment of novel drugs. A substantial fractionof medicines under therapeutical use nowadays wasdirectly or indirectly derived from bioactive naturalcompounds from plants and microorganisms.Recently, the low molecular masses compounds

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from animal origin have been subject of interest ofpharmaceutical and agrichemical companies. TheArthropods are considered a source of potentiallyimportant of novel molecules, which offer notableproperties such as: high efficiency, low probability ofdevelopment of microbial resistance, limited toxicityand low immunogenicity to humans. Some Arthro-pods produce toxins which may present uniqueactions in nervous systems and could become usefultools in neurobiology investigations; the knowledgeabout mechanisms of action of these toxins certainlywill open new perspectives in the therapeutic areaand in the development of specific bioinsecticides.In addition to the defensive used of low molecularmasses compounds, the spider also use these toxinsto paralyze and/or to kill their preys, affecting thesynaptic transmissions and blocking directly ionchannels and/or their associated receptors.Polycationic peptides constitute important toxins inthe toxic secretions of from the social Hymenoptera,presenting antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive and even analgesic effects, representinginteresting model of compounds for the develop-ment of novel drugs for therapeutical uses. In orderto bioprospect such types of compounds in theArthropod fauna from São Paulo State, the mainobjectives of the present project are: To identify themost abundant low molecular masses compoundsfrom the toxic secretions of spiders and socialHymenoptera presenting neuroactive actions; to elu-cidate their molecular structures, to synthesize andto submit them to pharmacological and physiologi-cal bioassay screenings. As auxiliary tool in this typeof investigation we intend to implement a platformof metabolome analysis; Also the polycationic pepti-des will be investigated; their primary sequences willbe determined, their secondary structure will be stu-died and their tridimensional structure will be assig-ned; for some of these components their target-receptors will identified. The elucidation of chemicalstructures in general will be performed by using aseries of spectroscopic techniques, such as: MS,MS/MS, HRMS, 1H- and 13C-RMN, FT-IR, C, X-Ray, among other techniques. In the case of peptidesDegradative Chemistry of Edman also will be usedto sequence them. When necessary the elucidatedchemical structures will be synthesized and used forfunctional characterization. The biological characte-rization of the neuroactive compounds, will includethe classical neuropharmacology approach, immu-nohistochemistry and electrophysiology methods.The investigation of the mechanism of action of thepolycationic peptides will focus traditional protocolsof pharmacology for pain, analgesy and inflamma-tion; the investigation of the antibiotic action ofthese peptides will consider strategies for the investi-

gations of their interaction with membrane-mime-tic systems, spectrofluorimetry, fluorescence micros-copy techniques, mass spectrometry associated toHID exchange, molecular modeling of peptides andmolecular dynamics. From the point of view ofhuman resources this project also will deal with thehigh qualification of young researchers in: structuralelucidations of low molecular masses compoundsand peptides through the use of spectroscopicapproaches, organic synthesis and setting-up ofpharmacological physiological bioassay screeningprotocols. The promising compounds, presentingsome specific potential application at level of thera-peutic use, which may be used as models for futuredrug development, will be submitted to a an intensi-ve investigation about structure/activity relationshipfor a future rational development of novel drugs.

FOREST RESOURCES AND FOREST ENGINEERING

Inventory methods of the biodiversity of tree species

PROCESS

1999/08515-0

COORDINATOR

Hilton Thadeu Zarate do Couto

INSTITUTION


START: JAN 2001FINISH: MAR 2006

This proposal has the objective of studying sam-pling methods for inventorying arboreal species inthree biomas in the State of São Paulo, Brazil: DenseHumid Forest, Semi Decidous Forest and Cerrado(Arboreal Savana). Each selected area will be anal-ysed through the imagery of Landsat 7 or CBERSsatellite, multispectral videography (blue, red andnear infrared bands) and field survey. It will be eval-uated the possibility of using the products of theremote sensing for mapping and stratification of thevegetation, in order to support field work. It will bestudied in two different seasons: dry and wet. Threesampling methods will be compared for each typeand stratum. simple random sampling, systematicsampling and cluster sampling. Also, it will be studied4 methods of data collection in the field: fixed areaplot, point sampling, quarter point, and crownintercept sampling. The efficiency of the methodswill be compared. The biodiversity will be evaluatedin the different scales of the surveys using indexes

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for measuring heterogeneity, richness and eveness.Besides of botanical identification of the trees, the 10most abundant species will be caracterized throughthe study of phytochemical products in order toestablish connection among the three biomas.

ZOOLOGY

Fish diversity of the headwaters andstreams of the upper Paraná river systemin State of São Paulo, Brazil

PROCESS

1998/05072-8

COORDINATOR

Ricardo Macedo Corrêa e Castro

INSTITUTION

Ribeirão Preto School of Philosophy, Arts andSciences / University of São Paulo (USP)

START: DEC 1998FINISH: JUN 2003

The so called upper Paraná River system includesthe whole Paraná River drainage basin upriver fromthe former Sete Quedas falls (now drowned by theItaipú Reservoir) and encompass large sized tributa-ries like the Rivers Grande, Paranaíba, Tietê andParanapanema. Geographically, the drainage basinapproximately 900.000 km2 include the north ofParaná State, the south of Mato Grosso do Sul, themajority of São Paulo State (west of the Serra doMar), the south of Minas Gerais, the south of Goiásand a small area of eastern Paraguay adjacent to MatoGrosso do Sul. In the São Paulo State, according toour estimates, the upper Paraná system contains 22families and approximately 170 described fish spe-cies, including the largest rivers of the State. Theselarge rivers main channels are inhabited by mediumto large size fish species. Associated to these largerivers there is a huge number of streams and headwa-ters, inhabited primarily by small size fish species,with restrict geographical distributions, with a smallor inexistent commercial value and greatly depen-dent of the riparian vegetation for food, shelter andreproduction. Small size fish species like those areapproximately 50% of the described freshwater fishspecies of South America and shown a high degree ofgeographical endemism. The study of the small fres-hwater fish species systematics, evolution and generalbiology is, without doubt, the great challenge andmain frontier of the south American ichthyology inthe end of this century. Unfortunately, these fish spe-

cies are also the most threatened by harmful humanactivities like deforesting and extensive use of fertili-zers and pesticides associated of intensive agricultu-ral activities, since as a whole, they are heavily depen-dent on the allochthonous organic matter importedfrom the riparian vegetation to survive. Inside theSão Paulo section of the upper Paraná system, ourestimates indicate that the Pontal do Paranapanema,Alto Paranapanema, Peixe, Aguapeí, Baixo Tietê andSão José dos Dourados drainage basins (as defined inthe Biota-FAPESP synthesis map – Mapa Síntese doEstado de São Paulo) are poorly sampled for fishes.The Médio Paranapanema, Turvo-Grande, BaixoPardo-Grande, Sapucaí-Grande and Piracicaba-Capivari-Jundiaí drainage basins are moderatelysampled and only the Tietê-Sorocaba, Tietê-Jacareí,Tietê-Batalha, Mogi-Guaçú and Pardo drainagebasins are reasonably well sampled for fishes. Thatmeans that of the 16 drainage basins composing theSão Paulo upper Paraná system portion, in terms ofichthyofauna, six are poorly sampled, five are mode-rately sampled and five are well sampled, meaningthat about 70% of the São Paulo upper Paraná drai-nage basins are not satisfactorily explored for fishesin scientific terms. Thus, the main objective of thisThematic Project is the study of the headwaters andstreams ichthyofaunas of the São Paulo portion ofthe upper Paraná River basin, through the applica-tion of an standardized methodology – applicationof a fish toxicant (rotenone), together with collectorsequipped with dip nets and a block net – to 108 geo-graphically separate field collection localities, sam-pled during 18 field trips distributed along the pro-ject first three years, capable to obtain the followinginformation about each one of them: 1) precise geo-graphical location; 2) taxonomic composition of theichthyofauna and contribution, as number of indivi-duals and biomass, of each species to whole fish com-munity; 3) body size range of the individuals of eachcollected species; 4) main diet components of thefour numerically dominant collected species, foundthrough the analyses of the stomach contents of afraction of the individuals; 5) photographic docu-mentation of selected specimens of each collectedspecies with their live coloration; 6) a description ofeach collected environment, with photographic colo-red illustrations and its main biotic and abiotic para-meters (physiography; climate- physical dimensions;vegetation and bottom type and structure- tempera-ture; current velocity- pH; dissolved oxygen; alkali-nity and hardness); 7) representative collections (tis-sue samples for nucleic acid extration) that, togetherwith the field data, allow the comparative analysesamong the State different regions, aiming to performa quick diagnostic of their degree of conservation

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and to recommend study and conservation prioritiesfor each one of them- and also to be able to evalua-ted the success of the recommended conservationmeasures in the future.

Survey and biology São Paulo State of benthic freshwater insects and oligochaetes

PROCESS

1998/05073-4

COORDINATOR

Cláudio Gilberto Froehlich

INSTITUTION


START: MAY 1999FINISH: MAY 2003

The present project aims at carrying on the fau-nistic survey of two groups of benthic freshwatermacroinvertebrates, insects and oligochates, withemphasis on lotic systems. The previous projectincluded also crustaceans and molluscs; for both asurvey was made in the main hydrographic basins osthe State. The area sampled for insects was smallerdue to the much poorer knowledge of their taxo-nomy. The emphasis was on protected areas in Serrado Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira in order to have abetter knowledge of local faunas, ecological aspectsincluded. The survey of oligochaetes also was res-tricted, as the group was included into the project inthe beginning of its third year. For the present pro-ject the area to be sampled is enlarged, with threenew areas in the State, the State Parks of Vassununga,Furnas do Bom Jesus and Caetetus. Two areas fromthe first project, The State Parks of Intervales andCampos do Jordão, are maintained because there arestill ongoing research projects there. Samplings inthe neighbourhood of the principal researchers' ins-titutions (Araraquara, São Carlos and Ribeirão Preto)will also be continued. At the end of the second yearof the project, the inclusion of new areas will be con-sidered. The project comprises three subprojects, tobe carried on in an integraded manner, optimizingresources and field activities: Freshwater Diptera(Chironomidae, Simuliidae), Ephemeroptera, Pleco-ptera, Trichoptera (EPT), and Oligochaeta. Otheraquatic insects will also be collected. A significantpart of the material will be deposited in the Museumof Zoology of the University of São Paulo.

Systematics evolution and conservation of eastern Brazilian mammals

PROCESS

1998/05075-7

COORDINATOR

Mario de Vivo

INSTITUTION


START: MAR 1999FINISH: JUN 2004

Eastern Brazil possess one of richest endemicmammal faunas of South America. It is also the mosteconomically developed region of Brazil, with severeconsequences to natural ecosystems. Any study ofthe diversity of the mammal fauna of this regionmust contemplate systematic and evolutionary stu-dies, as well as those devoted to conservation. Theneed for systematic and evolutionary studies isexplained by the extensive gaps in our knowledge ofthe mammalian taxa of the region, their geographicdistributions, their evolutionary history viz a viz thatof the ecosystems they inhabit. We believe that mostof the knowledge produced by systematic studieshave a decisive impact on decisions made to preser-ve the mammalian fauna and the ecosystems inwhich they occur, beginning with a much more pre-cise listing and quantification of the diversity to bepreserved, and also the definition of geographicareas where significant fractions of this diversity arelocated. Besides this, Brazil do not presently have asustained program of population monitoring forimportant mammal species. This results in the factthat National Parks and Biological Reserves are crea-ted in the country without any means for the res-ponsible Federal and State institutions to know if thereservas are being effective in the conservation of themammalian fauna in particular and biotas in gene-ral. Thus, this project has two main goals: a) recog-nize, describe, map mammalian taxa in the regionencompassed by the project, as well as to proposehypothesis about the evolution of eastern Brazilianmammal faunas; b) elaborate a low cost protocol forthe monitoring of selected key species of mammalsfor very long periods of time, to be applied by insti-tutions responsible for the maintenance of biologi-cal reserves in Brazil. The systematic part of this pro-ject will be approached through the collection osspecimens and their study under anatomical, cyto-genetic and molecular studies, with ample consulta-

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tion to existing collections of mammals. The popu-lation monitoring part of this project will be develo-ped in a single study site, with the study of selectedtarget species, using several methods (capture-mar-king-recapture, mapping of tracks and feces, deter-mination of reproductive hormonal levels in feces).Besides the publication of articles relative to all par-ticular findings that will occur during the develop-ment of the project, we intend to publish a finalsynthetic work with the same name of the project,which will include complete systematic accounts andthe population monitoring protocol.

Biodiversity of Isoptera and Hymenoptera

PROCESS

1998/05083-0

COORDINATOR

Carlos Roberto Ferreira Brandão

INSTITUTION

Zoology Museum / University of São Paulo (USP)

START: FEB 2000FINISH: DEC 2004

The project aims three basic objectives: to pro-duce comparable inventories of Atlantic RainforestHymenoptera and Isoptera, to use the new quanti-tative data to investigate the biogeographic divisionof the Atlantic Rainforest, and to determine howhymenopteran and isopteran diversity patternsvary with latitude, considering the urgent need ofbiodiversity studies in the Atlantic Rainforest, dueto anthropic pressure, and that the Atlantic Rain-forest, with a south-north extension of 15-20° oflatitude, is particularly suited to this type of inves-tigation. Also, we consider that comparable data onhymenopteran and isopteran diversity and bioticsimilarity along the Atlantic Rainforest latitudinalgradient are interesting and publishable. We intendmoreover to improve the representation of the taxato be studied in Brazilian collections. We took inconsideration: 1. The preliminary analysis of theant litter fauna survey in Boracéia (one of the loca-lities we have chosen for the comparisons), whichhelped us to design the collecting protocol to beadopted in all localities. 2. the results of the recentworkshop on the Conservation of the Atlantic Rain-Forest and Brazilian Southern Fields, organized byConservation International, the Brazilian Ministryof the Environment and a consortium of relatedorganizations (http://www.conservation.org.br/ma/

index.html), which helped us to determine whichlocalities shall be visited; and 3. Following a sugges-tion of a referee we have incorporated a collabora-tor familiar with ant sampling to the team, who hasa strong background in designing faunistic surveys,in special using ants. We designed a scheme cove-ring three main points: a sufficient number of loca-lities to be compared in each subcenter, to increasethe number of replicates within them; a more regu-lar spacing of these localities, to be able to answerthe gradient question; and localities along theAtlantic Rainforest biome representing two mainclasses of altitudes, to answer the altitude versusbiogeography/ latitude as determinant of the spe-cies distributions. Also we have decided to concen-trate all collecting in the evergreen dense forestsubtype because we expect a richer fauna there inrelation to other Atlantic Rainforest subtypes, andbecause it is the most well preserved kind of forest.

Benthic marine biodiversity in the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

1998/07090-3

COORDINATOR

Antônia Cecília Zacagnini Amaral

INSTITUTION


START: AUG 2000FINISH: APR 2005

In accordance with the objectives of the SpecialResearch Program Conservation and Sustainable Useof the Biodiversity of the State of São Paulo - Biota-FAPESP Program, this research proposal aims basi-cally an integrated survey of the biota of one of theless studied regions of the São Paulo State: the nor-thern coast. This is a complex environment that isstill well preserved, in great extent due to the presen-ce of two protected areas. Although the marineresearch in the State of São Paulo is one of the mostdeveloped in the country, most of its littoral envi-ronments are still poorly known. and there is not acomprehensive survey of its biota. Even consideringthe need for a qualitative evaluation of the studyarea, this project is not limited to the systematic anddistribution aspects, but also to provide a betterunderstanding of the relationships among the orga-nisms and the environment. Special effort will bedirected to collecting standardization and to impro-vement of reference collections. An aim of the pro-

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ject will be the production of field guides and data-bases with accessible information regarding the bio-logical taxa and its main results.

Diversity of mites of agricultural importance and other arthropods associated with them in the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

1998/07099-0

COORDINATOR

Gilberto José de Moraes

INSTITUTION



Mites are organisms of the phylum Arthropoda,subphylum Chelicerata, calss Arachnida and sub-class Acari. Many mite species are important agricul-tural pests around the world, while others areimportant natural enemies of pests. Mitres alsoconstitute the dominant group of soil animals. Thestudy of phytophagous mites and their natural ene-mies may turn possible a better management of pestspecies, through possible purposeful re-alterationsof the biotic components of agrosystems and adja-cent ecosystems, to promote the action of nativenatural enemies. Detailed studies of pest mites andtheir natural enemies under conditions may lead tothe discovery of new promising species that could bemade available for practical use. At the present stage,at least as important as conducting diversity studiesof mites and their natural enemies in the State of SãoPaulo is putting together the information alreadypresent in the literature and making it promptlyavailable by electronic means to different sectors ofsociety, from the lay people to those directly involvedin acarology. Similary, the adequate deposit of pre-served mite specimens representing the fauna of theState and their natural enemies in collections alreadyin existence deserve the same attention. This projectproposes field studies to obtain new information ondiversity in 3 different regions in the State of SãoPaulo, representing the Cerrado and Atlantic Rain-forest ecosystems, the establishment/improvementof data bases (accessible via Internet) of availableliterature on different aspects of mites from SãoPaulo, as well as the curation and electronic registra-tion of reference collections of mites and spiders atdifferent institutions. The objective is to improve

our knowledge on the diversity of mites of agricul-tural interest, their natural enemies and associatedarthropods in the State of São Paulo, with particularinterest in the study of predators of potential oractual pest species. In addition to mites, othergroups of arthropods to be considered in this studyare Araneae (spiders) and Insecta (insects), the for-mer as their natural enemies, and the second as theirnatural enemies, their prey or their transporters. Thework will be conducted by researchers of the De-partments of Zoology and Entomology of Esalq/USP, Department of Zoology of Unesp – campusBotucatu and Unesp – campus São José do Rio Preto.In addition, part of the work will also be conductedin cooperation with researchers of the Departmentof Botany of Esalq/USP and Department ofEntomology of Oregon State University.

Biodiversity of Arachnida and Myriapodaof the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

1999/05446-8

COORDINATOR

Antônio Domingos Brescovit

INSTITUTION

Butantan Institute / Ministry of State of Health (SES-SP)

START: JAN 2001FINISH: NOV 2006

The aim of this project is to inventory theArachnida and Myriapoda fauna of the State of SãoPaulo, within the Biota-FAPESP Program. This studywill be based on an extensive collection program,covering various different areas of the State of SãoPaulo and other states in the country, for a compari-son between different fitogeographic areas and theirfauna composition. In addition to São Paulo, we haveselected areas in surrounding States and in manyother States that present interesting comparisonareas, such as Central Western (Cerrado) and theNortheast (Mata de Tabuleiro). Four groups, threearachnids (Araneae, Opiliones and Acari) and oneMyriapod (Chilopoda), will have priority during theproject, since thew are the most abundant in diversi-ty, number of specimens, in samplings and special-ists. The collection program will be carried out overtwo years. Four collection methods will be used andthe sampling effort will be standardized, in order tosample the arachnid and myriapod fauna of thesebiomes as much as possible, to obtain data on thecomposition and species richness of sampled areas

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the and compare them. The sampling methodologywill consist basically of manual collection, mainly atnight, beating trays, pitfall traps and Winckler extrac-tor. The collections should last for one week to tendays in each area. The material obtained will bedeposited in the Arachnida and Myriapoda collectionsof the Butantan Institute and the Zoology Museum ofthe University of São Paulo. A poison bank will be cre-ated, with the extraction from the specimens collect-ed alive in order to begin the citogenetic study of var-ious species, with initial priority being given to theTheraphosidae spiders. The species richness will becalculated using three methods of analysis: LogNormal Distribution, Species Accumulation Curveand the Jackknife standard (JACK1-SD). These threemethods will by analysed by the EstimtcS5 version5.0.1 program. The richness and abundance of spidersin each area will be compared through VarianceAnalysis (ANOVA), and the difference between thegroups will be detected according to Tuckey Test. Theproject envisions a series of products for the scientificcommunity, students and general public on the ordersof Arachnida and Myriapoda, such as: inventory ofthe arachnid and myriapod fauna of the state; ampleand representative collections of the Arachnida andMyriapoda fauna of the State; computerization thecollections of the Butantan Institute; scientific paperspublished in national and international periodicals;identification keys for the main families of spidersscorpions, harvestmen, mites and centipedes; specificdata banks for the species of the State of São Paulo,Brazil and South American countries, to be availablevia Internet and catalogs; textbooks in Portuguese onArachnida and Myriapoda, training of new special-ists; poison bank of arachnids and centipedes;instructional leaflets, manual and CD-Rom on arach-nids and myriapods; courses and lectures.

Diversity and conservation of the reptilefauna in the southeastern AtlanticRainforest

PROCESS

2001/13341-3

COORDINATOR

Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad

INSTITUTION



The central aim of this project is to produce aninventory of the anuran species that occur in SãoPaulo State, Brazil. As a consequence of the inven-tory we expect to reach the following aims: (1) Tocollect specimens of different species from São PauloState, as a way to improve scientific collections; (2)the resolution of taxonomic problems as a way toevaluate more precisely the real diversity of anuranspecies in São Paulo State; (3) to tape record thevocalizations of anurans to expand the anuran voca-lization collection, as a way to assist species identifi-cations and resolution of taxonomic problems; (4)to study the life cycles of the species; (5) to evaluatethe conservation of the ecosystems in São PauloState based on the conservation of the anuran popu-lations; (6) to identify isolated species/populationsthreatened by extinction. We intend to publish theresults of this project in scientific periodicals, as wellas to use our results for the education.

Evolution of the southeastern Brazilianreptile fauna from cretaceous: paleontology, phylogeny and biogeography

PROCESS

2002/13602-4

COORDINATOR

Hussam El Dine Zaher

INSTITUTION



This project's main objective is the study ofphylogenetic and biogeographic patterns of the rep-tile fauna of southeastern Brazil, From the upperCretaceous to the present time, allowing the charac-terization of expansion and retraction pulses thattook place in the past 70 million years, and respon-sible for the present configuration of the reptile bio-diversity. The improvement of knowledge aboutthese processes will help in the recognition of para-meters leading to the loss of biodiversity (in diffe-rent temporal scales) in southeastern Brazil and ulti-mately contribute to the establishment ofconservation strategies and sustainable use of natu-ral resources. Thus, and for the first time within theBiota-FAPESP Program, we intend to includepaleontological data in the study of biodiversity. Thetraditional definition of extant reptiles encompasses

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the clades Quelonii, Crocodylia and Squamata(including snakes, lizards and amphisbaenians).These groups are represented in the Cretaceous andTertiary fossil record of Brazil, thus providing anideal database to the approach adopted in this pro-ject. Southeastern Brazil includes the states of SãoPaulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and MinasGerais, a privileged study area in the sense that itharbors a significant fraction of the Atlantic Rainf-orest and Cerrado biomes, besides the Bauru, ltabo-raí and Taubaté fossil basins, and the carstic regionof the Ribeira river valley. This assemblage of sedi-mentary basins, biomes and carstic caves offers aunique opportunity for sampling reptiles in a time-frame of 70 million years. ln order to develop thestudy here proposed, it is necessary improve andorganize our knowledge of the reptile diversitythrough geological time. The confection of such asurvey will allow the cross-checking of data of extantand past faunas in a vertical axis (chronostratigra-phic axis) hitherto unexplored within the Biota-FAPESP Program. The implementation strategypossesses seven major tines of scientific activities:(1) the survey of the reptile diversity in the State ofSão Paulo from the upper Cretaceous to recent, thuscompiling a database including all recent speciesdescribed so far as well as the specimens in naturalhistory collections; (2) To collect living and fossilreptiles in the biomes and fossil basins of southeas-tern Brazil; (3) To develop phylogenetic studies ofkey extant and extinct taxa; (4) ln the case of extantkey taxa, to elaborate molecular and morphologicalphylogenies in order to contrast their results; (5) Tocombine data on the distribution of fossil and livingtaxa with phylogenies and identified timeframes, tostudy past and present biogeographic and faunisticpatterns of the Brazilian southeast; (6) To developfine morphological studies aiming the understan-ding of the evolution of complex structures in repti-les; (7) To strength collections and study groups ofvertebrate paleontology in the State of São Paulothrough the creation of laboratories for preparationand study of fossils in the Museu de Zoologia andthe FFCLRP of the University of São Paulo. TheCretaceous and Tertiary will be surveyed in the fol-lowing basins: Bauru basin (upper Cretaceous); lta-boraí basin (paleocene); Taubaté basin (Eocene -Oligocene). Pleistocene and Holocene material willbe collected in the carstic caves of the Vale do Ribeira(Ribeira river valley) in the State of São Paulo, insouthern Bahia and northern Minas Gerais. Theextant reptile fauna will be sampled in localitieswithin the two major biomes of the southeast: the

Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado. Other regionsof Brazil will be surveyed in order to provide a com-parative background for the reptile diversity patternfound in the Brazilian southeast.

Geographic limits and causal agents ofDiptera endemism in the Atlantic Rainforest

PROCESS

2003/10274-9

COORDINATOR

Dalton de Souza Amorim

INSTITUTION



Knowledge on biodiversity does not correspondmerely to a list of names. Biological diversity is hete-rogeneously distributed in space. Even though atten-tion given to biodiversity has grown in the last deca-des, quite few is actually known about thegeographic patterns of distribution of species andthe causes of these patterns. In other words, it is stillnot possible to map the distribution of Brazilianspecies of most groups -not even in the most wellStudied areas. Neither is it possible to determine thesequence of events in the history of the continentthat have determined these patterns of distribution.This deficiency in knowledge has implications forthe conservation policy and for the understanding ofbasic evolutionary processes. Conservation deci-sions greatly depend on the precise knowledge of thegeographic distribution of species. The understan-ding of the evolution rate deeply depends of a cor-rect association between geographic limits of speciesand the age of the events causing these cladogeneticprocesses. In the literature, biological and biogeo-graphic theories strongly clash on this respect. Thisproject intends to use biological material collectedwith standardized methods along the AtlanticRainforest, with emphasis on the State of São Paulo,to delimit areas of endemism of Diptera groups andto apply phylogenetic and biogeographic methods ofanalysis to study congruence among these patterns.Biogeographic patterns congruent with the geologi-cal history of South America point to groups asso-ciated to the geological origin of the continent in theGondwanaland, in a way that the diversity of these

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groups would have slowly originated along the last80,000,000 years. Patterns that disagree from thegeneral biogeographical pattern and of SouthAmerica geological history probably originated inthe region due to dispersion, specially from theNearctic Region. The study of a rich assemblage ofDiptera specimens along the project allows the cons-truction of a Home Page with photographs, identifi-cation keys, catalogs of Neotropical species, andinformation on biology and distribution maps. Thisis a efficient mechanism of making technical infor-mation available for a public with different levels ofinterest on Diptera or on conservation.

Survey and biology of aquatic Insecta and Oligochaeta in lotic systems in the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

2003/10517-9

COORDINATOR

Cláudio Gilberto Froehlich

INSTITUTION


START: JAN 2005FINISH: DEC 2008

The present project aims at carrying on the fau-nistic survey of two groups of benthic freshwatermacroinvertebrates, insects and oligochates, withemphasis on lotic systems. The previous projectincluded also crustaceans and molluscs; for both asurvey was made in the main hydrographic basins osthe State. The area sampled for insects was smallerdue to the much poorer knowledge of their taxono-my. The emphasis was on protected areas in Serra doMar and Serra da Mantiqueira in order to have a bet-ter knowledge of local faunas, ecological aspectsincluded. The survey of Oligochaetes also wasrestricted, as the group was included into the projectin the beginning of its third year. For the presentproject the area to be sampled is enlarged, with threenew areas in the State, the State Parks of Vassununga,Furnas do Bom Jesus and Caetetus. Two areas fromthe first project, The State Parks of Intervales andCampos do Jordão, are maintained because there arestill ongoing research projects there. Samplings in

the neighbourhood of the principal researchersinstitutions (Araraquara, São Carlos and RibeirãoPreto) will also be continued. At the end of the sec-ond year of the project, the inclusion of new areaswill be considered. The project comprises three sub-projects, to be carried on in an integraded manner,optimizing resources and field activities: FreshwaterDiptera (Chironomidae, Simuliidae), Ephemeroptera,Plecoptera, Trichoptera (EPT), and Oligochaeta.Other aquatic insects will also be collected. A signif-icant part of the material will be deposited in theMuseum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo.

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Young Researchers inEmerging Centers

Caraguatá (Bromelia balanceae)

L H

INSTITUTION


START: MAY 2006FINISH: OCT 2010

Fig trees are a key resource for the functioning oftropical forests, since they provide food for fig-eat-ing animals in periods of shortage of fruits fromother species. In addition, they play an importantrole in the regeneration and recomposition of vege-tal communities, attracting fig-eating animals, dis-persers in turn of other vegetal species. In the face ofthe intense process of fragmentation suffered in theState of São Paulo and in other regions of the coun-try, this Project has the aim of understanding thefunctioning and evaluating the sensitivity of Ficuspopulations to the fragmentation of the habitat,investigating the following questions: (1) Do thediversity and wealth of species of wasp associatedwith the Ficus species vary according to the level offragmentation and disturbance of the habitat? (2) Ifpresent, is this variation an indication that the popu-lations of Ficus are close to critical size? (3) Is there alimitation of pollen in the small or very degradedfragments? (4) Is the level of parasitism by non-pol-linating wasps greater in small or very degradedfragments? For this purpose, samples of figs close tothe emergence of the wasps will be collected inplants of the species of Ficus found in forest frag-ments of different sizes. The seeds, the pollinatingwasps (pollen vectors) and the non-pollinating wasps(parasites of the mutualism) produced by the fig willbe quantified to evaluate the relationship of thesereproductive components with the size and level ofdegradation of the forest fragments studied.

OCEANOGRAPHY

Blooming of potentially harmful microalgae on the coast of the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

2002/13725-9

COORDINATOR

Maria Célia Villac

INSTITUTION

Pro-Rectory of Research and Post-graduation /University of Taubaté (Unitau)

START: FEB 2004FINISH: FEB 2008

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ECOLOGY

Spatial components of the diversity ofaquatic insects in streams of the AtlanticRainforest in the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

2002/12538-0

COORDINATOR

Adriano Sanches Melo

INSTITUTION


START: NOV 2003FINISH: MAR 2004

The project has the aim of studying patterns andprocesses which act upon the diversity of insects instreams. Some subprojects will tackle the diversity ofinsects in general during the aquatic phase (generallyimmature). In other subprojects, attention will begiven to the adults (terrestrial) of an importantcomponent of the fauna of insects in rivers, theTrichoptera. In the subprojects which tackle patternsof diversity, the collections will be handled in a hie-rarchical manner, in such a way as to enable interfe-rences on the spatial components of the diversity. Inthe subprojects that deal with processes that actupon the diversity, studies are intended which willevaluate the effect of natural disturbances as well asdisturbances of anthropic origin. Among the pro-ducts envisaged, are the determinations of associa-tions between larvae and adults of Trichoptera, iden-tification keys of the genuses of Trichoptera (larvaand adult), an estimate of the number of Trichopterain São Paulo and the proportion of species alreadydescribed, determination of the recurrent characte-ristics of communities in preserved and degradedenvironments and understanding of the effects cau-sed by disturbances of natural and anthropic origin.

Effects of the Forest fragmentation in theState of São Paulo and other regions ofthe south and southeast of the country inthe functioning of populations of fig treesand in the fig-wasp mutualism of figs

PROCESS

2004/10299-4

COORDINATOR

Rodrigo Augusto Santinelo Pereira

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Microalgae are important constituents of thebase of the food chain of aquatic environments.However, in specific situations as in the case of aharmful bloom (= red tide), the microalgae can havea deleterious effect which affects activities such assailing, fishing, aquaculture, recreation, quality ofwaters and public health, as well as the aquatic biotaitself. The increasing incidence and duration ofharmful blooms, on a global scale, leads to the needfor studies which will make it possible to understandits causes, predict its occurrences and mitigate itseffects. The general objective of this research is toestablish a nucleus of studies on the potentiallyharmful microalgae with easy access to the coasts ofthe State of São Paulo. This goal will be achieved bysecuring the following specific objectives (and res-pective products expected): 1) to create a micros-copy laboratory with a library specialized in taxo-nomy of marine microalgae which will enableprompt responses to emergencies related to possibleblooms; 2) to recruit and train personnel in identifi-cation of marine microalgae, since the training ofhuman resources in this specialty is a lacuna to befilled by the State of São Paulo; 3) to undertake thesurvey of the occurrence of potentially harmful spe-cies (and associated flora) to draw up a catalogue ofspecies (on CD-Rom) which will provide didacticsupport for the training of personnel and contribu-te to the knowledge of the biodiversity of marinemicroalgae on the coast of the State of São Paulo; 4)to study the space and time tendencies of occurren-ce of the target-species, identifying their conditio-ning factors, to support the elaboration of a monito-ring program applied to aquaculture; 5) to isolatethe target species for the creation of a bank of cultu-res, an essential condition for future studies of mor-phology, ecophysiology, molecular biology and eco-toxicology. This involves a joint effort by variousteaching and/or research institutions in the State ofSão Paulo, namely, University of Taubaté (host insti-tution), Fisheries Institute and Cetesb (agency of theGovernment of the State of São Paulo responsiblefor the control, inspection, monitoring and licensingof activities that generate pollution, with the aim ofpreserving and restoring the quality of the waters,the air and the soil). The interest and the contribu-tion which these institutions bring to the projectreflect the awareness of the need for this study, giventhe potential offered by the São Paulo coast for acti-vities of aquaculture and also for leisure. The projectis expected to run for 4 years, a period in which it ishoped to generate a wealth of knowledge on the sub-ject, as well as a work team, which together will cons-titute the foundations for the continuity of the acti-vities of this emerging center in future projects.

CHEMISTRY

Chemical, biological and biosyntheticevaluation of species of red macroalgae of the Bostrychia(Rhodophyta, Rhodomelaceae) genus

PROCESS

2005/53808-9

COORDINATOR

Hosana Maria Debonsi

INSTITUTION


START: NOV 2005FINISH: OCT 2009

Red macroalgae of the Rhodomelaceae familywere collected on the Costões Rochosos of the Ilhado Cardoso, coast of the State of São Paulo, where acomplex of taxons was observed consisting ofBostrychia radicans f. radicans, B. radicans f. monili-forme and Bostrychia sp. The B. radicans complexwas subjected to morphological and experimentalstudies with the aim of evaluating the vegetativedevelopment in different conditions of temperatureand salinity. For this purpose, unialgal cultures wereestablished based on the macroalgae collected,which presented excellent tolerance to different con-ditions of temperature (15 to 30°C) and salinity (5to 65 UPS). In this way, these species prove excellentmatrices for the undertaking of phytochemical stu-dies, since they can be collected independently of cli-matic conditions, in addition to being able to be keptin in vitro conditions. In the literature, few articlesreferring to the Bostrychia genus were found, butthere is a diversity of metabolites with expressivebiological activity described for the Laurencia genus,highlighting halogenated, acetogenin, and sesquiter-pene substances with proven bactericidal activity.Thus, the phytochemical and biological study of thiscomplex of taxons is justified, given that substancesisolated from the Rhodomelaceae family have pre-sented unheard of structures and often significantbiological properties. With the chemical profile esta-blished, it will be possible to initiate the preliminarybiosynthetic studies using the unialgal in vitro cultu-res of the algae of the Bostrychia genus, which makesexcellent fresh source material for the evaluation ofthe enzymatic activity in vegetal extracts.

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Studies on the biotransformation of pentacyclic triterpenes by filamentous fungi and evaluation of the antitumoral and trypanocide activities of the derivates

PROCESS

2005/59329-5

COORDINATOR

Niege Aracari Jacometti Cardoso Furtado

INSTITUTION

Adjunct Pro-Rectory of Research and Post-graduation / University of Franca (Unifran)


The framing of this proposal in the Biota-FAPESPProgram, BIOprospecTA subprogram, could prove tomake a substantial contribution to the investigationswhich are currently underway among groups thatmake up the Network. In this project it is proposed tomake available the extracts of culture media from thefungi and the derivatives isolated to be evaluated inthe Network’s biotrials, as well as to make availablethe biotransformation trials for other bioactive subs-tances provided by the other groups. The collabora-tion with the groups of the Network will providegreater chances of obtaining satisfactory results,given the availability of undertaking different trialssuch as the extracts and the isolated derivatives.

Obtaining structural analogues of pimaradienoic acid through the processof fungal biotransformation and study of the effect of these metabolites on theactivity of the TcDHODH enzyme and on the contraction of the vascular smoothmuscle of the aorta artery of mice

PROCESS

2007/54762-8

COORDINATOR

Sérgio Ricardo Ambrósio

INSTITUTION

Adjunct Pro-Rectory of Research and Post-graduation / University of Franca (Unifran)

START: FEB 2008FINISH: JAN 2012

The present work has the general objective ofobtaining structural analogues of pimaradienoicacid, a diterpene present in large quantity in theroots of Viguiera arenaria Baker, which has proven asignificant capacity to inhibit the contractile respon-se of the vascular smooth muscle of mice, due to itscapacity to reduce the influx of Ca+2 through theblocking of the channels operated by voltage andreceiver. In addition to this well-established activity,preliminary studies showed the arterial pressure ofmice normotense in vivo, as well as inhibiting thedihydroorotate dehydrogenase enzyme of Trypa-nossoma cruzi (TcDHODH), an excellent pharmaco-logical target for the discovery of new potentiallypromising substances to combat parasites that causeChagas disease. The structural modifications propo-sed in this Project will be achieved through the tech-nique of fungal biotransformation, using four diffe-rent genuses of fungus, so as to guarantee thevariability of the analogues produced. The diterpe-nes isolated and identified will then be evaluated onthe inhibitory capacity of the TcDHODH enzymeand the contraction of the vascular smooth musclein the aorta of mice, with the aim of selecting newcompounds more active than pimaradienoic acid, sothat in a stage beyond the development of thisProject they can be tested with regard to their anti-hypertensive and trypanocide potential.

ZOOLOGY

Evaluation of the biotic integrity of the rivers of the northwest region of the State of São Paulo, Alto Paranábasin, using communities of fish

PROCESS

2001/13340-7

COORDINATOR

Lilian Casatti

INSTITUTION


START: JUL 2002FINISH: DEZ 2007

The present project has the principal objectiveof evaluating the biotic integrity of the rivers of theTurvo-Grande and São José dos Dourados hydro-generating units, in the northwest region of the

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State of São Paulo, using biological attributes ofcommunities of fish. This study will be conductedthrough the adaptation and application of the Indexof Biotic Integrity (IBI) for each of the units dealtwith here. As final product, the rivers studied will beclassified in categories of biotic integrity, capable ofproviding a precise diagnosis of the health of therivers of the region in question, fundamental inorder for measures of conservation and sustainableuse of the biodiversity of the region to be taken inthe future. In addition to this, the present proposalis complementary in character to two projects of theBiota-FAPESP Program, already in an advancedstage of development, which are aimed at the inven-torying and computerization of the taxonomic kno-wledge of the fauna of the rivers of this region, afundamental factor in making possible the underta-king of studies of biotic integrity.

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Support forRegular Research

A kind of Savanna

L H

UFSCar), Prof. Dr. Roberto Gomes de SouzaBerlinck (DFQ-IQSC) and Prof. Dr. Monica TallaricoPuppo (FMRP). The major goal of the researchdeveloped in the Laboratory is to perform bothapplied and basic research as well as technologicaldevelopment. This effort focuses in areas ofStructure-Based Molecular Design, specifically anddirectly related to the BIOprospecTA initiative, inthe rational design of new structure-based com-pounds and in protein engineering.

BIOLOGY

Qualitative and quantitative ethnobotanical studies in traditional communities in the PETAR – Alto Ribeira State and Tourist Park and its environs, Iporanga, SP

PROCESS

2002/07687-7

COORDINATOR

Lin Chau Ming

INSTITUTION

Botucatu School of Agronomic Sciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)

START: SEP 2003FINISH: OCT 2006

The region of the basin of the river Ribeira deIguape in SP represents one of the few and ratherwell conserved remnants of Atlantic Rainforest, inwhich one finds long-standing human populationsand from different ethnic origins. The regionrepresents a challenge, in the sense of trying toreconcile the conflicting interests which act uponit, principally that of the possibility of conservationof the forests and of the occupation of the forestsby populations which develop their culture andway of life there. A study will be undertaken, madeup of 3 subprojects, which aim to study andresearch traditional knowledge for the use andmanagement of local natural resources related toflora, with the contribution of Ethnobiology andEthnoecology, as well as analyze chemical and eco-logical aspects of vegetal species of use to the localhuman populations, using data from previouslyundertaken surveys. The work will be carried outby a multi and pluridisciplinary team, from Unesp,UEL, Fiocruz and a local NGO, with the supportand participation of local communities.

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BIOPHYSICS

Use of HTS tests in the identification of leading compounds of natural productsand approaches to rational planning of medicines for selected targets of parasitic diseases

PROCESS

2005/51966-6

COORDINATOR

Otávio Henrique Thiemann

INSTITUTION

São Carlos Institute of Physics / University of São Paulo (USP)


In order to discover new pharmacologically acti-ve compounds for target diseases, I two strategiescan be adopted in parallel: One is the screening inbiological or biochemical assays of large numbers ofextracts or pure compounds, both from naturalsources and compound libraries, while the otherstrategy involves the computational search of libra-ries of compounds with the aid of the 30 crystalstructure of the target enzyme or using the chemicalstructure of known bioactive compounds. The pro-bability of finding positive hits of bioactive com-pounds depends on the number and diversity of thesamples screened and the diversity of assays emplo-yed. After a compound is identified, the structuralcharacterization may be required. A substantial partof the effort in lead compound identification andimprovement is dedicated to the analysis of the inte-ractions of the compound with its target enzyme.These studies require the building of compounddata bases and of advanced tools in medicinal che-mistry. The present proposal aims to implementbiochemical assays known as High ThroughputScreening (HTS), using automated systems andsmall sample volumes, contributing with the overalleffort of the BIOprospecTA network. The organiza-tion of compound data bases were the chemical andstructural information as well as the inhibitory acti-vity of each compound will be organized allowingthe application of advanced medicinal and compu-tational methods for the identification and furtheroptimization of hits and lead compounds. At pre-sent, we are performing biological screenings incollaboration with the natural product chemistrylaboratories of Prof. Dr. Paulo Cezar Vieira (DQ-

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Bioluminescent coleopterans (fireflies) of the Atlantic Rainforest: biodiversityand use as environmental indicators

PROCESS

2006/51911-0

COORDINATOR

Vadim Viviani

INSTITUTION

Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) /Campus Sorocaba


Brazil is the country with the greatest diversity ofspecies of bioluminescent coleopterans, concentra-ting around 25 per cent of the species described andprobably an even higher number not described. Inaddition to constituting important species from thebiotechnological point of view, as they provide bio-luminescent enzymes and substrates with a bioa-nalytical value, this variety of species has greatpotential for use as environmental indicators ofluminous pollution, in urban centers and for therecovery of degraded areas, as has been done inJapan for some years. We plan to continue our cata-loguing of the biodiversity of the Lampyridae,Phengodidae and Elateridae families in the AtlanticRainforest bioma of the State of São Paulo, to studytheir evolution from the molecular aspect and to usesome key-species (based on my long experience withthis taxonomic group in Brazil), as environmentalindicators of marshy and brook areas.

BIOCHEMISTRY

Screening for specific proteasomeinhibitors followed by the determination of proapoptotic and antitumoral properties in cell culture

PROCESS

2004/07636-9

COORDINATOR

Marilene Demasi

INSTITUTION

Butantan Institute / Ministry of State of Health (SES-SP)


Proteasome inhibitors promote cell death in thecells of mammals by a process described, in manycases (depending on the cell lineage and dose), asapoptosis. This activity on the part of the specificinhibitors of protease has been explored as poten-tially beneficial in the chemotherapy of severaltumors including solid and hematological ones. Ahighlight of recent scientific literature is the synthe-tic inhibitor known as bortezomib soon to be intro-duced into clinical medicine. Other evidence of thetherapeutic potential of these inhibitors are the stu-dies which have been published in recent years onthe search for these compounds within products ofnatural origin, in addition to the chemical researchof innumerable new synthetic compounds. The pre-sent study proposal has the objective of identifyingamong the natural products made available by theBiota-FAPESP Program, compounds that may bespecific inhibitors of proteasome. The methodologyto be used implies microtrials and envisages themonthly screening of hundreds of extracts and/orisolated derivatives. It will consist of the measure-ment of the activity of the proteasome in the presen-ce of these products through the intermediary of tri-als on microplates, given that the proteasome will beisolated from a strain of S. cerevisiae where one ofthe subunits of the catalytic complex 20S is modifiedwith a polyhistidine tag which enables the purifica-tion of the 20S complex in a few hours. The secondphase of the project envisages the study of the speci-ficity of the potential inhibitors found in the firststage. The specificity of the inhibitors will be evalua-ted by means of immunoprecipitation trials andenzymatic kinetics. After the identification andselection of the specific inhibitors of proteasome,evaluation will be undertaken of the pro-apoptoticactivity of these compounds. The trials in this phaseof the project will be undertaken in cultures oftumor cells of diverse strains in which the cell viabi-lity will be evaluated and the characterization of theapoptotic process undertaken by means of trialsalready consolidated in the literature. The stages ofthe project which involve the tests of the apoptoticeffect on the culture of tumor cells and studies of cellviability could, as it is desirable for the program, beundertaken in collaboration with other groups with-in BIOprospecTA whose experimental objectives aresimilar.

Search for inhibitors of antioxidant proteins of Xylella fastidiosa

PROCESS

2004/07709-6

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COORDINATOR

Luís Eduardo Soares Netto

INSTITUTION


START: OCT 2004FINISH: JUN 2008

Plants and animals respond to infections bypathogenic agents using among other mechanismsan oxidative burst. In this way, Xylella fastidiosa andother pathogenic agents have to overcome the oxida-tive burst generated by plants to be successful in theinfection. Our objective in this project is the searchfor potential inhibitors of antioxidant enzymes ofXyllela fastidiosa in banks of extracts and pure com-pound of plants, microorganisms, marine organismsand other natural sources. Several antioxidant pro-teins of Xyllela fastidiosa have already been cloned,expressed and purified in my laboratory. In addition,relationships between protein structure and func-tion are being investigated within the StructuralMolecular Biology Network (SMOLBnet).

BOTANY

Embryology of species of Asteraceae in the Cerrado lato sensu

PROCESS

2003/06490-8

COORDINATOR

Simone de Pádua Teixeira

INSTITUTION


START: JUL 2004FINISH: JUN 2007

The Asteraceae family is fairly representative ofthe flora in the Brazilian Cerrado, with around 540species registered. Its representatives present develo-ped root system, with the formation of rhizomes,xylopodes and adventitious buds occurring fre-quently, in the secondary roots. The rhizophores,especially, in addition to the reserve function, lendthemselves to vegetative propagation, a phenome-non observed in disturbed environments, princi-pally through the action of fire. Vegetative propaga-

tion has been considered one of the most viableforms of the multiplication of Asteraceae, whichgenerates doubts as to the role of seeds. Thus, thiswork seeks to test whether the type of propagationadopted by the species is related to its fertility, bymeans of a comparative study of the embryology ofspecies of Asteraceae in the Cerrado. To this end, wechose pairs of species belonging to the same genus,in tribes not related phylogenetically, one with pre-dominantly vegetative propagation (presence of rhi-zophores) and another with predominantly sexualpropagation. Buds, flowers and achenes in variousstages of development will be collected in areas ofthe Cerrado in the State of São Paulo and subjectedto treatment for studies of (1) viability tests of thetetrads, of the pollen grain, of the embryo and of theachene, (2) development of the grain of pollen, ofthe embryo, of the endosperm and the seed-coat,and (3) ultra-structure of the pollen grain. Theresults found will make it possible to evaluate theoccurrence of rhizophores in these species associa-ted with the decrease in the fertility, which wouldsuggest a substitution of sexual reproduction byvegetative propagation. In addition, the results willgenerate information on the reproductive potentialof the species, assisting projects in conservation ofthe flora of the Cerrado.

Morphoanatomy of the vegetative organs and chemical profile of speciesof the Smilax l. (Smilacaceae) genus

PROCESS

2005/58964-9

COORDINATOR

Beatriz Appezzato da Glória

INSTITUTION



The taxonomic confusion that occurs betweendifferent species of the Smilax genus, known popu-larly as sarsaparilla, could be solved, with a moresolid basis for its identification, through the charac-terization and definition of anatomical and chemi-cal particularities. These plants are used in popularmedicine as a tonic, against rheumatism and anti-syphilitic. The objective of this work will be to des-

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cribe the morphoanatomy of the above-ground andsubterranean vegetative organs of six species ofSmilax L, to undertake seed germination studies toverify the viability of the culture, to analyze theontogenesis of the subterranean system of Smilaxpolyantha to clarify the establishment of the secon-dary structure, to carry out cytogenetic studies andanalyze the chemical profile of Smilax polyantha andthe other species proposed (in the event there is anabundance of material and the results with S. pol-yantha are promising). For structural analyses, wewill use permanent and semi permanent slidesmade up from section of the vegetative organsobtained freehand or through rotating microtomeafter fixing, dehydrating and infiltrating in synthe-tic resin or vegetal material. The results will berecorded through photomicrographs and in botani-cal illustrations. To determine the chemical profile,chemical extraction will be undertaken, chromato-graphic triage, isolation and structural identifica-tion of the substances isolated. Seed germinationtests and analysis of rooting and sprouting of cut-tings will be carried out with the aim of understan-ding the potential for propagation of these speciesand, consequently, provide information for theirsustainable use.

Taxonomic aspects of Croton L.(Euphorbiaceae) in the southeast region of Brazil

PROCESS

2007/51439-1

COORDINATOR

Letícia Ribes de Lima

INSTITUTION



The Croton L. genus is the second largest andmost diverse of the Euphorbiaceae with around1,200 species, grouped in 40 sections, with pantropi-cal distribution, of which the majority occur in theAmericas. In South America, Brazil is the countrywhich congregates the greatest number of species,approximately 356. Of these, 172 are found in thesoutheast region, this being probably, the center ofdiversity of the genus. Croton is a good example ofthe “genus problem” – which is big and taxonomi-cally complex – and perhaps for this reason it has

been neglected in favor of smaller and more clearlydefined genuses. Due to the large size and diversity,no complete taxonomic treatment for the genus hasbeen undertaken since Prodromus and, in Brazil, theFlora brasiliensis. Thus, in many herbariums inBrazil (and in the world), it is common to find alarge quantity of non-identified (or badly identified)Croton collections at the level of species, whichrequire, urgently, a discerning taxonomic study.Thus, in order to contribute to the better understan-ding of the taxonomic aspects and the phylogeny ofCroton on a global scale, it is intended to carry outthe floristic and taxonomic survey of Croton in thesoutheast region, in pursuit of a better understan-ding and circumscription of the species, as well asthe survey of information on the morphology, bio-logy, biogeography, among others, trying to gatherthe greatest number of features, including molecularso that subsequently they may be used in cladisticanalyses of the group. All the collected samples willbe georeferenced and the data included in the data-base of the Biota-FAPESP Program.

ECOLOGY

Biodiversity of interaction between fruit-eating vertebrates and plants of theAtlantic Rainforest of southeast Brazil

PROCESS

1998/05090-6

COORDINATOR

Wesley Rodrigues Silva

INSTITUTION


START: DEC 1998FINISH: JUN 2003

Mutualistic interactions between floweringplants and frugivorous vertebrates came to a climaxin the tropical forests, where many species of birdsand mammals contribute successfully to the disper-sal of seeds of different plant families. Especially inthe neotropics, frugivores comprise a significant butfragile component of the total vertebrate biomass,being strongly affected by habitat fragmentation ordeterioration, bringing unknown consequences forthe plants they disperse. Traditionally, biodiversitystudies rely mainly on accounts of animal or planttaxa found in a given area, but little attention is givento the trophic structure linking these taxa, which

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ultimately determines the maintenance of spatialheterogeneity and taxonomical diversity in tropicalforests. The general purpose of this project is toassess and monitor the biodiversity of interactionsbetween seed plants and frugivorous vertebrates,through their qualitative and quantitative aspects,and look for the major ecological and evolutionarytrends and patterns that regulate the mutualisticassociation within these communities. Thisapproach is integrated to the objectives of the specialresearch program Conservation and sustainable useof the biodiversity in the State of São Paulo – Biota-FAPESP. The biome chosen to carry out this study isthe Atlantic Rainforest of south-eastern Brazil, at theIntervals State Park (ISP) The main purpose will beachieved by: a) recording the fruit diet of frugivo-rous vertebrates year round; b) describing morpho-logical, phenological, and chemical traits of thefruits eaten by frugivores; c) describing morphologi-cal and behavioral traits of frugivores, as well as thevariation in fruit consumption in both time andspace; d) elaborating matrixes of interactions bet-ween plants and animaIs in the different communi-ties to be studied, and examining the ecological andevolutive patterns that define their structure andorganization; e) determining the keystone species ofplant and animals in the communities studied,which are expected to participate in a significantnumber of interactions, and verifying the use of fru-givores as indicator-species in studies of biodiversityand conservation; f) distinguishing different levelsof biodiversity between communities through thecomparison of indexes that express the interactions'richness and complexity, like "connectance" and"dependence"; g) elaboration of theoretical modelsfor connectance between natural communities,making testable predictions over the relations bet-ween filogeny, biodiversity, complexity, and stability.This project will be carried out in four years. Thestudy sites will be three areas in the altitudinal gra-dient occurring at the ISP. Each area will be visited atleast on a monthly basis by the different work groupsduring two consecutive years (two of them simulta-neously). Botanical data will include collection andidentification of zoochorous plants, their habitatcharacteristics, descriptions and measurements offruits and seeds, phenological records, chemicalanalyses of nutritive and secondary compounds infruits. Zoological data will include field observationof frugivores feeding behavior, collecting of fecalsamples with mist-nets (birds and bats) and alongtrails (other mammals), descriptions and measure-ments of morphological traits associated with fruit-eating behavior (taken in field or museum). As birdsand bats are the most important seed carriers in tro-

pical systems and their standardized sampling tech-niques allow multiple comparisons within and bet-ween communities, both groups will be used as akey-component in the overall analysis of the frugi-vores community in the study areas. The matrixes offrugivory interactions will allow correlations ofmorphometrical (fruit and seed mass, number ofseeds per fruit, gape width, body mass, etc) and che-mical / physiological (pattern of seed deposition infaeces, nutrient and energetic content of fruits)variables from both fruits and animals. The compa-rison of the values obtained from the matrixes forinteracting pairs of species, feeding guilds or thewhole frugivores community, along with the estima-tion of connectance between communities and itsrelation to morphological, ecological and filogeneticdeterminants, will allow to evaluate how diverse andfunctionally integrated a community is, providingbasic information for its management and conserva-tion. All data sets will be integrated to geographicalinformation systems (GIS).

Fish and fishing in the Atlantic Rainforest in the south of the State of São Paulo (Brazil)

PROCESS

1999/04529-7

COORDINATOR

Walter Barrella

INSTITUTION

Sorocaba Center for Medical and BiologicalSciences / São Paulo Pontifical Catholic University(PUC-SP)

START: NOV 2000FINISH: FEB 2004

The largest preserved areas of Atlantic Rainforestare located in the southern region of the State of SãoPaulo (Brazil). The rivers and streams existing in thisregion are home to a community of fish still hardlyknown, despite the intense activity of artisanal andsport fishing practiced. The present work aims tocarry out ecological studies on the communities offish, identifying the main fishing localities, in addi-tion to gathering together the ethnobiological kno-wledge related to the fishing practiced by the localpopulations of sporting fishermen. There will alsobe suggestions of proposals for the management offishing and ecological tourism to be applied in thisregion of the State of São Paulo.

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Floristic and structural characterization of six fragments of the seasonal semidecidual forest in the environmentalprotection area of Souzas and JoaquimEgídio, Campinas, SP

PROCESS

1999/06999-0

COORDINATOR

Luiza Sumiko Kinoshita

INSTITUTION


START: APR 2001FINISH: JUN 2003

The proposed project aims at discovering andcomparing the floristic composition, phytosociolo-gical structure and state of conservation of ten frag-ments of seasonal semidecidual forest in the munici-pality of Campinas, SP. Among the fragmentschosen for the study is the Ribeirão Cachoeira forest,the second largest fragment in the municipality with236.2ha. The others are distributed in three classes ofsize: 10-15ha; 16-25ha and 26-45ha, with three frag-ments in each class. The sampling will be carried outusing the quadrant points method, in which will beincluded individual trees with a diameter at chestheight > 5 cm. We will analyze qualitative aspects ofthe state of conservation of the fragments as index ofthe canopy cover (obtained through hemisphericphotos); state of the canopy (evaluated throughcategorization of the trees sampled in current trees,past trees and future trees); degree of infestation bylianas and occurrence of disturbance factors (fire,cattle and wood extraction). After the collection ofthis data it is hoped to analyze questions such as: thecorrespondence between the patterns of variation ofthe vegetation and the pattern of variations of theabiotic components and the relationship betweenthe classifications found in the literature on the stateof conservation of the fragments with qualitativeparameters measured in the field.

Diagnosis of populations of birds and cynegetic mammals in the conservation units of the São Paulo Atlantic Rainforest

PROCESS

2001/14463-5

COORDINATOR

Mauro Galetti Rodrigues

INSTITUTION


START: OCT 2002FINISH: JAN 2006

Currently there is a lot of controversy regardingthe most efficient manner for the conservation of tro-pical ecosystems, and in particular, on the role thatprotected areas perform to attain this objective. Birdsand large-sized mammals are among the most vulne-rable to over-exploitation by hunting, loss of habitat,trafficking or competition for resources with humanbeings. In tropical forests the animals that consumefruit (frugivores) make up around 80 per cent of thebiomass of all the vertebrates, exercising a fundamen-tal role in the structuration. Among them many arethreatened with extinction, such as the large primates(woolly spider monkey, Brachyteles arachnoides) andthe piping guans (Pipile jacutinga). In the AtlanticRainforest merely 2 per cent of the 8 per cent remai-ning of the original Forest is given up to conservationunits of indirect use. Many of these units, however, areunder huge pressure from hunting, directly affectingthe populations of cynegetic animals, which certainlyaffect the whole tropical chain. On the other hand,these units are not the majority nor is their spatial dis-tribution in these areas. This project consists of diag-nosing populations of birds and cynegetic mammalsin six conservation units on the Atlantic Rainforest inthe State of São Paulo. In addition, precise informa-tion on the spatial distribution of these animals in theconservation units will be collected for future moni-toring and effective protection. Our project is the firststudy of spatial distribution and density of cynegeticspecies in the conservation units of the AtlanticRainforest of São Paulo and its methodology could beemployed in other areas.

Physiognomic survey of the benthicmarine communities of consolidated substrate in the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

2002/07412-8

COORDINATOR

Flávio Augusto de Souza Berchez

INSTITUTION


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START: DEC 2002FINISH: FEB 2007

The characterization of the biodiversity of benthiccommunities at the level of community can be sum-med up, on the Brazilian coast, in little more than adozen works studying, in total, an area of approxima-tely just 500 m2. Our objective is to test the viability ofa new type of approach, unique for marine communi-ties of consolidated substrate, based on the sampling atphysiognomic level using sample elements consistingof images of a selected size, obtained at random pointsin order to obtain basic information on the temporalspace variation of the structure of the community,complemented among others, with dominant speciesin each physiognomy. The method will permit a largeincrease in the speed and scope of the samplings,which could be undertaken throughout the proposedregions, instead of merely in isolated stations. On thebasis of the images we will determine the percentagedepositions for each of the physiognomies within thesample elements. At selected points the results will becompared with others obtained in traditional sam-plings using the percentage deposition of species(intersection of points method), before evaluating thedegree of loss of information and the consistency ofphysiognomies defined. It is further intended to traina team involving researchers, students and researchsupport technicians which will enable the project to beextended and the dissemination of the results throughthe carrying out of environmental education activities(sub aquatic guided walk and observation tank).

Biodiversity and social processes in São Luiz do Paraitinga, São Paulo

PROCESS

2002/08558-6

COORDINATOR

Paulo Inácio de Knegt Lopez de Prado

INSTITUTION


START: AUG 2003FINISH: OCT 2006

A possible path in the building of interdiscipli-nary knowledge is the integration of already consti-tuted disciplinary approaches. This project seeks toconjugate approaches of ecology and social sciencesusing as link the landscape in the study of the rela-tionship between social processes and patterns of

biological diversity in the municipality of São Luizdo Paraitinga, SP, basing itself on the hypothesis thatthe landscape is one of the principal mediators bet-ween human action and diversity. Standardizedinventories will be drawn up of biological diversity(richness and abundance of species) and survey ofthe history of occupation and of social organizationin four landscapes (mosaic of units): four ruralneighborhoods. Biological and social data will begeoreferenced, to infer their correlation with theconfiguration of the landscape. It is intended, in thisway, to construct explanatory models of biodiversityas a function of the modification of the landscape byhuman societies.

Environmental information system of the Biota-FAPESP Program: developmentof indicators for monitoring, updating of the titles of the cartographic base andupgrading of the Biota Neotropica magazine

PROCESS

2003/01214-2

COORDINATOR

Carlos Alfredo Joly

INSTITUTION


START: OCT 2003FINISH: DEC 2005

The Biota-FAPESP Program’s EnvironmentalInformation System constantly needs new develop-ments to meet both the needs of the program andthe specific peculiarities of some projects. The prin-cipal products of this new stage would be: a) to con-vert the current vegetation titles of the Biota-FAPESPProgram Atlas to the IBGE System of VegetationClassification; b) development of indicators for themonitoring of the performance of the Program’sEnvironmental Information System; c) upgradingthe integration tools of the Biota Netropica magazi-ne with internal and external databases to theProgram.

EDUCATION

Biodiversity of the Cerrado: a proposal for practical work in the field of the teaching of botany and ecology in the three levels of schooling

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PROCESS

2005/56704-0

COORDINATOR

Osmar Cavassan

INSTITUTION

Bauru School of Sciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)

START: JUL 2006FINISH: JUN 2008

To enrich the knowledge of the biodiversity ofthe ecosystems existing in the Legal Reserve of theBauru campus of Unesp and disseminate it, are theprincipal objectives of this project. It is also propo-sed, to use this environment, covered predominantlyby savanna-type vegetation, to develop practicaldidactic activities in the teaching of the botanicalcontent of the science and biology program of theprimary and secondary levels in the public schoolsin the region of Bauru. From these activities, we arelooking for feedback as to how the field procedurespromote a better result in the development of cogni-tive, ethical and esthetic factors in the pupils invol-ved, principally in the education of citizens who arefamiliar with, interpret and take responsibility forthe destinies of the environments which our nativebiodiversity possesses.

PHARMACOLOGY

Antimicrobial and anticancer activity of extracts and active principles obtained from vegetal species in the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

2004/07943-9

COORDINATOR

João Ernesto de Carvalho

INSTITUTION

Chemical, Biological and AgriculturalPluridisciplinary Research Center / CampinasState University (Unicamp)

START: APR 2005FINISH: OCT 2007

The Centro Pluridisciplinar de PesquisasQuímicas, Biológicas e Agrícolas (CPQBA) is compo-sed of the following Divisions: Agro-technology,Phytochemistry, Organic Chemistry and Pharma-ceutics, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Microbiology,

Residues, Biotechnology and Microbial Resources.Due to its multidisciplinary aspect, most of theresearch projects are developed in an integrated way,involving its various Divisions. Since 1996 CPQBA hasworked with antimicrobial and anticancer drug scree-ning program following the same methodology deve-loped by the National Cancer Institute (NCI-USA).The present study intends to evaluate both the anti-cancer and antimicrobiological activities of extracts,fractions and isolated principles from plants of theCerrado, as well as of different forest reserves and spe-cies cultivated in the CPQBA experimental campus.After harvesting, the grinded plant material will besubmitted to the process of extraction by macerationwith dichloromethane and subsequently with ethanol(95%). The evaluation of the anticancer activities ofeach extract (0,25 to 250 µg/ml) will be carried out innine human cancer cell lines: K562 (leukemia), MCF7(breast), NCIADR (breast expressing the multi-drugresistance phenotype), NCI460 (lung), UACC62(melanoma), PC03 (prostate), HT29 (colon), OVCAR(ovary) and 786-0 (kidney). The antimicrobial testswill be performed with B. subtilis, E. coli, S. aureus, S.epidermides, S. faecium, M. luteus, Rhodococcus equi,Salmonella choterasuis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Enterococcus faecium, and Candida albicans. Thebiological activity will direct the isolation of activeprinciples. In addition, the structure elucidation ofthe active principle will be possible through espectros-copical methods available (RMN1H, RMN1C13, IR,UV, Mass).

GENETICS

Genetic structure of natural populationsof Cryptocarya spp. (Lauraceae) throughisoenzymatic and DNA markers

PROCESS

1999/05818-2

COORDINATOR

Maria Teresa Vitral de Carvalho Derbyshire

INSTITUTION

Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Cena/USP)

START: JAN 2000FINISH: MAR 2002

The present project aims to study the geneticstructure of natural populations of Cryptocaryaaschersoniana Mez, C. moschata Nees, C. saligna Mezand Cryptocarya spp. (new species) throughisoenzymatic and DNA (RAPD) markers, based on

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a sampling to be undertaken in the Carlos BotelhoState Park (on an altitudinal gradient of 30 to 1000m), the Juréia-Itatins Ecological Station, theExperimental Station of Pariqüera-Açu, the Canta-reira State Park, Forest of Santa Genebra, BarreiroRico Farm, Campininha Farm, São José Farm, SantaElisa (IAC) Farm and Bosque dos Jequitibás, State ofSão Paulo. Based on this basic study, we will investi-gate several aspects of the life history of these spe-cies, such as genetic flux and effective populationsize, which will be used to elaborate strategies forsampling, management and conservation of thesame. Additionally, we will analyze the materialsdeposited in Brazilian herbariums, together withthe samples collected, so as to establish a methodo-logy for the study of the phylogeny of these species,through PCR of genes of chloroplast and mitochon-dria and sequencing of specific genes, with the aimof solving several taxonomic questions found in thisgroup of plants, as yet unresolved given merely thebase of classical morphological characters.

GEOSCIENCES

Biosphere-atmosphere interaction in natural ecosystems and agroecosystems:a monitoring of sugarcane and Cerrado(wooded savanna)

PROCESS

1999/11215-9

COORDINATOR

Humberto Ribeiro da Rocha

INSTITUTION

Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and AtmosphericSciences / University of São Paulo (USP)

START: JAN 2000FINISH: DEC 2001

This project cuts across the proposals of Biota-FAPESP, focusing on a multidisciplinary analysis ofthe ecophysiology of two ecosystems of great rele-vance to the State of São Paulo, sugarcane andCerrado (wooded savanna). Through the use ofadvanced methodologies of measurement of theexchanges of the biosphere with the atmosphere,such as the “eddy correlation” method, it is intendedto establish an instrumental platform in two experi-mental sites (sugarcane and Cerrado), to undertakelong term monitoring of the fluxes in surface water,energy and CO2 in the biosphere-atmosphere inter-face. It is envisaged in this way to estimate the totalbalances of water and carbon in the ecosystems,

quantifying their potential as sources or sinks inrelation to terrestrial systems; to add information ontranspiration and photosynthesis and their depen-dence on climatic coercions (temperature, humidity,radiation and hydric stress): to gather indices ofthese means as atmospheric carbon sinks, and toestablish a reference for the comparison of the ecos-ystems of sugarcane and Cerrado as representativeregional biomas and the impacts associated withconversion of vegetation. The sugarcane experimen-tal site has already been implemented, and formspart of the organized network of surface fluxesAmerflux (vide http:// cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/programs/ameriflux/sugarbr. html). The Cerrado experimentalsite will be implemented in 2000. The project willenjoy the collaboration of another Biota-FAPESPproject in progress , The conservation feasibility ofthe cerrado remnants in São Paulo State, coordinatedby Marisa Bittencourt, which will provide the upda-ting of relief, physiognomies of vegetation, state ofconservation in the fragments of Cerrado and sur-roundings.

Environmental study of the riverItanhaém estuary, southern coast of the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

2001/09881-2

COORDINATOR

Sueli Yoshinaga Pereira

INSTITUTION

Institute of Geosciences / Campinas StateUniversity (Unicamp)

START: JUL 2003FINISH: OCT 2006

The present research proposal has as generalobjectives: 1) analysis of the environment of deposi-tion and taphonomy of macro detritus and pollens,of the subaquatic environment and of the anthropicmodifications in the river estuary, with applicationof actuo-palaeontology, hydrogeology and currentsedimentology (depositional geomorphology); 2)elaboration of integrated models which will provideassistance in the studies of environmental impactproduced by the anthropic activities mentionedabove and 3) definition of environmental indicatorsfor estuarine environments. The river Itanhaémestuary is located on the southern coast of the Stateof São Paulo, in the municipality of Itanhaém and ispart of the Baixada Santista. It presents characteris-tics particular to tropical regions, both in environ-

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mental aspects (e.g. mangrove and sandbank vegeta-tion) as well as socioeconomic, being the second lar-gest estuary in the state (outdone only by theRibeira, further to the south, in close proximity tothe border with the Paraná) (Lamparelli, 199). Itpossesses a mangrove area of 3,75 Km2 (Lamparelli,1999) considered one of the best protected in thestate, where it is possible to undertake the study ofits evolution during the Holocene period. Along theriver – upstream from the mangroves – there arenumerous points of sand exploitation, many alreadyabandoned, which significantly alter the hydrologi-cal profile, forming huge lakes. The course of theriver Itanhaém was modified more than fifty yearsago due to the opening of a canal linking the riversBranco and Preto. The entire bank of the aforemen-tioned river as well as its tributaries is covered by adense sandbank scrub, for the most part in primaryconditions of conservation which contributes withvegetal material (leaves, seeds, pollens, etc.) to theriver sediments. In localized areas there is morerecent vegetation – secondary scrub and plantations,in addition to the mangrove vegetation itself.

VETERINARY MEDICINE

The biodiversity of characterized reproductive models to be preserved in the State of São Paulo. Structure and management of reproduction, placenta and placentation

PROCESS

2000/12572-9

COORDINATOR

Maria Angélica Miglino

INSTITUTION

School of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechny /University of São Paulo (USP)

START: SEP 2001FINISH: NOV 2004

The aim of this project is to bring togetherscientists and professionals interested in studyingthe biology of the reproduction of wild animals inthe State of São Paulo. Initially it is intended to con-sider some rodents (paca, agouti, capybara and rockcavy) forest pigs, (collared peccary, peccary, wildboar), the South American crecetidae and the sloth:however in subsequent phases other species couldbe added to this proposal. This study refers to the

processes involved in the reproduction of these spe-cies in the sense of preserving them, through rea-ring in captivity and assisted reproduction.Physiological aspects such as puberty, oestrus, ges-tation time, etc. in the conditions of the State of SãoPaulo, as well as external interferences in the processcaused by alterations in the ecosystem. Equally, thephysiology of the fetal membranes will be studied,as well as the embryonary annexes of accessorymaternal elements.

MICROBIOLOGY

Distributed information system for biological collections the integration of Species Analyst and SinBiota

PROCESS

2001/02175-5

COORDINATOR

Vanderlei Perez Canhos

INSTITUTION

Reference Center on Environmental Information(Cria)


Implementation of an information system on thedistribution of biological species (fauna, flora,microbiota) in the State of São Paulo associated witha system of mathematical modeling. The project willexplore the most recent advances in the area of data-bases and communications protocols, including theuse of Internet 2. It includes the implantation of adistributed information system of biological collec-tions (historical data) via Internet integrated withthe environmental information system of the Biota-FAPESP Program (www.biotasp.prg.be/sia/atlas –current data) and with the Species Analyst network(http://www.speciesanalyst.net/). The project enjoysthe initial participation of 12 biological collections(3 herbariums, 2 collections of mites, 3 of fish, 1 ofalgae and 3 of microorganisms) to be integrated intoa distributed network. It envisages the repatriationof data from specific sub-collections outside theState of São Paulo (in Brazil and/or abroad). As pro-duct we have a host of distributed data, maps of dis-tribution of species produced “in real time” andforecasting of the occurrence and non occurrence ofspecies in the different regions of the State.

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Recovery of the biodiversity of an area of Atlantic Rainforest contaminated by heavy metals: a proposal for bioremediation

PROCESS

2005/54617-2

COORDINATOR

Elisa Espósito

INSTITUTION

Center for Health Science / Universityof Mogi das Cruzes (UMC)


The purpose of this project is the development ofbioremediation strategies and recomposition of acontaminated (heavy metals) Atlantic Rainforestusing methalophytes plants microorganisms asso-ciated with rysosphere. The area choose for thisstudy – Nagib Najar Park – is located in hydrogra-phic basin of Tietê river, one of the most complex ofin Brazil, due the forest reminiscent that exhibit themajor taxes of endemism in Brazilian biota. There-fore, this work to allow, at the end, the developmentof strategies for biorecuperation, not only for thisarea, but also another’s sites with similar problems.In the first step, the better experimental area thatrepresents the contamination gradient will be choo-se and different samples from soil Park will be physi-cochemical analyzed. The fauna, flora and microbio-te biodiversity will be evaluated and, the resultscompared to the no impacted Atlantic Rainforest, orwith another’s studies realized on this biome. Also,the bioaccumulation in fauna and flora of the heavymetals will be quantified, allowing choose the nativeplants that could be used in depolution of the conta-minated Park area. Finally, this project will allow theorganization of a data bank containing all resultsobtained by the multidisciplinary equip and, also anew strategy for site monitoring. This study offersopportunities to surgiment of the news researches tothis region, prioritary in the programs conservation,mainly due to mananciales richest.

URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING

Environmental Atlas of the municipality ofSão Paulo: phase 1 – diagnosis and basesfor the definition of public policies for greenareas in the municipality of São Paulo

PROCESS

1999/10955-9

COORDINATOR

Harmi Takiya

INSTITUTION

Municipal Secretariat for Green and Environmental Affairs

START: SEP 2000FINISH: JUL 2002

This project, called Diagnosis and Bases forDefinition of Public Polices for Green Areas of SãoPaulo City, constitutes the first stage of theEnvironmental Atlas of São Paulo City, the cartogra-phic product of the Environmental InformationSystem, that will be implemented in a Prefecture ofSão Paulo in the medium term. What is intended is toobtains the diagnosis for all Municipality; in regionalscale, with detailing of major interest areas of vegeta-tion, associated with socioeconomic aspects, withland use and occupation and with environmentalcharacteristics as a support for public policies for theincrease and conservation of green areas. It will beused widely know techniques as cartography, remotesensing and geographic information system. As aproduct, one expects to obtain a set of thematic mapscollection and explanatory text coupled with digitaldata base.

CHEMISTRY

Bioprospection on the metabolism ofprokaryotes from Brazilian biomas:exploitation of microbial transformationsfor synthesis of chiral pharmaceuticalsand bioactives compounds

PROCESS

2004/07708-0

COORDINATOR

João Valdir Comasseto

INSTITUTION



Screening of new enzymes for enantioselectivereactions using microrganisms isolated in Brazil. Theprospecting of microrganisms will be carry out with

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samples from two Brazilian biomes: Atlantic Rain-forest [studies carried out in the context of the Biota-FAPESP Program (2001-04)]; Amazônia [ParqueNacional Pacaás Novos, Rondônia State (MadeiraWatershead)]. Enrichment and isolation of chemoli-totrophs and chemoorganotrophs of Archaea andBacteria Domains. Phylogenetic characterization ofthe microrganisms by using the 16S rDNA analyses,Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis – DGGEand fluorescent in situ hybridization -FISH, andsequencing approaches. Screening of microbial spe-cies able to degrade aliphatic and aromatic halogena-ted compounds, to verify the enzymatic potential ofthe microbes. Screening of microrganisms capable ofpromoting enantioselective oxi-reduction reactionsand nitrile hydrolysis.

The bioprospection of the fauna of arthropods in the State of São Paulo in the search for leader-compounds for the rational development of newmedicines and pesticides

PROCESS

2004/07942-2

COORDINATOR

Mario Sérgio Palma

INSTITUTION



Many of the medicines prescribed today wereinitially discovered in nature. Despite the advancesin chemistry and the sophisticated instruments usedfor the combinatorial synthesis of new drugs, scien-tists still have recourse to nature as a source of inspi-ration for the development of new compounds. Asubstantial fraction of the medicines in use todaywas directly or indirectly derived from bioactivecompounds produced by plants and/or microorgan-isms. Recently, compounds of low molecular weightof animal origin have also been the object of interestof agrochemical and/or pharmaceutical industries.Arthropods are considered a potentially very impor-tant source of new molecules which offer notableproperties such as: high efficiency, low probability ofmicrobial resistance, limited toxicity and lowimmunogenicity for humans. Spiders and waspsconstitute a large group of arthropods present in themajority of terrestrial ecosystems. The toxic secre-tions of spiders and wasps are used to paralyze the

insect-prey through the paralysis of the synaptictransmission of the neuromuscular junctions ofthose insects (Palma et al., 1997). Considerableefforts have been made to isolate and identify neu-roactive compounds in the secretions of spiders andwasps, resulting in the discovery of many moleculeswhich block the receptors of glutamate and/or calci-um channels. Thus, many of these compounds havebecome structural models for the rational develop-ment of neuroprotective drugs for different neuro-logical disorders. The small organic molecules exist-ing in many of the toxic secretions of spiders andwasps are natural candidates for bioprospection forleader-compounds for the development of drugs forneurotherapeutic use and/or as selective bioinsecti-cides. The principal proposal of this project is thesystematic investigation from the point of view ofchemical characterization and of biological trials, ofthe natural products present in the exocrine secre-tions of a toxic nature, principally in venoms ofArthropods of the Brazilian fauna, such as spidersand wasps.

Bioprospection of microorganisms for application in the synthesis of quiral alcohols of pharmaceutical and industrial interest

PROCESS

2007/51521-0

COORDINATOR

Leandro Helgueira de Andrade

INSTITUTION


START: OCT 2007FINISH: SEP 2009

In this project we will undertake bioprospectionfor microorganisms in reactions of enantioselectivebiocatalysis for application in the synthesis of chiralalcohols of pharmaceutical and industrial interest. Toachieve this objective, we selected two chemical reac-tions which we defined as model reactions for ourenantioselective enzymatic evaluation of the microor-ganisms (bioreduction of pro-chiral ketones andenantioselective bio-oxidation of racemic alcohols).The microorganisms will originate from two diffe-rent sources (microorganisms catalogued in theBIOprospecTA database and microorganisms obtai-ned through the process of induced isolation). In thiscase, we will use as source of microorganisms samplesof soil and sediments collected in the Amazon Forest.

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The taxonomic characterization of the microorga-nisms will only be carried out for those microorga-nisms that exhibit excellent enzymatic activity in theenantioselective reactions tested. In addition to thestage of induced isolation of microorganisms, we pro-pose to continue with the studies of synthetic applica-tions of enzymes and microorganisms in the prepara-tion of chiral chemical compounds.

FOREST RESOURCES

Physiognomic-ecological units associatedwith remnants of natural vegetal cover

PROCESS

1999/12329-8

COORDINATOR

João Batista Baitello

INSTITUTION

Forestry Institute / Ministry of State forthe Environmental (SMA-SP)

START: FEB 2001FINISH: JUN 2003

Georeferenced maps will be drawn containing thepotential vegetation according to the physiognomic-ecological units (types of vegetation) developed bythe RADAMBRASIL project. This survey will be asso-ciated with the São Paulo Forestry Inventory (1993)developed on the scale 1:50.000, with the mappingand quantification of the remaining natural vegeta-tion and the states of forest cultivation (reforestation),correctly updated using recent orbital images. Thephytophysiognomies considered in that opportunity(forest, scrub, wooded savanna, barren land, enclosedcountryside, open countryside, cultivated plains,mangrove and sandbank), will be detailed within theconcept of the physiognomical-ecological units of theaforementioned Project. In the case of the cultivatedforests, it will be possible to undertake studies on theimplantation of these forests in spaces previouslyoccupied by natural ecosystems. The updating of thesurvey of the natural vegetation, based on the SãoPaulo Forestry Inventory (1993) and the elaborationof the respective georeferenced digital base, arealready objectives of the Biota-FAPESP Program, spe-cifically FAPESP Project 98/05251-0 (Viability ofConservation of Remaining Fragments of Cerrado inSão Paulo) and FAPESP 98/05117-1 (Development ofan Environmental Information System for the Biota-FAPESP Program).

Distribution of the community of palm trees in the altitudinal gradient of the Atlantic Rainforest in the northeast of the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

2001/06023-5

COORDINATOR

Simey Thury Vieira Fisch

INSTITUTION

Pro-Rectory of Research and Post-graduation /University of Taubaté (Unitau)


Although the Atlantic Rainforest is better preser-ved in mountainous areas, the alterations which thealtitudinal gradient provokes in the vegetation hasreceived little attention in studies carried out on thisbioma. Elevation has been indicated as the cause of thedecline in the diversity of palms and for the abundan-ce of one or few species in intermediary altitudes.Based on these premises, this project has the principalaim of correlating the occurrence of palm trees withthe altitude factor in the Atlantic Rainforest of the nor-theast of the State of São Paulo. The studies will bedeveloped in the Conservation Units of the Serra doMar State Park (Picinguaba Nucleus, Santa VirgíniaNucleus/Natividade da Serra and Bananal EcologicalStation), the Forest formations of which occur at alti-tudes which vary from 0 to 1900 m. In these localities,samples will be taken at every 200 m of altitude (0 m– sea level, 200, 400, 600, 800, ~940, 1200, 1400 and~1600 m). Morphometric evaluations will be carriedout, existing palm trees collected and the physicalmedium of each sample unit will be characterized.The project will have a multidisciplinary team fromthe University of Taubaté (academics and teachers)and the collaboration of researchers from the follow-ing research institutions: Forestry Institute, BotanicalInstitute (SP), Prof. Mello Leitão Museum (ES),Botanical Gardens Institute of Rio de Janeiro (RJ).

ZOOLOGY

Consolidation of the infrastructure and computerization of the fish collectionin the Department of ZoologyIbilce/Unesp, São José do Rio Preto, SP

PROCESS

1999/05193-2

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COORDINATOR

Francisco Langeani Neto

INSTITUTION



The project is aimed at the consolidation of thefish collection in the Department of Zoology ofIbilce/Unesp in São José do Rio Preto, by securingresources for the conclusion of its computerization,for the refurbishment of the space it occupies and tobuy equipment and consumables necessary for itsmaintenance. It also proposes to identify batches stillnot identified up to the level of species and the trai-ning of undergraduates in the taxonomy of freshwa-ter fish and the curatorship of zoological collections.

Diversity and conservation of the reptile fauna in the southeastern Atlantic Rainforest

PROCESS

1999/08291-5

COORDINATOR

Denise Maria Peccinini Seale

INSTITUTION


START: MAR 2001FINISH: MAY 2006

This project proposes to study the reptile diver-sity in the southeastern Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil.The reptile fauna in this portion of the AtlanticRainforest is quite distinct from the other Braziliantropical forests. Extending over a mountainous con-tinental area and in several coastal islands, theAtlantic Rainforest is characterized by an accentua-ted degree of endemism. In all its extension, the fau-nistic composition is still poorly documented, espe-cially in relation to the latitudinal and altitudevariations. The field work will focus in disjunct areasseparated by geographic barrier. Morphological,cytogenetic, enzymatic, molecular and toxicologicaldata will be employed to characterize the popula-tions. Ecological studies will characterize each spe-cies natural history. The reptile communities will becharacterized by its faunistic composition, relative

abundance of species, resource use, and reproducti-ve patterns. The comparative analysis of severalparameters will be employed to evolutionary andbiogeographical inferences. The results will be usedto define priority areas to conservation, as well as toproduce non-scholarship publications and publicexhibitions.

Diversity of fish in streams and headwatersin the basin of the river Ribeira de Iguapein the State of São Paulo

PROCESS

2000/04300-9

COORDINATOR

Osvaldo Takeshi Oyakawa

INSTITUTION


START: OCT 2000FINISH: SEP 2003

The principal objective of this project consists ofbroadening the knowledge on the ichthyofaunalcomposition of the basin of the Rio Ribeira deIguarape, through studies of the taxonomy and geo-graphical distribution based on collections in all theConservation Units established in the region, and inother areas of the basin barely explored or totallyunexplored. The principal most immediate productsof the project will be: a) ichthyological survey of oneof the least known areas of the State of São Paulo; b)production of publications such as: descriptions ofnew taxons, revision monographs, etc.; c) produc-tion of a manual and identification guides in fieldsaimed principally at those interested in the preserva-tion of the environment and at the public in general;d) increase in the geographical cover of fish in theZoology Museum; e) in the medium and long termit is hoped that the results obtained will bolster con-servation policies, based on the drawing up of prio-rity areas, sustainable management and rationalexploitation of the species of commercial interest.

Biodiversity of arachnids (except mites) in the Cantareira State Park, São Paulo, Brazil

PROCESS

2000/05729-9

COORDINATOR

Ricardo Pinto da Rocha

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INSTITUTION


START: DEC 2000FINISH: AUG 2003

Arachnids have been studied since the beginningof the last century. However, the publications are oflittle value in the use of the biodiversity of the group,in the conservation of nature and analysis of theimpact of human activities in natural environments.The present project aims to study the diversity ofarachnids in three areas with different degrees ofhuman impact within the Cantareira State Park, tocompare the information obtained with other areasof the state obtained by the Biota-FAPESP Arachnidaproject and to establish a minimum collection pro-tocol for the evaluation of the biodiversity of thegroup of the Serra da Cantareira.

Systematics, taxonomic revision and biogeography of the Heptapterini gill, 1861 (Ostariophysi, Siluriformes, Heptapteridae) class

PROCESS

2003/03108-5

COORDINATOR

Flávio Alicino Bockmann

INSTITUTION

Ribeirão Preto School of Philosophy, Arts and Sciences / University of São Paulo (USP)

START: DEC 2003FINISH: SEP 2007

The Heptapterini class, of the Heptapteridaefamily, consists of small to medium size catfishwhich inhabit streams throughout almost the entireNeotropical region. Of the 24 genuses of this classwhich are recognized as valid (10 of which have yetto be formally described), only Mastiglanis,Nemuroglanis and Taunayia have been revised.Taking as a base cladistic methodology, the objectivethrough this research is: 1) to undertake a rigorousre-analysis of the phylogenetic relationships of thespecies of the Heptapteridae family (through parsi-mony programs), with special attention to theHeptapterini class; 2) to implement a classificationfor the whole family up to the generic level; 3) toundertake a taxonomic revision of the Heptapteriniclass, with the description of several new taxons; 4)to formulate a hypothesis on the historical biogeo-

graphy of the Heptapterini class, and to postulate ageneral hypothesis on the evolutive history of theNeotropical hydrographic basins; and 5) gather eco-logical and geographical distribution informationon the members of the Heptapterini class, to sup-port future conservationist actions.

Evaluation of the potential of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as bioaccumulators of heavy metals

PROCESS

2006/52409-6

COORDINATOR

André Fernando de Oliveira

INSTITUTION

Pro-Rectory of Research and Post-graduation and Extension / University of Mogi das Cruzes(UMC)

START: AUG 2007FINISH: JUL 2009

Based on the indices observed in the studiesalready undertaken by our group, the potential oftwo species of ant will be evaluated (Camponotusrufipes and Solenopsis saevissima) as bioaccumula-tors of metals which originate from anthropic activi-ties. In this project, we will study the alterations inthe distribution of the profile of the metals, the sizeand richness of these species along a cross-sectioncomposed of regions of different anthropic impact,but under the influence of the same microclimate.The cross-section extends from the region contami-nated by metals (an old scrap metal ironworks), apark visited by the public, the main route for trucksin the city of Mogi das Cruzes, regions of moderateurbanization up to the Atlantic Rainforest. The dis-tribution of metals in the soil, plants and nests willalso be evaluated.

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GrantsScientific Initiation, Masters Degree,

Doctorate, Fast-track Doctorate,

Post-doctorate and Research Abroad

L H

AGRONOMY

Systematics of the species of the genusCeroplastes Gray, 1828 (Hemiptera: Coccoidae: Coccidae) which occur in the State of São Paulo, Brazil andinventariation of their parasitoids

Process: 2000/09870-8Modality: Doctorate

Grant holder: Ana Lúcia Benfatti Gonzalez PerontiSupervisor: Carlos Roberto Sousa e SilvaInstitution: Center for Biological Sciences and Health /Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar)

Start: Dec 2000Finish: 29/2/2004

Micropropagation and conservation of in vitro germplasm of Anemopaegma arvense

Process: 2001/05063-3Modality: Scientific Initiation

Grant holder: Saulo Franca AmuiSupervisor: Ana Maria Soares PereiraInstitution: Center for Natural and Technological ExactSciences / University of Ribeirão Preto (Unaerp)

Start: Jul 2001Finish: Dec 2002

Potential use of predatory mites found in the Atlantic Rainforest of theState of São Paulo for the biological control of agricultural pests

Process: 2001/13725-6Modality: Post-doctorate

Grant holder: Raf Michael Julien de VisSupervisor: Gilberto José de MoraesInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)

Start: Jun 2002Finish: May 2003

Morpho-anatomical, chemical and genetic characterization of different kinds of Jacaranda decurrens Cham.Bignoniaceae, in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Dulce Marcia de CastroSupervisor: Ana Maria Soares PereiraInstitution: Center for Natural and Technological ExactSciences / University of Ribeirão Preto (Unaerp)

Start: Sep 2002Finish: 29/2/2004

Ultra-detailed mapping of the soil in the area of Caetetus dedicated to thediversity, dynamic and conservation project in forests of the State of São Paulo:10 hectares of the permanent plots


Grant holder: Ana Raquel SoaresSupervisor: Pablo Vidal TorradoInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)

Start: Jul 2002Finish: Jun 2003

Ultra-detailed mapping of the soil in the area of Cardoso Islanddedicated to the diversity, dynamic and conservation project in forests of the State of São Paulo: 10 hectares of the permanent plot


Grant holder: Cristiano Cassiano da SilvaSupervisor: Pablo Vidal TorradoInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)


Ultra-detailed mapping of the soil in thearea of Assis dedicated to the diversity,dynamic and conservation project inforests of the State of São Paulo: 10hectares of the permanent plot


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Grant holder: Marilia Neubern LibardiSupervisor: Pablo Vidal TorradoInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)


Soil-relief relationship in area under sandbank vegetation of the Cardoso Island, SP


Grant holder: Bruno GherardiSupervisor: Pablo Vidal TorradoInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)

Start: Nov 2002Finish: Oct 2003

Ultra-detailed mapping of the soils in theCarlos Botelho State Park dedicated tothe diversity, dynamic and conservationproject in forests of the State of SãoPaulo: 10,24 hectares of permanent plots


Grant holder: Antônio Augusto Soares JúniorSupervisor: Pablo Vidal TorradoInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)

Start: Mar 2003Finish: 29/2/2004

Endophytic microorganisms as agents of biocontrol of coffee rust (Hemileia vastatrix) and as growth promoters


Grant holder: Harllen Sandro Alves SilvaSupervisor: Wagner BettiolInstitution: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa)

Start: Jul 2003Finish: Mar 2005

Selection of endophytic microorganisms as agents of biocontrol of coffee rust


Grant holder: César Rafael Fanchini TerrasanSupervisor: Wagner BettiolInstitution: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa)

Start: Apr 2004Finish: Dec 2004

Chemical, physical and mineralogical characterization of the soils of a toposequence located on the Marília formation (Bauru group) in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Antônio Augusto Soares JúniorSupervisor: Pablo Vidal TorradoInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)


Soil-water-vegetation relationship in a toposequence located in theEcological Station of Assis, SP

Process: 2004/04799-4Modality: Masters Degree

Grant holder: Carlos Eduardo Pinto JuhaszSupervisor: Miguel CooperInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)

Start: Sep 2004Finish: Jan 2006

2D and 3D characterization of the porous space of the soils of the Caetetus Ecological Station


Grant holder: Thalita Campos OliveiraSupervisor: Miguel Cooper

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Institution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)Start: Oct 2004Finish: Sep 2005

Physical-hydric characterization of the soils in the area of the AssisEcological Station


Grant holder: Patrícia Ribeiro CursiSupervisor: Miguel CooperInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)

Start: Oct 2004Finish: Sep 2005

Physical-hydric characterization of soils in a transesction of the permanentexperimental plot in the State Park of the Cardoso Island


Grant holder: Raul Shiso TomaSupervisor: Miguel CooperInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)Start: Mar 2005Finish: Dec 2005

Diversity of diazotrophic microorganismsunder the narrowleaf Atlantic Rainforestin the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Rafaela de Fátima NeroniSupervisor: Elke Jurandy Bran Nogueira CardosoInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)

Start: Sep 2005Finish: Feb 2007

Physical-hydric characterization of the soils of the permanent plot in the dense evergreen rainforest (Carlos Botelho State Park)


Grant holder: José Eduardo SoriaSupervisor: Miguel CooperInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)

Start: Dec 2005Finish: Nov 2006

Analysis of the bacterial community associated with mangroves in the State of São Paulo of biotechnologicaland agricultural interest


Grant holder: Paulo Teixeira LacavaSupervisor: João Lúcio de AzevedoInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)


BIOCHEMISTRY

Purification and characterization of an endo-beta-mananase of seeds of Sesbania marginata benth.(Leguminosae)


Grant holder: César Gustavo Serafim LisboaSupervisor: Marcos Silveira BuckeridgeInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Dec 2000Finish: Jan 2002

Comparative study between the acidicand alkaline phosphatases produced bythe Aspergillus niveus, Aspergillus nigerand Aspergillus ochraceus fungi


Grant holder: Juliana Maria LeãoSupervisor: Maria de Lourdes Teixeira de Moraes Polizeli

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Institution: Ribeirão Preto School of Philosophy,Arts and Sciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Antiproliferative and cytoxic evaluation of potential inhibitors ofhypusination of the factor of the 5thtranslation initiation (EIF5A)


Grant holder: Maicon Segalla PetrônioSupervisor: Sandro Roberto ValentiniInstitution: Araraquara School of PharmaceuticalSciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)

Start: May 2006Finish: Apr 2007

Selection of soil fungi and lipase producing endophytics and adaptation of the cultivation conditions


Grant holder: Marco Antônio NogueiraSupervisor: Suraia SaidInstitution: Ribeirão Preto School of PharmaceuticalSciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


BOTANY

Effects of oligosaccharides of xyloglucanon the growth of cells of Rudgea jasminoides (Rubiaceae) cultivated in vitro


Grant holder: Clóvis José Fernandes de Oliveira JúniorSupervisor: Marcos Silveira BuckeridgeInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Aug 1999Finish: Mar 2003

Role of beta-galactosity in the mechanism of degradation of cell wall xyloglucan during reserve mobilization in cotyledons of Copaifera langsdorffii


Grant holder: Clóvis Oliveira SilvaSupervisor: Marcos Silveira BuckeridgeInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Aug 1999Finish: Jul 2001

Induction activity of phytoalexins and production of fungitoxic substances during the germination of Sesbania marginata seeds


Grant holder: Rodrigo Luís RahalSupervisor: Márcia Regina BragaInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)


Codiolales class (Ulvophyceae)in the State of São Paulo: floral survey


Grant holder: Fabiana Cordeiro PereiraSupervisor: Carlos Eduardo de Mattos BicudoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Jan 2000Finish: Dec 2001

Trentepohliales class(Trentepohliophyceae) in the State of São Paulo floral survey


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Grant holder: Carla Isis dos SantosSupervisor: Carlos Eduardo de Mattos BicudoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)


Eunotiaceae family (Bacillariophyceae) in the State of São Paulo : floral survey


Grant holder: Luciane Lopes MorandiSupervisor: Carlos Eduardo de Mattos BicudoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Oct 2000Finish: Nov 2001

Mapping of invertase in plantules of Hymenea courbaril l. during the mobilization of reserve xyloglucans


Grant holder: Fábio Reis Dalle MolleSupervisor: Marcos Silveira BuckeridgeInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Apr 2001Finish: Mar 2003

Seasonal and daily variation analysis of the content and the composition of the non-structural carbohydrates ofEchinolaena inflexa (poir.) Chase andMelinis minutiflora beauv. (Poaceae)


Grant holder: Amanda de SouzaSupervisor: Rita de Cássia Leone Figueiredo RibeiroInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Mar 2001Finish: Feb 2003

Optimization and spatial mapping of the activity of the Saccharose synthase and Saccharose phosphate synthase enzymes during the process of degradation of the reserve xyloglucansin Hymenaea courbaril (jatoba)


Grant holder: Tatiana Cotelesse MonteiroSupervisor: Marcos Silveira BuckeridgeInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Feb 2001Finish: Dec 2001

Characterization of the remnants of Cerrado (wooded savanna) in the State of São Paulo flora, phytogeographyand state of conservation

Process: 2001/01237-7Modality: Research abroad

Grant holder: Giselda DuriganInstitution: Forestry Institute / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Sep 2001Finish: Nov 2001

Enzymes of the metabolism of fructans in plants of Vernonia herbacea (vell.)Rusby induced to bud


Grant holder: Amanda Francine AsegaSupervisor: Maria Ângela Machado de CarvalhoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: May 2001Finish: Feb 2003

Staurodesmus genus (Zygnemaphyceae)in the State of São Paulo: floral survey


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Grant holder: Luciana Rufino GodinhoSupervisor: Carlos Eduardo de Mattos BicudoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)


Isolation and characterization of the genes involved in the metabolismof carbohydrates during the growth and establishment of two species of the Hymenaea genus and in differentenvironments


Grant holder: Marilia Gaspar MaisSupervisor: Marcos Silveira BuckeridgeInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Apr 2002Finish: Jul 2004

The Staurastrum genus (Desmidiaceae,Zygnemaphyceae) in the State of SãoPaulo: floral diversity


Grant holder: Sílvia Maria Mathes FaustinoSupervisor: Carlos Eduardo de Mattos BicudoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: May 2002Finish: May 2004

Characterization of the elicitor of the Mucor ramosissimus fungus andstudy of the suppression of its inductiveactivity in soya through fragments of pectic polysaccharides


Grant holder: Kelly SimõesSupervisor: Márcia Regina BragaInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)


Experimental taxonomy of the Bostrychia radicans (Rhodomelaceaerhodophyta) complex of the coastline of the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Cíntia GuidoSupervisor: Carlos Eduardo de Mattos BicudoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Mar 2002Finish: Dec 2002

Effect of mannose on the metabolism and growth of plantules of Sesbania virgata benth


Grant holder: Marco Aurélio Silva TineSupervisor: Marcos Silveira BuckeridgeInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Apr 2002Finish: 19/1/2005

Staurodesmus genus (Zygnemaphyceae)in the State of São Paulo: floral survey


Grant holder: Luciana Rufino GodinhoSupervisor: Carlos Eduardo de Mattos BicudoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Sep 2003Finish: Aug 2005

Structural and evolutive characterization of cell walls of four species of Pteridopsida


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Grant holder: Giovanna Bezerra da SilvaSupervisor: Marcos Silveira BuckeridgeInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Mar 2003Finish: Jul 2004

Effect of the availability of nitrate in the content of fructans and in the enzymes of their metabolism in Vernonia herbacea (Vell.) Rusby


Grant holder: Patrícia Gaya de CarvalhoSupervisor: Maria Ângela Machado de CarvalhoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)


Biosynthesis and degradation of fructansin different regions of the rhizophores of Vernonia herbacea (Vell.) Rusby


Grant holder: Maria Teresa PortesSupervisor: Maria Ângela Machado de CarvalhoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Oct 2003Finish: Jun 2005

Floral secretory structures and foliar collectors of Aspidosperma Mart & Zucc.and Blepharodon decne. (Apocynaceaes.l) in the Cerrado


Grant holder: Diego DemarcoSupervisor: Marilia de Moraes CastroInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

Start: Apr 2003Finish: Feb 2005

Anatomy and ultra-structure of the species of Erythroxylum p. browne occurring in Cerrados in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Alexandre Antônio AlonsoSupervisor: Sílvia Rodrigues MachadoInstitution: Botucatu Institute of Biosciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)


Anatomy and ultra-structure of species of Miconia Ruiz & Pav.(Melastomataceae) occurring in Cerrados(lato sensu) of the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Camilla Rozindo Dias MilanezSupervisor: Sílvia Rodrigues MachadoInstitution: Botucatu Institute of Biosciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)

Start: Jun 2003Finish: Feb 2007

Purification and genic expression of fructanexohydrolases of rhizophores of Vernoniaherbacea (Vell.) Rusby (Asteraceae)


Grant holder: Amanda Francine AsegaSupervisor: Maria Ângela Machado de CarvalhoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)


Functional dynamic of the glands of the calix in species of Malpighiaceaein the Cerrado. 1. Byrsonima intermediaa. Juss


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Grant holder: Clivia Carolina Fiorilo PossobomSupervisor: Sílvia Rodrigues MachadoInstitution: Botucatu Institute of Biosciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)


Micromorphology and foliar anatomy of species representative of the Cerrado of the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Ângela Cristina BierasSupervisor: Maria das Graças SajoInstitution: Rio Claro Institute of Biosciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)


Anatomy and ultra-structural aspects of pulvini of Leguminosae of the Cerrado(lato sensu)


Grant holder: Tatiane Maria RodriguesSupervisor: Sílvia Rodrigues MachadoInstitution: Botucatu Institute of Biosciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)


Structure, distribution and histochemistryof collectors of Alibertia sessilis (Vell.) K.Schum. (Rubiaceae)


Grant holder: Daniela Pacheco BarreiroSupervisor: Sílvia Rodrigues MachadoInstitution: Botucatu Institute of Biosciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)


Secretory structure in vegetative and reproductive organs of species of Anacardiaceae in the Cerrado of the State of São Paulo: anatomy, histochemistry and ultrastructure

Process: 2003/13556-5Modality: Fast-track Doctorate

Grant holder: Ana Paula Stechhahn LacchiaSupervisor: Sandra Maria Carmello GuerreiroInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

Start: Mar 2004Finish: Aug 2006

Flora arborea of the Caetetus Ecological Station, SP, Brazil: production of an illustrated guide for identification of the species


Grant holder: Viviane Soares RamosSupervisor: Giselda DuriganInstitution: Forestry Institute / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Aug 2004Finish: Dec 2004

Phytotoxic and antimicrobial substancesin Leguminosae seeds which accumulategalactomannan and xyloglucan as cellwall reserve carbohydrates


Grant holder: Kelly SimõesSupervisor: Márcia Regina BragaInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministry of State for the Environment (SMA-SP)


Morpho-anatomical characterization of the vegetative organs of Stylosantheshumilis H.B.K. (Fabaceae)


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Grant holder: Paula Roberta de SibioSupervisor: Sílvia Rodrigues MachadoInstitution: Botucatu Institute of Biosciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)


Anatomy of the caulis and leaf of threespecies of Lippia houst (Verbenaceae)from the Cerrado


Grant holder: Shelly FavoritoSupervisor: Sílvia Rodrigues MachadoInstitution: Botucatu Institute of Biosciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)


Comparative anatomy of the root andcaulis wood in Citharexylum myrianthumcham. (Verbenaceae)


Grant holder: Leandro Roberto LongoSupervisor: Carmen Regina MarcatiInstitution: Botucatu School of Agronomic Sciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)

Start: Aug 2004Finish: Nov 2006

Study ot the short and long term effects of an atmosphere enriched with CO2 on the growth, development and metabolism of sugarcane(Saccharum ssp) carbohydrates


Grant holder: Amanda Pereira de SouzaSupervisor: Marcos Silveira BuckeridgeInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministryof State for the Environment (SMA-SP)


Mapping of the enzymes of themetabolism of sucrose in plantules of Hymenaea courbaril l. during the mobilization of reserve xyloglucan


Grant holder: Fábio Reis Dalle MolleSupervisor: Marco Aurélio Silva TineInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministryof State for the Environment (SMA-SP)


Analysis of the distribution and effect of seasonality on the production of piperidine alkaloids in Senna spectabilis


Grant holder: Fabiana Pucci LeoneSupervisor: Maria Cláudia Marx YoungInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministryof State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Apr 2005Finish: Jun 2005

Study of the embryogenesis in Ocotea catharinensis mez (Lauraceae):physiological, biochemical and molecular aspects


Grant holder: Claudete Santa CatarinaSupervisor: Eny Iochevet Segal FlohInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Seasonal dynamic of the gaseousexchanges and the hydric potential in tree species senso strictu Cerrado in Gleba Pé-de-Gigante State Park,Vassununga, SP


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Grant holder: Sabrina Latansio Costa RibeiroSupervisor: Marcos Pereira Marinho AidarInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministryof State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Aug 2005Finish: Jan 2007

Effect of the CO2 enriched atmosphere onthe growth, on the allocation of biomassand on the metabolism of fructans of Vernonia herbacea (Vell.) Rusby


Grant holder: Vanessa Fátima de OliveiraSupervisor: Maria Ângela Machado de CarvalhoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministryof State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Aug 2005Finish: Jun 2007

Morphoanatomy of the vegetative organs and chemical profile of species of Smilax L. (Smilacaceae) genus


Grant holder: Aline Redondo MartinsSupervisor: Beatriz Appezzato da GlóriaInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)

Start: Oct 2005Finish: Jul 2008

Analysis of the chemical composition andbiological activity of the volatile oils ofspecies of Myrtaceae and Lauraceaenative to the Atlantic Rainforest of theState of São Paulo


Grant holder: Miriam Anders ApelSupervisor: Paulo Roberto Hrihorowitsch MorenoInstitution: Institute of Chemistry / University of São Paulo (IQ/USP)

Start: Feb 2006Finish: Jan 2008

Physiological, biochemical aspects andcomparative proteomic analysis duringthe maturation, germination and conver-sion into plants of embryos of Octeacatharinensis mez. (Lauraceae)


Grant holder: Leonardo Lucas Carnevalli DiasSupervisor: Eny Iochevet Segal FlohInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Comparative proteomic analysis and biochemical variations during the zygotic and somatic embryogenesis ofAraucaria angustifolia (Bert.) O. kuntze


Grant holder: Tiago Santana BalbuenaSupervisor: Eny Iochevet Segal FlohInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Secretory spaces in vegetative organs of two leguminosae species in the Cerrado: ontogenesis, structure and secretion


Grant holder: Tatiane Maria RodriguesSupervisor: Sílvia Rodrigues MachadoInstitution: Botucatu Institute of Biosciences / São Paulo State University (Unesp)


Flora and structure of Araucária forest present in conservation units in the State of São Paulo


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Grant holder: Rose Pereira Muniz de SouzaSupervisor: Vinícius Castro SouzaInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College ofAgriculture / University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)


Maturation of embryogenic cultures ofnarrowleaf Araucária: biochemical studiesand comparative proteomic analysis


Grant holder: Júlia Bolanho da Rosa AndradeSupervisor: Eny Iochevet Segal FlohInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Anatomic studies of leguminosae from theCerrado with different speeds of foliarmovement: comparative anatomy of thepulvine, petiole, rachis and main vein


Grant holder: Yve CanavezeSupervisor: Sílvia Rodrigues MachadoInstitution: Botucatu Institute of Biosciences /São Paulo State University (Unesp)


ECOLOGY

Modeling of the variation in the spectralresponse of the physionomies of Cerradoin relation to seasonal climatic variations


Grant holder: Humberto Navarro de MesquitaJúniorSupervisor: Marisa Dantas BitencourtInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Freshwater Copepoda Cyclopoida in theState of São Paulo: taxonomic and geographical distribution study of thespecies in relation to the principal hydro-graphic basins in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: William Marcos da SilvaSupervisor: Takako Matsumura TundisiInstitution: São Carlos Internacional Institute of Ecology Ltd

Start: Jan 2000Finish: Jul 2003

Diversity of interactions in trophic systems of plants and phytophages


Grant holder: Carlos Roberto Sorensen Dutra da FonsecaSupervisor: Thomas Michael LewinsohnInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

Start: Jul 1999Finish: Sep 2000

Geographical mosaics, host specializationsand the diversity of interactions betweenplants and insects


Grant holder: Gislene Maria da Silva GanadeSupervisor: Thomas Michael LewinsohnInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

Start: Jul 1999Finish: Sep 2000

Diversity and distribution of Cladocerachydoridae in continental aquatic systems of the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Maria José dos Santos WisniewskiSupervisor: Takako Matsumura Tundisi

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Institution: São Carlos International Institute of Ecology Ltd


Creation of a database of remnants of Cerrado in the Vale do Rio Paraíba do Sul, in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: André Nunes FaureSupervisor: Marisa Dantas BitencourtInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)

Start: Oct 1999Finish: Feb 2001

Demography of Lytocaryum hoehnei (Burret) toledo (Arecaceae) in a fragmentedlandscape in the metropolitain region of the city of São Paulo


Grant holder: Daniela Kolhy FerrazSupervisor: Flávio Antônio Maes dos SantosInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

Start: Dec 2000Finish: Dec 2003

Characterization of the remnants of vegetation in Ribeirão Preto, SP


Grant holder: Olga Kotchetkoff HenriquesSupervisor: Carlos Alfredo JolyInstitution: Ribeirão Preto School of Philosophy,Arts and Sciences / University of São Paulo (USP)

Start: Oct 2000Finish: Aug 2003

Survey of the biodiversity ofChironomidae (Diptera) in the sub-basin of the Ribeira River (Intervales State Park, SP)


Grant holder: Mônica de Andrade MorrayeSupervisor: Cláudio Gilberto FroehlichInstitution: Ribeirão Preto School of Philosophy,Arts and Sciences / University of São Paulo (USP)

Start: Apr 2000Finish: Apr 2003

Effects of the matrix in the reproductivebiology of Psychotria nuda (Rubiaceae)in forest fragments in the Atlantic plateauof São Paulo


Grant holder: Luciano Elsinor LopesSupervisor: Silvana BuzatoInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Biodiversity and space-time distribution of Macrothricidae and Sididae in continental aquatic systems in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Adriana Maria GuntzelSupervisor: Takako Matsumura TundisiInstitution: São Carlos International Institute of Ecology Ltd

Start: Mar 2000Finish: Mar 2003

Study and development of tutorial supporting the analysis of georeferecned data for the environment of distance learning


Grant holder: Gina Sá Barreto Pimentel TrancosoSupervisor: Jansle Vieira RochaInstitution: School of Agricultural Engineering / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

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Effect of the size of the fragment and of the type of matrix in the abundance of six species of forest birds in Caucaia do Alto, SP


Grant holder: Alexandre UezuSupervisor: Jean Paul Walter MetzgerInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


The use of play-back techniques in thedevelopment of a method capable of confirming the presence or absence ofbirds in the interior of forest fragments


Grant holder: Danilo BoscoloSupervisor: Jean Paul Walter MetzgerInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Relationships between the pattern of the relief and the diversity of treespecies in fragments of AtlanticRainforest in the region of Caucaia, SP


Grant holder: William Goulart da SilvaSupervisor: Jean Paul Walter MetzgerInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Effect of connectivity on the abaundanceand richness of plantules and young oftree species in fragmented landscapes


Grant holder: Luciana Ferreira AlvesSupervisor: Jean Paul Walter MetzgerInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Modeling of the anthropic factors which influence the fragments of theCerrado in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Jorge Alberto Bustamante BecerraSupervisor: Marisa Dantas BitencourtInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Variation of the abundance and richness of species of understory birds in a fragmented landscape


Grant holder: Alexandre Camargo MartensenSupervisor: Jean Paul Walter MetzgerInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University ofSão Paulo (USP)


Comparative study of the phycologicaldiversity of three environments with different trophic indices in the biologicalreserve of the Fontes do Ipiranga StatePark, São Paulo, SP


Grant holder: Bárbara Medeiros FonsecaSupervisor: Carlos Eduardo de Mattos BicudoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministryof State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

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Mapping of the cover and soil use fromthe hydrographic basins of the AltoParanapanema Aguapeí, Peixe/SantoAnastácio and São José dos Dourados,based on satellite images


Grant holder: Alexandre Marco da SilvaSupervisor: Luiz Antônio MartinelliInstitution: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture / University of São Paulo (Cena/USP)


Tietê River, SP: a study of the relationshipbetween perception of landscape and environmental conservation


Grant holder: Loretti Portofe de MelloSupervisor: Jean Paul Walter MetzgerInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Evaluation of the quantitative colorationmethod with "protargol" for the identification of planktonic ciliates


Grant holder: Natalia Sakura KoyamaSupervisor: Mirna Januaria Leal GodinhoInstitution: Center for Biological Sciences andHealth / Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar)

Start: Mar 2001Finish: Nov 2001

Relationship between the different uses ofthe surrounding land and the compositionof aquatic insects from five hydrographicbasins in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Kathia Cristhina SonodaSupervisor: Carlos Alberto VettorazziInstitution: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture / University of São Paulo (Cena/USP)


Influence of the connectivity of the landscape in the dispersal of seeds in fragments of tropical Atlantic Rainforest – pilot project


Grant holder: Daniela Petenon BarbosaSupervisor: Vânia Regina PivelloInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Influence of the connectivity of the landscape in the dispersal of seeds in fragments of tropical Atlantic Rainforest – pilot project


Grant holder: Regina de Azevedo Soares AlonsoSupervisor: Vânia Regina PivelloInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Effects of forest fragmentation on butterflyguilds in the Atlantic plateau of São Paulo


Grant holder: Márcio Uehara PradoSupervisor: Keith Spalding Brown JúniorInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)


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Effect of the availability of water and nutrients in a system with threetrophic levels


Grant holder: André Tavares Corrêa DiasSupervisor: Thomas Michael LewinsohnInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)


Abundance of capitula, flowering timeand taxonomic isolation are determinantsof local wealth of capitulum endophages?


Grant holder: Umberto KubotaSupervisor: Thomas Michael LewinsohnInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)


Chemical composition of the precipitation and of the inhalable particled material and their correlationwith the gradient of anthropic inteferences in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Luciene de Barros Lorandi SilveiraLaraSupervisor: Luiz Antônio MartinelliInstitution: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture / University of São Paulo (Cena/USP)


Populational structure of Ophionereisreticulata (Say,1825) (Echinodermata:Ophiuroidea) in the region of SãoSebastião, SP


Grant holder: Leonardo Querobim YokoyamaSupervisor: Luiz Francisco Lembo DuarteInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

Start: May 2001Finish: Dec 2001

Census of the colonial ascidians in theintertidal regions of the Praia da Baleia,São Sebastião, SP, with emphasis on thezoning and selection of microhabitats


Grant holder: Gustavo Muniz DiasSupervisor: Luiz Francisco Lembo DuarteInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

Start: May 2001Finish: Dec 2001

Investigating the diversity of parasiticHymenoptera in the tropics: the study oftrophic web focused on leafminer insects


Grant holder: Jarbas Marçal de QueirozSupervisor: Carlos Roberto Ferreira BrandãoInstitution: Museu de Zoologia / University of São Paulo (USP)

Start: Oct 2001Finish: Jul 2002

Investigating the diversity of parasiticHymenoptera in the tropics: the study oftrophic web focused on leafminer insects


Grant holder: Felipe Cristiano AlvesSupervisor: Plínio Barbosa de CamargoInstitution: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture / University of São Paulo (Cena/USP)

Start: Jun 2001Finish: Dec 2001

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Study of the fauna of Chironomidae(Diptera) in the Galharada streams and interior country in the State Park of Campos do Jordão, SP


Grant holder: Marcia Thaís SurianoSupervisor: Alaíde Aparecida Fonseca GessnerInstitution: Center for Biological Sciences and Health / Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar)


Spatial distribution in subpopulations ofLytocaryum hoehnei (Burret) toledo(Arecaceae) in the Morro Grande forestryreserve, municipality of Cotia, metropoli-tain region of São Paulo


Grant holder: Ana Alice Aguiar EleutérioSupervisor: Flávio Antônio Maes dos SantosInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

Start: Jun 2001Finish: Dec 2001

Diversity, use and conservation in forestsof the State of São Paulo: ethnobotanicalpotential around the permanent plots


Grant holder: Natália HanazakiSupervisor: Ricardo Ribeiro RodriguesInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)


Veneridae (Mollusca, Bivalvia) of thesouth and south-east coast of Brazil withemphasis on the populational dynamic ofTivela mactroides (Born, 1778)


Grant holder: Marcia Regina DenadaiSupervisor: Antônia Cecília Zacagnini AmaralInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

Start: Oct 2001Finish: Jan 2006

Diversity of frogs and litterfall alligators in fragmented landscape in the São Paulo Atlantic plateau


Grant holder: Marianna Botelho de Oliveira DixoSupervisor: Jean Paul Walter MetzgerInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Biogeography of interactions betweenAsteraceae and the endophagous insectson their capitula in Cerrado regions of São Paulo


Grant holder: Adriana Monteiro de AlmeidaSupervisor: Thomas Michael LewinsohnInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

Start: Oct 2001Finish: Nov 2005

Analysis of spatial patterns of trees from 4 forestry formations in the State of São Paulo, through second order analyses (Ripley’s K function)


Grant holder: Robson Louiz CapretzSupervisor: João Luís Ferreira BatistaInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz Advanced School ofAgriculture / University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)


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Taxonomic study of the species ofCladocera from the Moinidae and Sididaefamilies occurring in the State of SãoPaulo, and description of the life cycle of some of the species


Grant holder: Gustavo Almeida Borges RosaSupervisor: Odete RochaInstitution: Center for Biological Sciences and Health /Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar)


Effects of the fragmentation of theAtlantic Rainforest – a comparative study between landscapes and groups of species of small vertebrates


Grant holder: Renata PardiniSupervisor: Jean Paul Walter MetzgerInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)

Start: Jan 2002Finish: 15/8/2003

Sexual systems of tree species from an area of Cerrado and a sandbank area in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Cibele Cardoso de CastroSupervisor: Ricardo Ribeiro RodriguesInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)


Effects of the fragmentation of theAtlantic Rainforest – investigating the relative importance of the size of the fragment and of the quality of the habitat in the structuring of the community of small mammals


Grant holder: Ricardo Braga NetoSupervisor: Renata PardiniInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University ofSão Paulo (USP)

Start: Aug 2002Finish: May 2003

Study of the relative importance of the degree of connectivity and thestructure of vegetation for the communityof small mammals in forest fragments ofthe Atlantic Rainforest


Grant holder: Sérgio Marques de SouzaSupervisor: Renata PardiniInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)

Start: Aug 2002Finish: May 2003

Annelida, Polychaeta: a systematic study of the Canalipalpata of the south-south-east coast of Brazil and the populational ecology of Capitella capitata (Scolecida, Capitellidae)


Grant holder: Érica Verônica PardoSupervisor: Antônia Cecília Zacagnini AmaralInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

Start: Sep 2002Finish: May 2007

Study and tendencies in the temporal series of quality of water in some rivers in the State of São Paulo presenting different degrees of anthropic intervention


Grant holder: Juliano Daniel Groppo

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Supervisor: Luiz Antônio MartinelliInstitution: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture / University of São Paulo (Cena/USP)


Use of bivalve molluscs in a comparative study of the presence of triazinic herbicides in hydrographicbasins in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Analu Egydio JacominiSupervisor: Plínio Barbosa de CamargoInstitution: Ribeirão Preto School of Philosophy,Arts and Sciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Seeds showers in a tropical mountain forest of the São Paulo plateau


Grant holder: Mariana Brando Balazs da Costa FariaSupervisor: Luciana Ferreira AlvesInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Small mammals in Caucaia do Alto – ananalysis of the importance of connectivityin a fragmented landscape


Grant holder: Fabiana UmetsuSupervisor: Renata PardiniInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Nictemeral variation in the structure and dynamic of the phytoplanktonic community in the periods of rain anddrought in mesotrophic environment(Lago das Ninféias), State Park of Fontes do Ipiranga, São Paulo


Grant holder: Karin Ferraz BiesemeyerSupervisor: Carlos Eduardo de Mattos BicudoInstitution: Institute of Botany / Ministryof State for the Environment (SMA-SP)

Start: Sep 2003Finish: Jul 2005

Biodiversity, spatial distribution and seasonal occurrence of tadpoles and adultamphibian anurans in Nova Itapirema,north-west region of the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Tiago da Silveira VasconcelosSupervisor: Denise de Cerqueira Rossa FeresInstitution: São José do Rio Preto Institute ofBiosciences, Arts and Exact Sciences / São Paulo State University (Ibilce/Unesp)

Start: Apr 2003Finish: Jan 2005

Biodiversity and use of habitat of the anurofauna in Santa Fé do Sul, north-west region of the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Tiago Gomes dos SantosSupervisor: Denise de Cerqueira Rossa FeresInstitution: São José do Rio Preto Institute of Biosciences, Arts and Exact Sciences / São Paulo State University (Ibilce/Unesp)

Start: Oct 2003Finish: Jan 2005

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Organic acidity of the precipitation and land use in the State of São Paulospace and time variability


Grant holder: Vanessa Prezotto SilveiraSupervisor: Plínio Barbosa de CamargoInstitution: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture / University of São Paulo (Cena/USP)


Silvigenesis as a tool for the successionalcharacterization of stretches of forest and the relationship of the silvigeneticmosaic to abiotic factors in low mountain dense evergreen rainforest(Carlos Botelho State Park)


Grant holder: Andrea VaniniSupervisor: Ricardo Ribeiro RodriguesInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)


Effect of the degradation of habitat on community patterns and properties of trophic networks between plants and phytophage insects


Grant holder: Mario Almeida NetoSupervisor: Thomas Michael LewinsohnInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)


Biodiversity of Salticidae (Arachnida,Araneae) of the Atlantic Rainforest: local diversity, similarity between areasand patterns of distribution


Grant holder: Adalberto José dos SantosSupervisor: Antônio Domingos BrescovitInstitution: Butantan Institute / Ministry of State of Health (SES-SP)

Start: Jun 2004Finish: Oct 2006

Diversity and biogeography of amphibiansin islands of the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Cínthia Aguirre BrasileiroSupervisor: Ivan SazimaInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)

Start: Apr 2004Finish: May 2007

Temporal variation of the density and reproduction of janaira gracilis of the phytal of the Ilha dos PorcosPequenos, Picinguaba, north coast of the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Marcela Cristina Zanoni FerrariSupervisor: Fosca Pedini Pereira LeiteInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)


Ecological similarity in communities of tadpoles of anurans: the role of historic (phylogenetic) and contemporary (ecological) components


Grant holder: Vitor Hugo Mendonça do PradoSupervisor: Denise de Cerqueira Rossa FeresInstitution: São José do Rio Preto Institute of Biosciences, Arts and Exact Sciences / São Paulo State University (Ibilce/Unesp)

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Effects of the anthropic activity and of the forest fragmentation on guilds of lepidopterans


Grant holder: Danilo Bandini RibeiroSupervisor: Keith Spalding Brown JúniorInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)


The occurrence of formations of bamboo inthe hillside forest of the Atlantic Rainforestand its influence on local diversity


Grant holder: Luciana Spinelli de AraújoSupervisor: Gerd SparovekInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)


Effects of fragmentation on the predationof artificial nests in the region of AtlanticRainforest, Caucaia do Alto, SP


Grant holder: Carlos Ernesto Candia GallardoSupervisor: Jean Paul Walter MetzgerInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)

Start: Jan 2004Finish: Jun 2004

Inter- and intra- specific diversity ofspecies cultivated: the management of species and rocks in the context of use of land and of the sea for São Paulo Caiçara populations


Grant holder: Nivaldo PeroniSupervisor: Alpina BegossiInstitution: Nucleus for Environmental Study and Research / Campinas State University (Nepam/Unicamp)


Ethno- ichthyology, diet and alimentarytaboos of artisanal fishermen of Ilhabela,northern coast of São Paulo


Grant holder: Milena Ramires de SouzaSupervisor: Alpina BegossiInstitution: Nucleus for Environmental Study and Research / Campinas State University (Nepam/Unicamp)


Strategies for the use of nitrogen on tree species in the forests of the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Érico Fernando Lopes Pereira da SilvaSupervisor: Carlos Alfredo JolyInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)


Responses of the small mammals fromthe mature areas of the Atlantic Rainforestto micro-scale variations to the habitat


Grant holder: Laura Regina Capelari NaxaraSupervisor: Renata PardiniInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)

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Start: Nov 2004Finish: May 2005

Risk and uncertainty: the use of ecological models in artisanal fishing


Grant holder: Priscila Fabiana Lopes Mac CordSupervisor: Alpina BegossiInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)


Spatial structuring of falling trees andrelationships with the spatial pattern ofthe richness of species in different vegetalformations in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Adriana Maria Zanforlin MartiniSupervisor: Ricardo Ribeiro RodriguesInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)

Start: Nov 2004Finish: Nov 2006

Socio-ecological dynamics in the management of participative fishing: thecase of a marine extractavist reserve


Grant holder: Cristiana Simão SeixasSupervisor: Alpina BegossiInstitution: Nucleus for Environmental Study and Research / Campinas State University (Nepam/Unicamp)


Conservation of understory birds in fragmented landscapes: importance ofcover and configuration of the habitat


Grant holder: Alexandre Camargo MartensenSupervisor: Jean Paul Walter MetzgerInstitution: Institute of Biosciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Etnoecology and ethnotaxonomy of the fishermen of Perequê Beach,Guarujá, SP


Grant holder: Arlaine dos Santos Francisco GianeliSupervisor: Alpina BegossiInstitution: Nucleus for Environmental Study and Research / Campinas State University (Nepam/Unicamp)


The importance of forest fragments in the richness and diversity of amphibian anurans in Icem, northwestregion of the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Fernando Rodrigues da SilvaSupervisor: Denise de Cerqueira Rossa FeresInstitution: São José do Rio Preto Institute of Biosciences, Arts and Exact Sciences / São Paulo State University (Ibilce/Unesp)

Start: Aug 2005Finish: Aug 2006

Environmental heterogeneity: what is its role in the regulation of the richness and diversity of species of open area amphibian anurans?


Grant holder: Carolina Panin CandeiraSupervisor: Denise de Cerqueira Rossa Feres

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Institution: São José do Rio Preto Institute of Biosciences, Arts and Exact Sciences / São Paulo State University (Ibilce/Unesp)


Excavation behavior and functional morphology in three species of neotropi-cal Microhylinae (Anura, Microhylidae)


Grant holder: Aline Cristina Sant’AnnaSupervisor: Denise de Cerqueira Rossa FeresInstitution: São José do Rio Preto Institute of Biosciences, Arts and Exact Sciences / São Paulo State University (Ibilce/Unesp)


Conservation of aquatic insects in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Fábio de Oliveira RoqueSupervisor: Cláudio Gilberto FroehlichInstitution: Ribeirão Preto School of Philosophy,Arts and Sciences / University of São Paulo (USP)


Silvigenic characterization of a stretch ofdense evergreen rainforest in the CarlosBotelho State Park, Sete Barras, SP


Grant holder: Renata Rodrigues FernandezSupervisor: Ricardo Ribeiro RodriguesInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College ofAgriculture / University of São Paulo (Esalq/USP)


Use of stable isotopes of carbon andnitrogen in ecophysiological studies in the area of Cerrado (wooded savanna)stricto sensu in the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Luciana Della ColettaSupervisor: Jean Pierre Henry Balbaud OmettoInstitution: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture / University of São Paulo (Cena/USP)


Losses of nitrogen through the emissionof gases and their relationship with thedecomposition of the forest litter andbiomass of roots in the Atlantic Rainforest


Grant holder: Eraclito Rodrigues de Sousa NetoSupervisor: Luiz Antônio MartinelliInstitution: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture / University of São Paulo (Cena/USP)


Cycling of nutrients of the soil and theforest litter in dense evergreen rainforestin the State Park of Serra do Mar


Grant holder: Susian Christian MartinsSupervisor: Marisa de Cássia PiccoloInstitution: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture / University of São Paulo (Cena/USP)


Patterns and diversity of functional types in dense evergreen rainforest in the nuclei Picinguaba and Santa Virgíniain the State Park of Serra do Mar


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Grant holder: Enio Egon Sosinski JúniorSupervisor: Carlos Alfredo JolyInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)


Dynamic and populational study of four species of tree species in thenuclei Picinguaba and Santa Virgínia –the State Park of Serra do Mar, SP


Grant holder: Carolina Bernucci VirilloSupervisor: Flávio Antônio Maes dos SantosInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)


Use of forest remnants by the anuranfauna of the northwest region of the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Vitor Hugo Mendonça do PradoSupervisor: Denise de Cerqueira Rossa FeresInstitution: São José do Rio Preto Institute of Biosciences, Arts and Exact Sciences / São Paulo State University (Ibilce/Unesp)


Floristics and structure of the arborealcommunity of the submountainous denseevergreen rainforest in the nucleusPicinguaga/PESM, Ubatuba, SP


Grant holder: Mariana Cruz Rodrigues de CamposSupervisor: Carlos Alfredo JolyInstitution: Institute of Biology / Campinas State University (Unicamp)


Inorganic forms of nitrogen in differenttropical areas of the Atlantic Rainforest of the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Grasiele Fernanda BuenoSupervisor: Luiz Antônio MartinelliInstitution: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture / University of São Paulo (Cena/USP)


Study of the hydric balance and the biogeochemical balance of nitrogen in a microbasin of the first order withcover of pasture on the north coast of the State of São Paulo


Grant holder: Luiz Felippe SalemiSupervisor: Luiz Antônio MartinelliInstitution: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture / University of São Paulo (Cena/USP)


Structure and ecomorphology of taxoce-nosis of tadpoles in the Atlantic Rainforest


Grant holder: Natacha Yuri Nagatani DiasSupervisor: Denise de Cerqueira Rossa FeresInstitution: São José do Rio Preto Institute of Biosciences, Arts and Exact Sciences / São Paulo State University (Ibilce/Unesp)

Start: Sep 2006Finish: Jan 2008

Annual patterns of reproduction of anuransin the Caetetus Ecological Station, SP


Grant holder: Ricardo Augusto BrassalotiSupervisor: Jaime Aparecido BertoluciInstitution: Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture /

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Documents

KNOWLEDGE AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF BRAZILIAN BIODIVERSITY: BIOTA