Cenostigma pyramidale, a pioneer species presents in all different successional stage (early, intermediate and late) of fifteen natural regeneration areas of Caatinga after land used changed and abandonment was used to investigates the morphological and physiological attributes that are very important to xeromorphic conditions as against herbivories. Leaf samples were collected to evaluate the percentage of the herbivory and index of sclerophylly. Anatomy, histochemistry, total phenolic content, epicuticular wax load, and n-alkanes profile were also performed. The results showed an inverse relationship between the percentage of herbivory and the index of sclerophylly. The leaves showed typical morphological and anatomical characteristics of xeric environments plants such as uniseriate epidermis and trichomes. Furthermore, it was also noticed a decrease in the overall thickness and the tissues according to the advancement of the successional stages. The histochemical revealed the presence of lipidic substances coating the epidermal layers, phenolics compounds stored in secretory structures, and starch in the mesophyll. The concentration of phenolics compounds indicating the difference from health leaves of plants between different stages of regeneration, but no difference when they were herbivored. The amount of cuticle wax did not change significantly with the successional stage. The profile of n-alkanes was characterized by the predominance of nonacosane (C29) and hentriacontane (C31). The C29 content decreases with the advancement of the successional stage, while the C31 content increases. All those attributes have a role to protect the plants to acclimate to the various environmental conditions of Caatinga.

Forest fragmentation leads to various environmental problems. It causes edge effects that can decrease biodiversity, promote the growth of lianas, and affect the production of epicuticular wax. This study focuses on examining the secondary metabolites found in the epicuticular wax of Vismia guianensis leaves and investigating the impact of the edge effect on their production. We extracted and quantified the epicuticular wax and analyzed its constituents using gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer. The amount of cuticular wax extracted from V. guianensis leaves ranged from 33.69 to 631.57 μg/cm². Individuals at the forest edge had the lowest wax content, averaging 250.96 μg/cm². On the other hand, individuals located in the interior of the forest had the highest values, with an average of 340.67 μg/cm² per surface unit. The analysis of the samples identified and quantified nine long-chain alkanes (C27 to C35) in the composition of the cuticular wax. The predominant compound in the wax of all individuals was nonacosane alkane (C29). Interestingly, the individuals within the forest fragment exhibited less diversity of compounds compared to those at the forest edge.