No abstract

The Mauritia flexuosa L.f. palm is known as the “tree of life” given its importance as fundamental food and construction resources for humans. The species is broadly distributed in wet habitats of Amazonia and dry habitats of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins and in the Cerrado savanna. We collected 179 individuals from eight different localities throughout these habitats and used microsatellites to characterize their population structure and patterns of gene flow. Overall, we found high genetic variation, except in one savanna locality. Gene flow between populations is largely congruent with river basins and the direction of water flow within and among them, suggesting their importance for seed dispersal. Further, rivers have had a higher frequency of human settlements than forested sites, contributing to population diversity and structure through increased human use and consumption of M. flexuosa along rivers. Gene flow patterns revealed that migrants are sourced primarily from within the same river basin, such as those from Madeira and Tapajós basins. Our work suggests that rivers and their inhabitants are a critical element of the landscape in Amazonia and have impacted the dispersal and subsequent distribution of tropical palm species, as shown by the patterns of genetic variation in M. flexuosa.

Resumo O objetivo desta pesquisa foi estudar o conhecimento ecológico tradicional (CET) relacionado à pesca feita por grupo étnico autoidentificado como quilombola, por meio da análise de fatores que influenciam o consenso cultural e as técnicas da pesca artesanal. Participaram 24 homens e sete mulheres dos quilombos Retiro, Boqueirão, Casalvasco e Manga. Os métodos de amostragem utilizados foram: bola de neve, lista livre e observação participante. Os resultados incluem 47 etnoespécies (46 peixes e um réptil). O consenso cultural é composto por: Hoplias malabaricus, Cichla sp., Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum, Astronotus ocellatus, Satanoperca pappaterra, Brycon cephalus, Piaractus mesopotamicus, P. corruscans, Pimelodus sp., Colossoma macropomum, Pygocentrus nattereri, Mylossoma aureum, Astyanax sp. e Leporinus freiderici. Embora tenha sido maior a riqueza do conhecimento entre pessoas que residiram temporariamente em outros estados brasileiros, este aspecto não esteve relacionado à idade dos entrevistados. A manutenção e a transmissão de CET é propiciada por contato diário com peixes e com o rio desde criança, bem como por observação das práticas de pesca em grupo. O CET é parte da identidade e representa uma herança cultural que deve ser valorizada. É necessária a participação desses atores sociais nos planos de decisão e de gerenciamento de áreas protegidas.

This study was conducted in two villages of El Chico National Park (ECNP), Mexico, to document the uses of Litsea glaucescens (Mexican laurel) by the local population and to identify actors with knowledge about the species using quantitative ethnobotanical techniques. Fifty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain a free-list about the specific uses of the laurel, to analyze its importance among the social group under study, and to use social networking to identify individuals within the community who had particular knowledge about the plant. We found a total of 25 specific uses for the plant, which have different levels of importance for the people of the ECNP. The most common use was seasoning, while medicinal and cultural uses had a lesser importance. Use of the seed of the laurel as a material for handcrafts is recorded for the first time in this study. The social network showed that there was a relationship between the actors interviewed from the two communities. They are identified as having some relationship to the plant or knowledge about it, but the actors who produce it are the most prominent. An analysis of the specific uses of the laurel and those with knowledge about it is considered indispensable for generating specific management and harvesting strategies for the species, which will be able to contribute a local perspective to its conservation.

The environmental heterogeneity may reflect the different morphological and phenotypic traits of individuals belonging to a single species. We used 14 morphological traits of Mauritia flexuosa L.f. to understanding the relation between environment and phenotypic traits. Twenty-five fruits were collected from each of the 10 individuals sampled in each study site: Chapada dos Guimarães (CG), Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade (VB), and Alta Floresta (AF). We analyzed the genetic divergence, using the standardized Euclidean distance, the sequential method of Tocher, unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA), and the projection of the distances onto 2D plane, and calculated the relative importance of the traits evaluated. The analysis showed the partition of individuals into three main groups: Two groups comprising the majority of individuals. Fresh fruit weight, pulp rate, fresh pulp weight, and moisture rate were the traits that most helped explaining the difference between materials. The results shown in the current study evidenced the influence of these three different environments on the biometric traits of M. flexuosa. Such influence has led to the formation of Alta Floresta and Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade individuals in different groups, whereas the Chapada dos Guimarães individuals were able to permeate the two other groups, although they showed stronger tendency to group with individuals from Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade.