The conservation and management of the Atlantic Forest depends upon reliable knowledge about how many and which species this biome shelters. Floristic inventories have an important role in this process, especially when conducted in poorly known remnants, with a high conservation priority. This paper presents the study of the genus Piper (Piperaceae) in the Mata das Flores State Park, Castelo municipality, Espírito Santo state (ES). The study was based on the analysis of dried specimens, as well as those observed in the field, from February 2012 to August 2015. Twenty species of piper were identified. Amongst these species, Piper dilatatum, P. macedoi and P. piliovarium were recorded for the first time for the Espírito Santo state. Piper bicorne, an endemic species from ES and known only for the Santa Leopoldina municipality, had its geographical distribution expanded to the Castelo municipality. Most of the Piper species in the MFSP occur in valleys, and they are commonly found near watercourses. This is worrying given that these areas are just the most affected by the expansion of the rural and urban areas that surround the Park. Key words: Atlantic Forest, flora, taxonomy. ResumoA conservação e o manejo da Floresta Atlântica dependem de conhecimento confiável sobre quantas e quais espécies este bioma abriga. Inventários florísticos têm um importante papel neste processo, especialmente quando conduzidos em remanescentes pouco conhecidos com alta prioridade de conservação. Este trabalho apresenta o estudo realizado no gênero Piper (Piperaceae) no Parque Estadual de Mata das Flores, município de Castelo, estado do Espírito Santo (ES). O estudo foi baseado na análise de espécimes herborizados, assim como observados a campo, em expedições realizadas de fevereiro de 2012 a agosto de 2015. Vinte espécies de Piper foram identificadas. Destas, Piper dilatatum, P. macedoi e P. piliovarium foram registradas pela primeira vez para o estado do Espírito Santo. Piper bicorne, espécie endêmica do ES e conhecida apenas para o Município de Santa Leopoldina, teve a sua distribuição geográfica expandida para o Município de Castelo. A maior parte das espécies de Piper no PEMF ocorre nas áreas de vale, e frequentemente próximas a cursos d'água. Tal fato gera preocupação em relação à conservação destas espécies, dado que estas áreas são justamente as mais afetadas pela expansão das áreas urbana e rural do entorno. Palavras-chave: Floresta Atlântica, flora, taxonomia.

Coffea spp. chromosomes are very small and accumulate a variety of repetitive DNA families around centromeres. However, proximal regions of Coffea chromosomes remain poorly understood, especially on the nature and organisation of the sequences. Taking advantage of genome sequences of C. arabica (2n = 44), C. canephora, and C. eugenioides (C. arabica progenitors with 2n = 22) and good coverage genome sequencing of dozens of other wild Coffea spp., repetitive DNA sequences were identified, and the genomes were compared to decipher particularities of pericentromeric structures. The searches revealed a short tandem repeat (82 bp length) typical of Gypsy/TAT LTR retrotransposons, named Coffea_sat11. This repeat organises clusters with fragments of other transposable elements, comprising regions of non-coding RNA production. Cytogenomic analyses showed that Coffea_sat11 extend from pericentromeres towards the middle of the chromosomal arms. This arrangement was observed in the allotetraploid C. arabica chromosomes, as well as in its progenitors. This study improve our understanding of the role of Gypsy/TAT LTR retrotransposon lineage in the organization of Coffea pericentromeres, as well as the conservation of Coffea_sat11 within the genus. The relationships with fragments of other transposable elements and the functional aspects of these sequences on the pericentromere chromatin were also evaluated.

Dorstenia spp. are characterized by a herbaceous habit, the presence of rhizomes and inflorescences being coenanthia. They occur in different forest formations, and it is believed that there are two distribution centres for Dorstenia, one Palaeotropical (Africa) and one Neotropical (Central and South America). The present study aimed to undertake a comparative analysis of the karyotype diversity of Dorstenia, based on chromosome data and DNA C values of 13 Neotropical species, and an analysis of low-coverage genomic sequencing of three African and one Neotropical species. The most frequent chromosome number is 2n = 32, with variations for 2n = 28 and 30, suggesting an important role of polyploidy in the karyotype differentiation of Dorstenia. Karyotypes varied in the number of metacentric, submetacentric and acrocentric chromosomes, with evidence of rearrangements. Genome sizes (C values) varied almost two-fold, from 2C = 2.50 to 5.47 pg. There was no clear relationship between DNA C value variations and karyotype features, such as chromosome numbers and distribution of CMA/DAPI bands or rDNA sites. Proximal heterochromatin was most frequent, but CMA+ and DAPI+ bands predominated in relation to DAPI+ bands. 5S and 35S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sites were also observed in the proximal regions in almost all species. Based on a chromosome modelling approach, our data suggest that dysploidy events may have been responsible for the chromosome number variations, whereas rearrangements involving repetitive fractions may have been associated with changes in genome size. There was great variability in the amount of rDNA between species, including a remarkable 5S rDNA amplification in D. bahiensis, and a diversity of transposable elements in the four genomes with genomic sequence data. The combination of data from karyotypes, genomes and phylogeny suggests that dysploidy has played a predominant role in the evolution of Neotropical Dorstenia spp.