The lack of paleoecological records from the montane Atlantic Rainforest of coastal Brazil, a hotspot of biological diversity, has been a major obstacle to our understanding of the vegetational changes since the last glacial cycle. We present carbon isotope and pollen records to assess the impact of the glaciation on the native vegetation of the Serra do Mar rainforest in São Paulo, Brazil. From ca. 28,000 to ∼ 22,000 14C yr BP, a subtropical forest with conifer trees is indicative of cool and humid conditions. In agreement carbon isotopic data on soil organic matter suggest the presence of C3 plants and perhaps C4 plants from ∼ 28,000 to ∼ 19,000 14C yr BP. The significant increase in the sedimentation rate and algal spores from ∼ 19,450 to ∼ 19,000 14C yr BP indicates increasing humidity, associated to an erosion process between ∼ 19,000 and ∼ 15,600 14C yr BP. From ∼ 15,600 14C yr BP to present there is a substantial increase in arboreal elements and herbs, indicating more humid and warmer climate. From ∼ 19,000 to ∼ 1000 14C yr BP, δ13C values indicated the predominance of C3 plants. These results are in agreement with studies in speleothems of caves, which suggest humid conditions during the last glacial maximum.

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Examination of the mechanisms involved in the construction of presentday vegetative deposits along coastal waterways has made it possible to establish depositional patterns that can be compared with those found in similar environments in geologic time. These patterns include not only the composition and transport of the debris but also an estimation of the time involved in its deposition. Six sites with active deposits of plant macrodebris in the coastal basin of the Itanhaém River, São Paulo State, Brazil, were used in the study. In the central portion of the basin, the interior coastal plain is covered with restinga forest (dense, wet tropical forest of low altitudes), while the lower portion consists of mangrove swamps. The coast reflects anthropogenic intervention, and only a few scattered remnants of precolonization dune vegetation remain. The results after three years of study suggest that the accumulation of plant macrodebris in the middle and lower portions of the basin is parautochthonous, since only the leaves of genera typical of the restinga forest and mangrove swamp, respectively, were found. Along the coast the accumulations involved a mixture of parautochthonous and allochthonous elements. On the levee of the Branco River and within the mangrove swamp, deposition was slow, and many of the elements decayed quickly; such accumulations show little potential for preservation and eventual fossilization. A different site, however, reveals the rapid deposition of thick layers of plant debris, presumably associated with storms, and these accumulations are preserved for long periods, constituting good candidates for possible fossilization.

Background: Although multiple studies advocate the advantages of participatory research approaches for ethnoscience, few provide solid contributions from case studies that involve residents in all of the project phases. We present a case study of a participatory approach whose aim is to register ethnobotanical knowledge on the use of plants in two quilombola communities (maroon communities), an important biodiversity hotspot in the Atlantic Forest, Southeast Brazil. Our aim is to provide tools that will empower decision-making related to sustainable use and management among residents.Methods: In phase I, the objectives and activities were defined in meetings with residents to carry out ethnobotanical surveys between two quilombola communities-the Quilombo da Fazenda (QF) and Quilombo do Cambury (QC). In phase II, we offered community partners training courses on how to collect plants and ethnobotanical data. In coordination with the university team and using ethnobotanical methods, community partners interviewed specialists on plants and their uses. In phase III, using the participatory mapping method, residents indicated plot locations and collected plants to calculate the Conservation Priority Index for native species recorded in phase II. Results: In 178 days of fieldwork, two community partners from the QF and three from the QC selected 8 and 11 respondents who reported 175 and 195 plant species, respectively, corresponding to 9 ethnobotanical categories. Based on requests from the local community, booklets and videos with these data were collaboratively produced. A large percentage of species were found to be of great conservation priority-82.1% in the QC and 62.5% in the QF. Virola bicuhyba, Cedrela fissilis, Plinia edulis, and Tabebuia cassinoides are the species most at risk and will be the focus of phase IV, when a participatory management plan will be carried out. Additionally, we present both challenges and opportunities with the hope that others can learn from our successes and failures.

Com o objetivo de investigar a importância da interferência antrópica na origem dos campos situados junto da crista da Serra do Mar, no município de São Paulo, realizou-se levantamento em diversas fontes de dados históricos que abrangessem a região, especialmente sob o aspecto de atividades econômicas, expansão urbana e vias de comunicação, como possíveis fatores de impacto sobre a vegetação. Verificou-se que a atividade de carvoarias, em meados do século XX, constituiu-se no principal fator de degradação local. Essa atividade, contudo, não é suficiente para explicar a ocorrência de campos no local, embora, possivelmente, tenha retardado a substituição natural dos campos por matas. Discute-se a importância da flora do Núcleo Curucutu para medidas de resgate histórico da flora do município de São Paulo.