ABSTRACT Inside the Brazilian semi-arid region (Caatinga biome) there are vegetation refuges from other biomes that are present mainly at greater elevations in ancient geological formations such as Chapada do Araripe. This study aimed to understand the structure, diversity and floristic similarity of a fragment of humid forest in order to support conservation strategies for this community in Chapada do Araripe, southern Ceará (708m Alt.), an area of relevant ecological, cultural and scenic value. In 13 parcels of 25x25m (0.8 ha) all individuals with DBH ≥ 5cm were inventoried, observing total height. Floristic similarity was observed using the Jaccard method, comparing it with seven other areas in different regions of the Brazil. Sixty-six species were found distributed in 34 families, in a total of 1,544 individuals with DA=1,997.30 ind.ha-1 and AB =32,618 m²ha-1. Fabaceae (25.75%) and Myrtaceae (6%) had the highest number of species and Brosimum gaudichaudii had the highest IVI. The Shannon index (H') was 3.13 and the Pielou equability (J') was 0.75. The beta diversity, compared with other areas of humid forest (core and disjunct), was considered high and the statistics showed greater similarity with the area of the mesoregion of Pernambuco forest. The results allow the characterization of the area as a vegetational refuge of humid forest, corroborating the Refuge Theory and showing strong penetration of savanna species (“Cerradão”, Cerrado, Caatinga/“Carrasco”), emphasizing the action of climatic impulses that occurred in the Quaternary and pointing to the need to conservation strategies due to accelerated anthropism.

RESUMO No interior da região semiárida brasileira (bioma Caatinga), há ocorrência de refúgios de vegetação de outros biomas que se apresentam principalmente em topos de formações geológicas do período Pré-Cambriano, como a Chapada do Araripe. Este trabalho objetivou o conhecimento da estrutura, diversidade e similaridade florística de um fragmento de mata úmida na Chapada do Araripe, sul do Ceará (708m Alt.), visando subsidiar estratégias de conservação dessa comunidade, área de relevante valor ecológico, cultural e paisagístico. Em 13 parcelas de 25x25m (0,8 ha), foram inventariados todos os indivíduos com DAP ≥ 5cm, observando-se altura total. A similaridade florística foi observada pelo método de Jaccard a partir da comparação com outras sete áreas em diferentes regiões do Brasil. Foram encontradas 66 espécies distribuídas em 34 famílias, num total de 1.544 indivíduos com DA=1.997,30 ind.ha-1 e AB=32,618 m²ha-1. Fabaceae (25,75%) e Myrtaceae (6%) apresentaram maior número de espécies e Brosimum gaudichaudii apresentou maior IVI. O índice de Shannon (H’) foi 3,13 e a equabilidade de Pielou (J’) foi 0,75. A diversidade beta, comparada com outras áreas de mata úmida (core e disjuntas), foi considerada alta e a estatística apontou maior similaridade com área da mesorregião da mata pernambucana. Os resultados permitem caracterizar a área como refúgio vegetacional de mata úmida, corroborando com a teoria dos refúgios e evidenciam forte penetração de espécies savânicas (cerradão, cerrado, caatinga/carrasco) enfatizando a atuação de impulsos climáticos ocorridos no Quaternário e apontando para a necessidade de estratégias de conservação devido ao antropismo acelerado.

Introduction This research aimed to identify and quantify potentially pathogenic Vibrio from different cultivations of bivalve shellfish in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil, and water regions in the South Bay, as well as correlate the incidence of these microorganisms with the physicochemical parameters of marine waters. Methods Between October 2008 and March 2009, 60 oyster and seawater samples were collected from six regions of bivalve mollusk cultivation, and these samples were submitted for Vibrio counts. Results Twenty-nine (48.3%) oyster samples were revealed to be contaminated with one or more Vibrio species. The Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus counts in the samples ranged from < 0.5 log10 Most Probable Number (MPN) g–1 to 2.3 log10 MPN g–1 oyster and from < 0.5 log10 MPN g–1 to 2.1 log10 MPN g–1 oyster, respectively. Of the 60 seawater samples analyzed, 44 (73.3%) showed signs of contamination with one or more vibrio species. The counts of V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus in the samples ranged from < 0.3 log10 MPN·100mL–1 to 1.7 log10MPN·100mL–1 seawater and from < 0.3 log10 MPN·100mL–1 to 2.0 log10 MPN·100mL–1 seawater, respectively. A positive correlation between V. vulnificus counts and the seawater temperature as well as a negative correlation between the V. parahaemolyticus counts and salinity were observed. Conclusions The results suggest the need to implement strategies to prevent vibrio diseases from being transmitted by the consumption of contaminated bivalve shellfish.

The development of alternative microbiological techniques is driven by the necessity to meet the current needs to deliver rapid results in the manufacturing process of foods, but it is important that these methods be evaluated for each application. The objective of the present study was to assess the PetrifilmTM EB and the TEMPO® EB systems with ISO 21528-2:2004 for the count of Enterobacteriaceae in pasteurized and UHT milk samples. We analyzed the microflora of 141 pasteurized milk samples, 15 samples of artificially contaminated pasteurized milk and 15 samples of artificially contaminated UHT milk. Investigation of the method PetrifilmTM EB and ISO 21528:2 regression analysis showed a high correlation in the samples, r = 0.90 for the microflora of pasteurized milk, r = 0.98 for artificially contaminated pasteurized milk and r = 0.99 for the artificially contaminated UHT milk. In evaluating the system TEMPO EB ® method and ISO 21528:2 correlation was also significant in the analyzed samples, with r = 0.86 for the microflora of pasteurized milk, r = 0.96 for artificially contaminated pasteurized milk and r = 0.99 for artificially contaminated UHT milk. No statistically significant differences were observed between the three methods conducted to analyze artificially contaminated pasteurized and UHT milk at three inoculum levels. In conclusion, the PetrifilmTM EB system and the TEMPO® EB system may be an alternative to the ISO 21528-2:2004 for the Enterobacteriaceae assay for milk as because of the ease-of-operation and the time reduction achieved for conducting the microbiological assay using these systems.