Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Abstract: This manuscript describes the role of natural products in the process of drug discovery. In fact, several different natural compounds have been used as inspiration to develop new drugs. Some relevant examples are presented in chronological order.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: The development of our society has been based on the use of biodiversity, especially for nutrition, medicines and beauty. Brazil is the nation with the largest biodiversity in the world, with a rich chemical diversity, which is a potential source for bioeconomy. Considering the chemical and biological diversity of the Brazilian territory, we would like to highlight the value of secondary metabolites from Brazilian biodiversity with potential application for new products and technologies and the importance of scientific programs to support the sustainable use of biodiversity.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: In this review I focus on what we need to know to make decisions relevant to land-use planning. I discuss four questions: What information about the distribution of biodiversity is available to decision makers? What sort of information is required at a local scale? Can we use species-distribution modeling to compensate for the lack of empirical information at larger scales? Can we use surrogates based on remote sensing for all our decisions? To be effective, biodiversity information needs to be based on standardized sampling with data made available during the initial planning phases of infrastructure projects, which are now based only on engineering or social considerations and occur several decades before construction starts. The RAPELD method is now being used in many environmental-impact studies to generate standardized data, but there is presently no mechanism to include biodiversity information in the initial phases of decision making, and this has unfavorable consequences for economic development and the environment.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: The Amazon basin houses a particular group of freshwater organisms, whose study tells the geological history of the region, how biological diversity was shaped, how it is maintained, and what it hides. The fish of the Amazon is represented by more than 3,000 known species distributed from the basal groups up to the more specialized ones. This species richness hides a diversity of adaptations that are dispersed at all levels of the biological organization. In this summary of the conference delivered at the Brazil-France Bilateral Symposium, held in Manaus in 2018, we describe two aspects of the hidden world of adaptive diversity: adaptations to changes in dissolved oxygen and the abilities of the Rio Negro fish to face acidic and ion-poor waters of their habitats. Also, we present the vulnerability of Amazonian fish to ongoing climate changes. Then, very briefly, we call attention to the many hidden biological processes that allow these fish species to survive their environments, much of which is unknown. Indeed, however, they are intricately related to men, either by responding to environmental disturbances that we have caused, or by containing information that contributes to improving the quality of the environment in which we live.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: The global medicine market is about 1.1 trillion US dollars. About 35 percent of medicines have originated from natural products. Brazil presents the largest biodiversity in the world, with more than 50,000 species of higher plants. However, few innovative products have been developed in Brazil from active constituents derived from the Brazilian biodiversity. Scientific evidences on plants and venoms have been internationally published by Brazilian scientists over the last 4 decades; but few examples of innovative products are commercially available. Few examples include the anti-hypertensive drug captopril first identified in the venom of the Brazilian viper Bothrops jararaca by Professor Sergio Ferreira; and some phytotherapeutic agents such as Acheflan®, Syntocalmy® and Melagrião® produced by standardized plant extracts with scientific proof of safety, efficacy and quality. Still, only Acheflan® and Melagrião® are obtained from native Brazilian plants. Several issues contribute to the lack of innovative products from the Brazilian biodiversity, but in my opinion, the most challenging ones are i) the lack of specific regulations to allow researchers and companies to access biodiversity for the purposes of scientific and technological innovation; and ii) the absence of a long-term government program to support research and innovation in this field.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: Insects are the most diverse group of animals. They can be infected by an extraordinary diversity of viruses. Among them, arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) can be transmitted to humans. High-throughput sequencing of small RNAs from insects provides insight into their virome, which may help understand the dynamics of vector borne infectious diseases. Furthermore, investigating the mechanisms that restrict viral infections in insects points to genetic innovations that may inspire novel antiviral strategies.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Abstract: The various descriptors of biochemical diversity and an evaluation of its status of knowledge are briefly outlined. Using a few examples from in house research projects, I illustrate strategies used to increase this knowledge. Because bacteria represent an extremely diverse domain of life and carry out the widest known range of biochemical transformations, this mini-review focusses on bacteria.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Abstract: If we consider Drosophilidae, the answer to the question above is yes. Many research groups in Brazil and abroad have been showing that assemblages of flies of this family can reflect environmental alteration levels caused by urbanization, and/or by other human disturbances. I will present here a summary of our findings in Drosophilidae assemblages reflecting different degrees of environmental perturbation. These studies were done by graduate students of two post graduate programs of UFRGS, under my supervision, along several decades. I will also present the results stemming from the effort of other Brazilian Drosophilid study groups while identifying the members of those assemblages in different Biomes. As a result of those field studies, several biological invasions were detected and many new important biological problems arose prone to be investigated by genetic, molecular biology and other related approaches.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: There is growing evidence that pre-Columbian humans had strong impacts on soils, plant and animal communities and ecosystem functioning in many parts of Amazonia, and that the legacies of these impacts still affect biodiversity and how ecosystems function today. Understanding the history of human/environment interactions in Amazonia is essential for analyzing the current state of these interactions and imagining scenarios for the future. This study gives a brief overview of these themes.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: Peugeot-ONF Forest Carbon Sink Project, located at Fazenda São Nicolau (FSN) in Cotriguaçu Municipality, is a public-private initiative and has been supported by several French and Brazilian institutions. Its Research Program includes studies aiming Biodiversity Conservation, Ecology, Carbon Dynamics, Silvicultural Techniques. FSN comprises a high richness of species with more than 20 new species of beetles (Histeridae, Scarabaeidae e Melolonthidae) described among them one endemic genus. A quick overview of the SuperFamily Scarabaeoidea within the FSN area registered 260 species which nearly 100 species might be new to Science. One new species of fish as well as research with amphibian toxins as tools to treat cancer and malaria are also done with material collected at the FSN. Ecology of the decomposer´s fauna at reforestation sites showed that after 10 years, such places were more similar to native forest sites than pastures or abandoned pastures. Finally large mammals studies indicated that many large mammals use FSN as a refuge. We stress the importance to keep the FSN natural habitats linked with the Juruena National Park. The FSN contour is under heavy deforestation which will increase the species loss and turn FSN in one of the few major natural vegetation fragments.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: To understand the increasingly tenuous relationship between ourselves and the finite resource base upon which we depend for all sustenance, an exploration of recent history and basic human behavior is warranted. An attempt is made to shed light on how short-term economic demands have come to take priority over nearly all other long-term aspects of our existence. Without full recognition of our historical and cultural trajectories in relation to the modern mass mentality of materialism, consumerism and wealth, there is little possibility to develop or implement truly functional strategies that can be utilized indefinitely.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: The Amazonian rainforest has been subjected to exceptionally high rates of land use change (LUC), primarily for pasture. We present here an analysis of the impact of LUC on trees from studies made in Pará state. LUC results in drastic declines in native species richness, changes species composition and impacts community resilience and ecosystem services provided by the Amazonian rainforest. Given that secondary forests are expanding in Amazonia we argue that this regrowth forest should be taken into account when planning conservation in this region.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: Amazonia has been a focus of interest since the early days of biogeography as an intrinsically complex and extremely diverse region. This region comprises an intricate mosaic that includes diverse types of forest formations, flooded environments and open vegetation. Increased knowledge about the distribution of species in Amazonia has led to the recognition of complex biogeographic patterns. The confrontation of these biogeographic patterns with information on the geological and climatic history of the region has generated several hypotheses dedicated to explain the origin of the biological diversity. Genomic information, coupled with knowledge of Earth’s history, especially the evolution of the Amazonian landscape, presents fascinating possibilities for understanding the mechanisms that govern the origin and maintenance of diversity patterns in one of the most diverse regions of the world. For this we will increasingly need more intense and coordinated interactions between researchers studying biotic diversification and the evolution of landscapes. From the interaction between these two fields of knowledge that are in full development, an increasingly detailed understanding of the historical mechanisms related to the origin of the species will surely arise.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: In the present context of concerns for biodiversity, the French Academy of Sciences produced in 2017 a report entitled “Mechanisms of adaptation of biodiversity to climate change and their limits”. We briefly review here the production process and structure of the report, and summarize its conclusions and recommendations. The conclusions emphasize the role of habitat fragmentation in the expected impact of climate change on biodiversity, in particular for organisms with limited dispersal abilities, and the disparities in species responses which must be taken to understand the future of species assemblages (“communities”) under different scenarios of climate change. The recommendations cover the organization of biodiversity research and monitoring (development of observatories, key role of embedded time scales and modeling, integration of Human and Social Sciences), as well as critical domains such as Human, animal and plant health, agriculture and forestry policies, and management of the Environment.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: Genetic drift is the fortuitous occurrence of genetic events that when they become fixed modify the genome of populations. They can take the form of mutations of single nucleotides (SNPs), the insertion or deletion of short sequences (Indels) or the repetitions of short sequences (CNV i.e. copy number variants) or long insertions or deletion (structural modifications). Their frequency is 10-9 to 10-8 depending on the species, or 50 to 100 per birth in humans. The incidence of these de novo mutations is higher when the father is old at conception. It thus appears that genetic drift, which constitutes the initial element of evolution, has a very strong dynamics. Its intervention in the appearance or disappearance of some major phenotypes is complicated by the uncertainties about the genetic mechanisms in heritability which, paradoxically, are only partially understood.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: As a focus for conservation efforts, biodiversity has received increased attention in the last fifty years. Searching for patterns in biodiversity, researchers have suggested studies including: ecological communities, cladistics classifications, hierarchical compositions of different levels of organization, and groups of taxonomically related species. Here, we propose that the study of the biodiversity of interactions may present a new perspective in the efforts to conserve biodiversity, especially in endangered ecosystems like the tropical savannas. We suggest that Cerrado, like other tropical savannas, is a particularly important ecosystem in which we can direct efforts to explain what determines the major part of variation in the outcomes of species interactions.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: The West Indian (Trichechus manatus) and Amazonian (T. inunguis) manatees have a sympatric occurrence at the mouth of the Amazon River. A result of this interspecific encounter is the occurrence of hybrids, which are frequently found along the coasts of Amapá state in Brazil, French Guiana and Guyana. Here we present new genetic evidence indicating the occurrence of a hybrid swarm along the Guianas Shield coastline, which is an interspecific hybrid zone that also separates T. manatus populations located east (Brazil) and west (Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Florida and Antilles). In addition, we suggest that this hybrid population occupies a peculiar mangrove-rich environment under strong influence of the Amazon River plume, which requires an independent management and should be considered a special conservation area.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: Amazonia is often cited as having the most diverse flora on the planet. However, the total number of species of higher plants in the region has been largely a matter of guesswork. Some recent publications have estimated the total number of species present, which indicate a lower overall diversity than was estimated in the past. However, analysis of the sampling density across the region, and data from various sources suggest that there may be reason why the recent figures may be considerable underestimates. I believe that much more investment in extensive collecting of quality plant specimens is needed to encounter the very large number of rare and local species that might never have been collected. Unfortunately the tendencies of investment in botany, in terms of geography and types of project, suggest that we will probably not be able to accurately assess the real diversity of the region.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: Early humans have domesticated plant and animal species based on ancient empirical concepts (Darwin 1868, 1876). In 1886, Mendel established a new paradigm of hereditary laws (Mendel 1866, 1870, 1950) based on genotypic and phenotypic traits of cross-compatible species, establishing a complex breeding technology that is currently utilized for the development of most food and livestock-derived products. Recently, studies on deciphering the double-helical structure (Watson and Crick 1953a, b) and how to restrict DNA (Arber 2012) have established the foundation of recombinant DNA technology. A new era is paving the way for genetic manipulation of important traits among all the kingdom’s organisms, allowing for the development of innovative and widely utilized products for the agricultural, industrial and pharmaceutical production sectors (Mc Elroy 2003, 2004, ISAAA 2016).

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract: We review the potential of Amazon forest as a source for circulation and maintenance of native arboviruses as well its capacity to host exotic arboviruses introduced in Brazil during their process of adapting to the Amazon environment. After a brief introduction about arboviruses isolated in Amazon region and description of the main arboviruses pathogenic to humans, we highlight the history of the last two exotic viruses introduced in Brazil - Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) - and their consequences to the public health. Finally, we discuss and hypothesize what will happen with them after the outbreak. We look to the past to predict the future.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Abstract: With the recent changes in the epidemiology of infectious diseases in Brazil, research funding has been changing in a manner that does not properly consider biodiversity and poverty-related diseases. The burden of disease and the affected neglected populations need to be part of the equation in developeding countries with limited funding.