State University of Santa Cruz

About: State University of Santa Cruz is a education organization based out in Ilhéus, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Species richness. The organization has 3266 authors who have published 4642 publications receiving 51876 citations. The organization is also known as: Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz.

Health status of ayahuasca users.

Abstract: Ayahuasca is a psychedelic brew originally used for magico-religious purposes by Amerindian populations of the western Amazon Basin. Throughout the last four decades, the use of ayahuasca spread towards major cities in all regions of Brazil and abroad. This trend has raised concerns that regular use of this N,N-dimethyltryptamine- and harmala-alkaloid-containing tea may lead to mental and physical health problems associated typically with drug abuse. To further elucidate the mental and physical health of ayahuasca users, we conducted a literature search in the international medical PubMed database. Inclusion criteria were evaluation of any related effect of ayahuasca use that occurred after the resolution of acute effects of the brew. Fifteen publications were related to emotional, cognitive, and physical health of ayahuasca users. The accumulated data suggest that ayahuasca use is safe and may even be, under certain conditions, beneficial. However, methodological bias of the reviewed studies might have contributed to the preponderance of beneficial effects and to the few adverse effects reported. The data up to now do not appear to allow for definitive conclusions to be drawn on the effects of ayahuasca use on mental and physical health, but some studies point in the direction of beneficial effects. Additional studies are suggested to provide further clarification.

Angiospermas em remanescentes de floresta montana no sul da Bahia, Brasil

Abstract: Foi realizado um levantamento floristico de tres remanescentes de floresta montana localizados na Mata Atlântica do sul da Bahia. Durante os anos de 2004 a 2008 foram feitas coletas periodicas de material botânico, principalmente ao longo de trilhas no interior dos fragmentos das areas: Reserva Serra da Pedra Lascada - SPL, Reserva Serra das Lontras - SLO e Reserva Particular do Patrimonio Natural Serra Bonita - SBO. A riqueza floristica em cada area foi comparada entre si e com outras areas de Mata Atlântica na Bahia e no Sudeste do Brasil. Foi registrado um total de 1.129 especies em 467 generos e 124 familias. O habito arboreo representou 46,9% das especies, seguido de herbaceas (20,1%), epifitas (19,5%) e trepadeiras (13,5%). As familias Araceae, Asteraceae, Bromeliaceae, Fabaceae, Lauraceae, Melastomataceae, Myrtaceae, Orchidaceae, Piperaceae, Poaceae, Rubiaceae e Solanaceae apresentaram a maior riqueza floristica nas tres areas em conjunto. O genero Psychotria (Rubiaceae) apresentou o maior numero de especies em todas as areas (21 spp.), destacando-se tambem Miconia (20 spp.), Solanum (20 spp.), Piper (19 spp.), Ocotea (16 spp.), Leandra (16 spp.), Peperomia (15 spp.) e Myrcia (14 spp.). Os resultados confirmam a elevada riqueza de angiospermas no sul da Bahia e evidenciam, pela primeira vez, a ocorrencia de especies caracteristicas de regioes montanhosas da Mata Atlântica do Sudeste do Brasil nessa regiao.

Cabruca agroforests in southern Bahia, Brazil: tree component, management practices and tree species conservation

Abstract: In southern Bahia, Brazil, cabrucas are the traditional agroforests in which cacao trees are planted under thinned-out native forests. To analyze the role of cabrucas in tree species conservation, we inventoried the non-cocoa trees in 1.0 ha plots of cabruca in 16 cocoa farms and compared our results with a similar survey undertaken in the early 1960s in the same region to analyze the long term changes. We also interviewed 160 cocoa farmers to investigate their preferences for species and the main practices used in managing shade trees. The cabrucas showed high levels of tree diversity for an agroforestry system (Shannon index ranging from 2.21 to 3.52) and also high variation in structure and composition among the different farms. Forest specialist trees accounted for most species (63.9%) in the survey and were among the species most preferred by the farmers, although we found evidence that some of these trees are gradually being replaced by other species. Our results indicate that cabrucas are poor substitutes for undisturbed forests in terms of tree species richness, but their presence in human-altered landscapes is of utmost importance to the conservation of forest tree species as they increase overall heterogeneity and may serve as ecological corridors, additional habitats, and buffer zones.