Abstract The present work aimed to isolate secondary metabolites from Myrcia insularis Gardner (Myrtaceae) wood and to evaluate the anti-Candida activity and further extracts obtained by partition and the respective main isolated compounds. Wood was collected in a Seasonal Semideciduous Forest remnant of the Atlantic Forest of northern Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Chromatographic and spectrographic techniques were used to isolate and identify secondary metabolites. Methanol extract inhibited the growth of Candida buinensis and Candida tropicalis, with inhibition being approximately 82% for the latter. The main compound isolated from the ethyl acetate partitions was arjunolic acid, a triterpene. The antimicrobial activity was first observed with the wood metabolites of M. insularis adds to our understanding of the antifungal properties of this species and other species within the Myrtaceae family, including the presence of arjunolic acid, which may play a role in this activity.

ABSTRACT Tropical forests are the most diverse on the planet, and it is essential to understand how plant species adapt to the environmental differences inherent in this environment. This study describes the wood anatomy and hydraulic architecture of Bathysa cuspidata and Bathysa nicholsonii in two remnants of the Atlantic Forest through a paired analysis of the hydraulic system related to taxonomic and environmental aspects. Samples were collected non-destructively, processed following techniques of wood anatomy. Sympatric species differ taxonomically in Bathysa cuspidata showed vessels either solitary or radial multiples of 2 to 4 elements, septate fibre-tracheids with thick walls, and larger rays with sheath cells. At the same time, B. nicholsonii has a higher vessel frequency, septate fibre-tracheids with thin walls, narrower rays, vessels with smaller diameters. Although each species’ hydraulic system shows acclimatization variations to different sites of occurrence, the structural differences in wood ensure the segregation between the species in each site. Our results corroborate the relevance of the anatomical wood anatomy studies as a subsidy for a better definition of morphologically similar taxa and show structural aspects aimed at survival in the Atlantic Forest. This data combination has often been neglected in understanding biodiversity in the tropics.

This work describes, analyzes and compares the wood anatomy of Alseis pickelii from two distinct sites in Tropical Dry Forest. One site is an exploited forest that was disturbed by deforestation whereas the other site is preserved and has not been logged since selective logging in the 1960's. For the evaluation of wood anatomy, plant material was processed following standard techniques for light microscopy and histochemical tests. The results indicated that A. pickelii did not vary qualitatively between the two sites. The histochemical tests indicated the presence of prismatic crystals and starch in radial parenchyma of samples from both sites. Some quantitative parameters differed significantly between the two sites including: vessel frequency; vessel length and lumina area; intervessel pits; diameter, lumina, length and wall thickness of fibres; and radial parenchyma width. In general, these quantitative parameters had higher values in the samples from the exploited site, suggesting an adjustment to the more severe drought conditions there. Quantitative anatomical differences in the samples from the two sites show the influence that environmental conditions can have on wood anatomy. The observed anatomical characteristics may also be useful for taxonomic and ecological studies of this species and genus.