ABSTRACT Seed predation is a natural phenomenon that can occur either before or after dispersal and can significantly reduce the economic value and reproductive potential of plants. The babassu palm (Attalea vitrivir, Arecaceae) is important to rural communities that extract oil from its fruits for a wide variety of uses. We evaluated the predation and germination of A. vitrivirseeds in Pandeiros River Environmental Protection Area (EPA-Pandeiros) in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Sixty individual plants were evaluated to determine their fruiting patterns. Seed predation and germination were evaluated in the natural environment for eight months for fruits divided into two treatments: scarified and intact. Germination of fruits submitted to these same treatments was also evaluated under greenhouse conditions. Our results indicated that fruiting is continuous in this species and that fruit morphology does not influence either germination or predation. Likewise, fruit scarification did not influence seed germination. Pachymerus cardo (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) preferentially oviposited on scarified fruits, but only after their dispersal. The predation rate in the natural environment was 14.6%. Germination was not observed under natural conditions, but reached 33.05% under greenhouse conditions.

Fava d'anta (Dimorphandra mollis Benth) é uma planta nativa do Cerrado brasileiro utilizada na extração da rutina, quercetina e ramnose, produtos usados nas indústrias farmacêuticas e de cosméticos. O norte do Estado de Minas Gerais produz cerca de 23% da rutina nacional. A obtenção dessa espécie tem sido de forma predatória pelos extrativistas, e estudos da variabilidade genética dessas populações podem fornecer subsídios para estratégias de conservação e manutenção da espécie. O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar a diversidade genética dessa planta por meio da técnica de RAPD. Para isso, foram coletadas folhas jovens de fava d'anta em sete localidades diferentes (Januária, Patis, Mirabela, Lontra, CAA, Jequitaí e Morro Alto) da região Norte de Minas Gerais. Nessa análise, testaram-se 43 primers. A análise de variância molecular (AMOVA) indicou que 10,3% e 89,7% da variação genética foi distribuída entre e dentro das populações, respectivamente. A diversidade genética de Nei (Ĥe) variou de 0,1736 (população de Morro Alto) a 0,2867 (população de Mirabela). Já a análise genética permitiu a construção de um dendrograma com formação de grupos distintos, cujas informações poderão ser utilizadas na criação de um banco de germoplasma e contribuir para a preservação da espécie.

Fava D'anta (Dimorphandra mollis Benth) is a native plant of the Brazilian open pasture used in the extraction of the active principles rutin, quercetin and ramnose, products used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The exploitation of the fava d'anta for the extraction of these principles has been carried out through predatory exploration, and the study of the genetic variability could be important to provide strategies of conservation and maintenance of the species. The objective of this work was to analyze the genetic diversity of this species by means of the RAPD technique. Young fava d'anta leaves were harvested in seven localities (Januária, Patis, Mirabela, Lontra, CAA, Jequitaí and Morro Alto) in northern Minas; 43 primers were tested to analyze genetic diversity. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 10.3% and 89.7% of the genetic variation was distributed among and within populations, respectively. Genetic diversity (Ĥe) ranged from 0.1736 (Morro Alto) to 0.2867 (Mirabela). Genetic analysis allowed the construction of a dendrogram with distinct groups. The information obtained could be used in the construction of a germplasm bank to contribute for the preservation of the species.