Abstract: In this work, an alkaloids extract from Annona squamosa plant have been studied as possible corrosion inhibitor for C38 steel in molar hydrochloric acid (1 M HCl). Potentiodynamic polarization and AC impedance methods have been used. The corrosion inhibition efficiency increases on increasing plant extract concentration. Polarisation studies showed that Annona squamosa extract was mixed-type inhibitor in 1 M HCl. The inhibition efficiency of Annona squamosa extract was temperature-dependent and its addition led to an increase of the activation corrosion energy revealing a physical adsorption between the extract and the metal surface. The adsorption of the Annona squamosa extract followed Langmuir's adsorption isotherm. The inhibitive effect of Annona squamosa is ascribed to the presence of organic compounds in the extract. The examined extract is considered as non-cytotoxic substance.

Abstract: Insects, particularly ants, are good bioindicators of the state of ecosystems. Nevertheless, incorporating them into conservation surveys is expensive due to problems associated with their identification, which is exacerbated by the fact that there are fewer and fewer taxonomists working today. “Taxonomic sufficiency” (TS), which identifies organisms to a level of taxonomic resolution sufficient enough to satisfy the objectives of a study, has never been applied to Neotropical ant communities. We analysed five Neotropical datasets representing ant assemblages collected with different sampling methods in various habitats. We first treated them using two complementary and cumulative TS methods, higher-taxon and “indicator taxa” surrogacies, before testing a new approach called “mixed-level method” that combines the two previous approaches. For the higher-taxon surrogacy, we showed that, above species, genus is the most informative taxonomic level. Then, mixed-level method provided more information on ant assemblages than did the two others, even though the “indicator taxa” surrogacy was based on relevant indicator genera. Although habitat type has no effect on its efficiency, this new method is influenced by the dataset structure and the type of sampling method used to collect data. We have thus developed a new method for analyzing Neotropical ant faunas that enables the taxonomic work linked to the identification of problematic species to be significantly reduced, while conserving most of the information on the ant assemblage. This method should enhance the work of Neotropical entomologists not specialised in taxonomy, particularly those concerned with biological conservation and indication. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract: P>Cross-species analyses of plant functional traits have shed light on factors contributing to differences in performance and distribution, but to date most studies have focused on either leaves or stems. We extend these tissue-specific analyses of functional strategy towards a whole-plant approach by integrating data on functional traits for 13 448 leaves and wood tissues from 4672 trees representing 668 species of Neotropical trees. Strong correlations amongst traits previously defined as the leaf economics spectrum reflect a tradeoff between investments in productive leaves with rapid turnover vs. costly physical leaf structure with a long revenue stream. A second axis of variation, the 'stem economics spectrum', defines a similar tradeoff at the stem level: dense wood vs. high wood water content and thick bark. Most importantly, these two axes are orthogonal, suggesting that tradeoffs operate independently at the leaf and at the stem levels. By simplifying the multivariate ecological strategies of tropical trees into positions along these two spectra, our results provide a basis to improve global vegetation models predicting responses of tropical forests to global change.