Plant parentage influences the type of timber use by traditional peoples of the Brazilian Caatinga.

Local populations select different plants to meet their demands, so that morphologically similar species can be more used for a given use. Herein, we seek to understand whether plant species that are phylogenetically closer together are used more similarly than distant species in the phylogeny. Ethnobotanical data were collected in five rural communities in a semi-arid region of Brazil.

Vegetation cover and seasonality as indicators for selection of forage resources by local agro-pastoralists in the Brazilian semiarid region.

Local knowledge and uses of forage resources are highly dynamic, and can be mediated by multiple factors, such as seasonality, floristic diversity and the morphophysiological characteristics of plants. We investigate how seasonality and vegetation cover mediate the use of forage resources. The study was carried out with agro-pastoralists from two areas of Brazilian semiarid region.

Wild vertebrates and their representation by urban/rural students in a region of northeast Brazil.

Background: Recognition of the diversity of living beings, including the classification and naming of species, is a fundamental condition for biological literacy with the aim of developing critical awareness of human relationships with nature, and for which formal education plays an important role. The present study aimed to analyze the representation that urban/rural students have for wild vertebrates and their main sources of knowledge.

Methods: Data collection took place in three public schools, one urban and two rural, in the municipality of Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil.