Patrícia Muniz De Medeiros
Biographic Data
| ID | 103176 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Patrícia Muniz De Medeiros |
| GIVEN NAMES | Patrícia Muniz |
| FAMILY NAME | De Medeiros |
| SIGNATURE | DE MEDEIROS P M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Universidade Federal de Alagoas |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3835-5232 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 50 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 104 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 50 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
How symptom perception influences the selection of medicinal plants for the treatment of therapeutic targets in local medical systems
Understanding how people select medicinal plants in local medical systems is one of the central questions in Ethnobiology. Although characteristics of medicinal plant species, such as perceived efficacy, availability, organoleptic characteristics, among others, have been investigated, the influence of perceptions of therapeutic targets, particularly their symptoms, on this process remains poorly understood. We investigated whether therapeutic tar…
Toward the sustainable expansion of the wild edible plant production chain
Myrciaria floribunda (West ex Willd.) O.Berg, commonly known as cambuí , is a wild edible fruit with high socioeconomic potential. However, its value chain remains geographically limited and poorly explored. In this study, we sought to identify bottlenecks and understand how the cambuí ( Myrciaria floribunda (West ex Willd.) O.Berg) value chain is structured in the São Francisco River mouth region, in Northeastern Brazil. A total of 116 local col…
Human Life History is Shaping Embodied Medicinal Plant Knowledge Across the Lifespan
In this study, we draw on theoretical frameworks from Life History Theory, and Embodied Capital Theory to assess the role of human life history in shaping local medical systems (LMSs) across the lifespan. We focus specifically on medicinal plants, as they can enhance individual fitness and contribute to overall health. Our central research question is: What role does human life history play in the construction of LMSs? To address this, we conduct…
Risk perceptions and adaptive strategies in sociobiodiversity value chains
Environmental changes are at the core of scientific discussions and represent imminent risks to numerous productive activities, including the value chains of sociobiodiversity products. In the face of these risks, local populations develop perceptions and adaptive strategies shaped by their sociocultural contexts. In this study, we sought to identify the factors that explain risk perceptions of environmental changes and adaptive strategies within…
Food diversification as an adaptation strategy to climate change
This study aimed to assess the potential effect of climate change on habitat suitability for wild and cultivated food plants under future scenarios. Another aim was to determine whether food diversification can reduce the risk of food unavailability. Habitat suitability models were constructed for wild and cultivated species of economic and dietary importance and projected for future climate scenarios (2041–2060) using the Brazilian Semiarid as a…
The Role of exotic medicinal plants in the treatment of modern diseases
Governance and wild food plant value chains
As an answer to the topic, "Does local, national, and international governance have a primary role in shaping the resilience of local ecological knowledge?" we explore the context of governance and wild food plant (WFP) value chains in Brazil. We chose to focus on WFP value chains because they are often deeply embedded with local ecological knowledge. We argue that: (1) the development or abandonment of public policies can significantly boost or …
Do Gendered Social Roles Drive Knowledge Variation in Local Medical Systems
Conservation of wild food plants from wood uses
We advocate for biocultural conservation strategies that enhance the food value of plants for their safeguarding, coupled with measures for non-edible woody species under higher use-pressure
Gender Influence on Local Botanical Knowledge about Medicinal Plants
Background: Ethnobotanical studies commonly employ the gender variable to understand how knowledge about medicinal plants is structured. However, most focus specifically on the number of species known among men and women, with limited attention to issues such as collection location, species endemism, and the repertoire of medicinal plants. This study primarily seeks to understand if there are differences in various types of knowledge and in the c…
Wild food plants with the potential to improve food and nutrition security may be threatened by timber extraction
Wild food plants can contribute to improving the food and nutrition security of local populations by promoting diet diversification and increasing the intake of micro- and macronutrients. However, many of these plants are also used as timber. Wild food species need to be identified and their food–wood use interactions need to be well understood for the development of conservation strategies, as species with the potential to improve food and nutri…
Patterns of use of wild food plants by Brazilian local communities
Wild food plants of Brazil
Ethnobiological investigations have focused on identifying factors that interfere with the criteria adopted for selection of plants, especially medicinal plants, by different populations, confirming the theory that plant selection is not random. However, regarding wild food plants, little effort has been made to confirm the theory in this context, especially in Brazil. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to contribute to the establishment of …
Use of firewood for artisanal ceramic production in a context of forest scarcity in Northeastern Brazil
In this study, we sought to examine firewood use patterns in artisanal ceramic production by a quilombola community in the context of forest scarcity in Northeastern Brazil. This article aimed to answer the following questions: (1) Is the firing of ceramic products related to the perceived quality, diversity, or plant part used as firewood? (2) Does the diversity of plants used as firewood vary according to the age and gender of artisan potters? …
Fake news mediate the relationship between sociopolitical factors and vaccination intent in Brazil
Vaccination hesitancy has become a central concern and is a barrier to overcoming the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis. Studies have indicated that mis/disinformation plays a role on the attitudes and behaviours towards vaccination. However, further formal statistical models are required to investigate how fake news relates to vaccination intent and how they mediate the relationship between socioeconomic/political factors and vaccination int…
Sampling Bias in Ethnobotanical Studies on Medicinal Plants Conducted in Local Markets
Studies have identified the strong presence of sampling bias in ethnobiological research, which may seriously compromise study results. However, these studies were made in the context of Brazilian studies and global sampling evaluations are still needed. The present study adopted a global scale and was based on ethnobotanical surveys of medicinal plants in open fairs and markets. We aimed to assess sample quality and to identify the factors that …
Livelihood strategies and use of forest resources in a protected area in the Brazilian semiarid
Taste and chemical composition as drives for utilitarian redundancy and equivalence
Background We aimed to verify whether the taste and chemical composition influence the selection of plants in each medicinal category, whether within a socio-ecological system or between different socio-ecological systems. To this end, we use the theoretical bases of the Utilitarian Redundancy Model and the Utilitarian Equivalence Model. We studied the local medical systems of four rural communities in northeastern Brazil, used as models to test …
Evolutionary ethnobiology
Ethnobiology is a discipline that deals with understanding the relationship between human beings and biota. The strong interdisciplinary component of ethnobiology allows it to interact with different fields of knowledge. The evolutionary approach in ethnobiology is not completely absent, however it lacks systematization, which has been recently proposed. From this proposal, the evolutionary ethnobiology emerged. This approach studies the relation…
Reflections on the use of hypotheses in ethnobotany
In this article, we examine the review by Leonti et al. (2020) on the use of hypotheses in ethnobotany and we argue that the authors presented two main argumentative deficiencies on their analysis: superficiality and epistemological exclusivism. We discussed the main criticisms of the diversification hypothesis, the utilitarian redundancy model and the availability hypothesis and reinforced the importance of using ecological and evolutionary scen…
What interferes with conducting free lists? A comparative ethnobotanical experiment
Background The free list, also written "freelist", or "free recall", is an ethnographic method that characterizes the local knowledge of a population about a given cultural domain. However, there is still much to elucidate about the variables that can influence the number of items that participants cite using this technique. This study applied a casual-comparative experimental design to analyze whether 3 months' time, age, and external stimuli in…
Wild plants and the food-medicine continuum-an ethnobotanical survey in Chapada Diamantina (Northeastern Brazil)
BackgroundEthnobotanical research has demonstrated that several wild food plants (WFP) are used for medicinal purposes. Therefore, in addition to constituting an important source of nutrients, WFP can be used to help treat and avoid health problems. This study sought to characterize the traditional use of plants considered simultaneously as food and medicine by local specialists in the community of Caeté-Açu, which borders Chapada Diamantina Nati…
Experiências De Popularização De Plantas Alimentícias Não Convencionais No Estado De Alagoas, Brasil
Os seres humanos vêm restringindo a diversidade de alimentos em sua dieta ao longo dos anos, devido ao processo de globalização dos sistemas agroalimentares. Neste sentido, a promoção da popularização de plantas alimentícias não convencionais (PANC) pode ter importantes implicações nutricionais, ecológicas e socioeconômicas. Neste artigo buscamos descrever algumas estratégias de popularização das PANC no Estado de Alagoas realizadas pelo Laborató…
Addressing Social-Ecological Systems across Temporal and Spatial Scales
Use Categories and Local Perception of Decline in Plant Populations
I eat the manofê so it is not forgotten
BACKGROUND: There is little information available on the factors influencing people's selection of wild plants for consumption. Studies suggest a suitable method of understanding the selection of edible plants is to assess people's perceptions of these resources. The use and knowledge of wild resources is disappearing, as is the opportunity to use them. This study analyzes people's perceptions of native wild edible plants in a rural Caatinga (sea…
Historical ethnobotany
Historical Ethnobotany is an area of research responsible for understanding past interrelationships between people and plant using written records and iconography. The literature on this topic is scattered, and many of these studies are not recognised as such; therefore, it is difficult to compile historical ethnobotanical data. Accordingly, this study attempted to draw a general picture of the publications in this field. The Scopus, ISI Web of K…
Why is change feared? Exotic species in traditional pharmacopoeias
No Abstract as this is an Editorial Article
Evolutionary ethnobiology
Ethnobiology is a discipline that deals with understanding the relationship between human beings and biota. The strong interdisciplinary component of ethnobiology allows it to interact with different fields of knowledge. The evolutionary approach in ethnobiology is not completely absent, however it lacks systematization, which has been recently proposed. From this proposal, the evolutionary ethnobiology emerged. This approach studies the relation…
Utilitarian redundancy in local medical systems - theoretical and methodological contributions
The utilitarian redundancy model (URM) is one of the recent contributions to ethnobiology. We argue that URM can be applied to access use-pressure on plant species, the resilience of socioecological systems (e.g., local medical systems), cultural keystone species, and the role of exotic species in social-ecological systems. Based on previous URM studies, we also emphasize the need to differ practical (considering plants and uses that are currentl…
Does Forest Scarcity Affect the Collection and Use of Firewood by Rural Communities? A Case Study in the Atlantic Forest of Northeastern Brazil
Local Perception of Environmental Change in a Semi-Arid Area of Northeast Brazil
Factors that influence human behavior in biofuel use and their implications for biocultural conservation
A set of investigations has attempted to identify patterns in human resource use behavior to drive conservation strategies. However, it is still necessary to advance the understanding of the factors that influence human decision making in the use of resources, considering the perceived cost-benefit relationships. In this research, we assessed whether cost-benefit rationale may explain why certain resources are more used than others, as well as th…
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Applied to Ethnobiological Research
We suggest the application of systematic reviews and meta-analysis to access biological resource selection and use patterns from a regional or global point of view. In this opinion paper, we discuss the importance of this approach to help advancing the comprehension of socio-ecological systems at broad temporal and spatial scales
Wild plants and the food-medicine continuum-an ethnobotanical survey in Chapada Diamantina (Northeastern Brazil)
BackgroundEthnobotanical research has demonstrated that several wild food plants (WFP) are used for medicinal purposes. Therefore, in addition to constituting an important source of nutrients, WFP can be used to help treat and avoid health problems. This study sought to characterize the traditional use of plants considered simultaneously as food and medicine by local specialists in the community of Caeté-Açu, which borders Chapada Diamantina Nati…
What interferes with conducting free lists? A comparative ethnobotanical experiment
Background The free list, also written "freelist", or "free recall", is an ethnographic method that characterizes the local knowledge of a population about a given cultural domain. However, there is still much to elucidate about the variables that can influence the number of items that participants cite using this technique. This study applied a casual-comparative experimental design to analyze whether 3 months' time, age, and external stimuli in…
Local criteria for the selection of wild food plants for consumption and sale in Alagoas, Brazil
Understanding the reasons for the consumption of certain plant resources instead of others has important implications for biological conservation. This study aimed to answer the following question: What are the factors that determine the consumption and perceived commercial potential of certain wild fruit species among extractivists from two rural communities in northeastern Brazil? This study developed a participatory approach to identify the fr…
The role of women in Brazilian ethnobiology
BACKGROUND: The article aims to analyze the representativeness of women in ethnobiological publications within the Brazilian context, as well as to relate the difficulties faced by women in their scientific careers in terms of gender bias. Biases found in publications are relevant themes to different areas of knowledge, considering the historical persistence of male privilege in these activities. We analyzed the role of women in ethnobiological s…
Reflections on the use of hypotheses in ethnobotany
In this article, we examine the review by Leonti et al. (2020) on the use of hypotheses in ethnobotany and we argue that the authors presented two main argumentative deficiencies on their analysis: superficiality and epistemological exclusivism. We discussed the main criticisms of the diversification hypothesis, the utilitarian redundancy model and the availability hypothesis and reinforced the importance of using ecological and evolutionary scen…
What is evolutionary ethnobiology
No Abstract as this is an Editorial Article
Gender Influence on Local Botanical Knowledge about Medicinal Plants
Background: Ethnobotanical studies commonly employ the gender variable to understand how knowledge about medicinal plants is structured. However, most focus specifically on the number of species known among men and women, with limited attention to issues such as collection location, species endemism, and the repertoire of medicinal plants. This study primarily seeks to understand if there are differences in various types of knowledge and in the c…
Use Categories and Local Perception of Decline in Plant Populations
Conservation of wild food plants from wood uses
We advocate for biocultural conservation strategies that enhance the food value of plants for their safeguarding, coupled with measures for non-edible woody species under higher use-pressure
Taste and chemical composition as drives for utilitarian redundancy and equivalence
Background We aimed to verify whether the taste and chemical composition influence the selection of plants in each medicinal category, whether within a socio-ecological system or between different socio-ecological systems. To this end, we use the theoretical bases of the Utilitarian Redundancy Model and the Utilitarian Equivalence Model. We studied the local medical systems of four rural communities in northeastern Brazil, used as models to test …
Human mnesic performance in a survival scenario
Evolutionary psychologists suggest that the human brain has evolved to retain information of greater adaptive value in a differentiated manner, being this information relevant for survival. These premises are part of a research field defined as adaptive memory. This article reviews the main studies related to adaptive memory, indicating its recent findings, as well as discussing the possible applications of the theme to studies in evolutionary et…
Medicinal plants of the caatinga (semi-arid) vegetation of NE Brazil
Northeastern Brazilian students’ representations of Atlantic Forest fragments
Local Perception of Environmental Change in a Semi-Arid Area of Northeast Brazil
Rapid ethnobotanical diagnosis of the Fulni-ô Indigenous lands (NE Brazil)
The Use of Medicinal Plants by Migrant People
Given the importance of studying the knowledge, beliefs, and practices of migrant communities to understand the dynamics of plant resource use, we reviewed the scientific literature concerning the use of medicinal plants by migrant populations engaged in international or long-distance migrations. We considered the importance of two processes: (1) adaptation to the new flora of the host country (i.e., substitution and incorporation of plants in th…
Socio-economic predictors of domestic wood use in an Atlantic forest area (north-east Brazil)
Given the excessive use pressure on forests, characterisation of the major users of forest resources can help guide conservation efforts. This study examines whether socio-economic variables explain domestic wood use in an area of Atlantic forest in the community of Três Ladeiras (Pernambuco, north-east Brazil). Socio-economic data were collected from 62 households, and geometric measurements of wood products in each household were taken to calcu…
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Applied to Ethnobiological Research
We suggest the application of systematic reviews and meta-analysis to access biological resource selection and use patterns from a regional or global point of view. In this opinion paper, we discuss the importance of this approach to help advancing the comprehension of socio-ecological systems at broad temporal and spatial scales
Patterns of medicinal plant use by inhabitants of Brazilian urban and rural areas
Does the selection of medicinal plants by Brazilian local populations suffer taxonomic influence
Results indicate that the chemical specificity of taxonomic groups directly influences medicinal plant selection. Moreover, when data presented here are compared to other studies, there is clearly an overuse pattern for families like Lamiaceae, Rosaceae and Euphorbiaceae and an underuse pattern for Poaceae and Orchidaceae
What is evolutionary ethnobiology
No Abstract as this is an Editorial Article
Why is change feared? Exotic species in traditional pharmacopoeias
No Abstract as this is an Editorial Article
Historical ethnobotany
Historical Ethnobotany is an area of research responsible for understanding past interrelationships between people and plant using written records and iconography. The literature on this topic is scattered, and many of these studies are not recognised as such; therefore, it is difficult to compile historical ethnobotanical data. Accordingly, this study attempted to draw a general picture of the publications in this field. The Scopus, ISI Web of K…
I eat the manofê so it is not forgotten
BACKGROUND: There is little information available on the factors influencing people's selection of wild plants for consumption. Studies suggest a suitable method of understanding the selection of edible plants is to assess people's perceptions of these resources. The use and knowledge of wild resources is disappearing, as is the opportunity to use them. This study analyzes people's perceptions of native wild edible plants in a rural Caatinga (sea…
Can organoleptic properties explain the differential use of medicinal plants? Evidence from Northeastern Brazil
Do ferns and lycophytes function as medicinal plants? A study of their low representation in traditional pharmacopoeias
Medicinal plant knowledge in a context of cultural pluralism
Ethnobotany and Population Status of Myracrodruon urundeuva Allemão in Rural Northeastern Brazil1
How do people select plants for use? Matching the Ecological Apparency Hypothesis with Optimal Foraging Theory
Human mnesic performance in a survival scenario
Evolutionary psychologists suggest that the human brain has evolved to retain information of greater adaptive value in a differentiated manner, being this information relevant for survival. These premises are part of a research field defined as adaptive memory. This article reviews the main studies related to adaptive memory, indicating its recent findings, as well as discussing the possible applications of the theme to studies in evolutionary et…
Does Forest Scarcity Affect the Collection and Use of Firewood by Rural Communities? A Case Study in the Atlantic Forest of Northeastern Brazil
There was a virgin forest here; it was all woods
This paper presents a case study to understand how people from a rural population that has been undergoing intense anthropogenic transformations in recent decades perceive these local landscape changes. We conducted a participatory workshop, during which we used the scoring exercise method to stimulate the participants to rank the plant species that they consider most important for utilitarian and commercial purposes, and we employed the historic…
The role of women in Brazilian ethnobiology
BACKGROUND: The article aims to analyze the representativeness of women in ethnobiological publications within the Brazilian context, as well as to relate the difficulties faced by women in their scientific careers in terms of gender bias. Biases found in publications are relevant themes to different areas of knowledge, considering the historical persistence of male privilege in these activities. We analyzed the role of women in ethnobiological s…
Experiências De Popularização De Plantas Alimentícias Não Convencionais No Estado De Alagoas, Brasil
Os seres humanos vêm restringindo a diversidade de alimentos em sua dieta ao longo dos anos, devido ao processo de globalização dos sistemas agroalimentares. Neste sentido, a promoção da popularização de plantas alimentícias não convencionais (PANC) pode ter importantes implicações nutricionais, ecológicas e socioeconômicas. Neste artigo buscamos descrever algumas estratégias de popularização das PANC no Estado de Alagoas realizadas pelo Laborató…
Addressing Social-Ecological Systems across Temporal and Spatial Scales
Use Categories and Local Perception of Decline in Plant Populations
Biology (28 works) · Geography (28 works) · Ecology (26 works) · Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies (26 works) · Medicinal plants (16 works) · Phytochemistry Medicinal Plant Applications (15 works) · Medicine (14 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Ethnobotany (12 works) · Biodiversity (11 works)