Knowledge of the patterns of variation in plant mating systems and fitness, in the context of con... more Knowledge of the patterns of variation in plant mating systems and fitness, in the context of conservation biology, is essential for understanding microscale differences and their probable causes. The aim of this study was to assess the patterns and determinants of spatiotemporal variation in fertility, mating systems, and gene flow in the epiphytic bromeliad Vriesea gigantea, which is endemic to the Atlantic Forest. We studied three wild populations over 2 years in terms of flowering, fruit set, seed production, and seed germination, and used nuclear microsatellite markers to analyse variations in the mating system and contemporary gene flow. We observed high fertility parameter values, with among-population differences only in fruit set and germination rate. Mating system analysis showed moderate outcrossing rates (tm), which ranged from 0.107 to 1.2, and strong pollen pool genetic structures (ΦFT), of 0.319 to 0.598 across populations and years. We suggest that the observed spati...
Bromeliaceae is a morphologically distinctive and ecologically diverse family originating in the ... more Bromeliaceae is a morphologically distinctive and ecologically diverse family originating in the New World. Three centers of diversity, 58 genera, and about 3,140 bromeliad species are currently recognized. We compiled all of the studies related to the reproductive biology, genetic diversity, and population structure of the Bromeliaceae, and dis-cuss the evolution and conservation of this family. Bromeliads are preferentially pollinated by vertebrates and show marked variation in breeding systems, from predominant inbreeding to predominant outcrossing, as well as con-stancy in chromosome number (2n = 2x = 50). Autogamous or mixed mating system bromeliads have a high inbreed-ing coefficient (FIS), while outcrossing species show low FIS. The degree of differentiation among populations (FST) of species ranges from 0.043 to 0.961, which can be influenced by pollen and seed dispersal effects, clonal growth, gene flow rates, and connectivity among populations. The evolutionary history of ...
Supplemental material, Supplemental Material1 for Sustainability Agenda for the Pantanal Wetland:... more Supplemental material, Supplemental Material1 for Sustainability Agenda for the Pantanal Wetland: Perspectives on a Collaborative Interface for Science, Policy, and Decision-Making by Walfrido M. Tomas, Fabio de Oliveira Roque, Ronaldo G. Morato, Patricia Emilia Medici, Rafael M. Chiaravalloti, Fernando R. Tortato, Jerry M. F. Penha, Thiago J. Izzo, Leticia C. Garcia, Reinaldo F. F. Lourival, Pierre Girard, Nelson R. Albuquerque, Mauricio Almeida-Gomes, Maria H. da Silva Andrade, Flávia A. S. Araujo, Andréa C. Araujo, Erica C. de Arruda, Vivian A. Assunção, Leandro D. Battirola, Maristela Benites, Fabio P. Bolzan, Julia C. Boock, Ieda M. Bortolotto, Marivaine da Silva Brasil, Andre R. Camilo, Zilca Campos, Maria A. Carniello, Agostinho C. Catella, Carolina C. Cheida, Peter G. Crawshaw Jr. Sandra M. A. Crispim, Geraldo A. D. Junior, Arnaud L. J. Desbiez, Felipe A. Dias, Donald P. Eaton, Gabriel P. Faggioni, Maria A. Farinaccio, Julio F. A. Fernandes, Vanda L. Ferreira, Erich A. Fisch...
The pollination syndrome hypothesis usually does not successfully apply to the diversity of flora... more The pollination syndrome hypothesis usually does not successfully apply to the diversity of floral phenotypes or help predict the pollinators of most plant species. In Bromeliaceae, there is a wide range of floral visitors, making its species ideal to test for a correlation between nectar and floral traits with pollination syndrome. In this study, we analyzed the floral features, nectar production patterns, pollinators and floral visitors of Vriesea gigantea, and discussed its potential adaptive and ecological significance. We study three natural populations from the Atlantic Forest, Southern Brazil. The species presented protogyny and herkogamy, and its anthesis occurred at different periods among different populations. Vriesea gigantea has a relatively constant rate of nectar production during the day that continues overnight but at a reduced rate. Newly opened flowers already have around 80.0 μl of nectar. Although classified as chiropterophilous, based on flower morphology and p...
Plant fertility can influence many aspects of population ecology and evolution. The quantity and ... more Plant fertility can influence many aspects of population ecology and evolution. The quantity and quality of pollen produced by a plant is an important component of repro-ductive success. Plant fertility was analyzed by assessing: chromosome number, meiotic behavior and pollen viability of seven native populations of Vriesea gigantea. All plants presented 2n = 50 chromosomes. Most of the pollen mother cells showed a regular meiotic behavior with 25 bivalents and regular chromosome segregation. In accordance, high pollen viability (84–98%) was recorded for all investigated populations. These results indicated that plants from all populations analyzed are fertile. Despite the overall high pollen viability, significant differences were detected among populations. The popula-tion of Praia do Araçá showed a reduced percentage of pollen viability, although meiosis was quite regular. Reduction in pollen viability could have an important effect on plants fertility and, consequently, on fitne...
Abstract: Microsatellite markers were isolated in Dyckia distachya, an endangered bromeliad from ... more Abstract: Microsatellite markers were isolated in Dyckia distachya, an endangered bromeliad from southern Brazil, which will be useful to assess the population genetic structure and reproductive success in introduced and natural populations of this species. Twenty microsatellite loci were developed from an enriched genomic library, and nine of these were amplified. The loci were characterized in 43 individuals from introduced and wild D. distachya populations. All nine loci were polymorphic, with four to ten alleles per locus. In an introduced population the observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.136–0.667 and 0.543–0.877, respectively, while in a wild population it ranged from 0.000 to 0.895 and from 0.050 to 0.811, respectively. The development of these microsatellite markers will contribute to investigations of the reproductive potential and viability of introduced populations of D. distachya as well as the single known wild population. Cross-amplification in other ...
Seed dispersal, population structure and the mating system of plant species can have great conseq... more Seed dispersal, population structure and the mating system of plant species can have great consequences on the genetic structure of populations. Vriesea gigantea is a bromeliad from southeastern Brazil which is self-compatible and pollinator dependent for fruit set. Its populations are fertile in terms of the production of flowers, pollen, fruits and seeds. To assess the importance of seed supply for gene flow, colonization and distribution of adult individuals, the seed dispersal and population structure of V. gigantea were studied. Seeds are dispersed over short distances; most seeds land close to the mother plant. This pattern coincides with the reported aggregate distribution of bromeliad seedlings. Population structure results showed high seedling recruitment, because 51.3% developed into adults, although few juveniles reached this stage. This result is different from that for other bromeliad species from different habitat conditions. Seed dispersal and population structural pa...
The present study analyses the first data on genetic diversity of A. quebracho-blanco with the fr... more The present study analyses the first data on genetic diversity of A. quebracho-blanco with the fragmentation of its natural habitat, supporting conservation strategies such as the definition of priority areas for conservation. DNA was extracted from 25 individuals of five populations of A. quebracho-blanco from Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. Six ISSR primers were used to characterize the genetic diversity and structure of this species. The genotypes were grouped according to a distance matrix, considering the genetic diversity indices of Nei (He), Shannon (H’), polymorphic information content (PIC), and heterozygosis (H). The populations showed an average genetic diversity that ranged from 0.09 to 0.15 for the Shannon index and from 0.19 to 0.31 for the Nei index; the Mantel test was not significant (r2 = 0.25, P = 0.106). The results obteined for the sampled populations reveal that conservation units are indispensable for conserving the species genetic resources. In addition, it ...
Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are bacteria that have mechanisms that facilitate plant gr... more Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are bacteria that have mechanisms that facilitate plant growth in stress conditions such as drought. The objective of this study was to characterize bacterial strains isolated from bromeliads roots in ironstone outcrops (Urucum Residual Plateau, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil) for plant growth-promoting under drought conditions. Firstly, we screened isolates with the presence of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity. Then, all isolates were tested for tolerance to drought, exopolysaccharides (EPS) production, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)-producing abilities, phosphate and zinc solubilization, production of catalase and hydrolytic enzymes (amylase, cellulase, and protease). Germination assay and a pot experiment with maize plants submitted to well-watered and drought conditions were performed with the strains most promising (VBN11 and VBE23). Briefly, Bacillus cereus VBE23 showed in vitro higher ACC deaminase activity (3.83 and 2....
Some epiphytes are adapted to extreme environments with the ability to survive drought as a resul... more Some epiphytes are adapted to extreme environments with the ability to survive drought as a result of their morphological (xeromorphism), anatomical (foliar trichomes or scales) and physiological features. In contrast to vegetative features, they may have diverse sexual reproductive strategies. Here we compared the flowering morphology, floral biology, breeding system and pollinators of Tillandsia duratii, T. loliacea and T. recurvifolia (Bromeliaceae) adapted to an extreme environment, the Brazilian Chaco. Tillandsia duratii and T. recurvifolia flower for 5–6 months, whereas T. loliaceae flowers for 11 months, mainly in the dry season, with low to high flowering overlap between them. Although these species generally show similar flowering morphology, they differ in size, colour, odour and/or floral functionality, suggesting non-sharing of pollinators among them. Bimodal pollination occurs in T. duratii (bees, moths other than hawkmoths) and T. recurvifolia (butterflies, hummingbird...
Microsatellite markers were developed in (Bromeliaceae) to investigate species and subspecies bou... more Microsatellite markers were developed in (Bromeliaceae) to investigate species and subspecies boundaries within the genus and the genetic diversity of natural populations. We used 454 pyrosequencing to isolate 835 microsatellite loci in . Of 64 loci selected for primer design, 15 were polymorphic among 23 individuals of and 76 individuals of the heterologous subspecies subsp. and subsp. . Twelve and 13 of these loci were also polymorphic in one population each of and , respectively. Numbers of alleles per locus varied from two to 14 in , two to 12 in , one to nine in , and one to 10 in . STRUCTURE analyses clearly separated the taxa from each other. The 15 new microsatellite markers are promising tools for studying population genetics in species.
Knowledge of the patterns of variation in plant mating systems and fitness, in the context of con... more Knowledge of the patterns of variation in plant mating systems and fitness, in the context of conservation biology, is essential for understanding microscale differences and their probable causes. The aim of this study was to assess the patterns and determinants of spatiotemporal variation in fertility, mating systems, and gene flow in the epiphytic bromeliad Vriesea gigantea, which is endemic to the Atlantic Forest. We studied three wild populations over 2 years in terms of flowering, fruit set, seed production, and seed germination, and used nuclear microsatellite markers to analyse variations in the mating system and contemporary gene flow. We observed high fertility parameter values, with among-population differences only in fruit set and germination rate. Mating system analysis showed moderate outcrossing rates (tm), which ranged from 0.107 to 1.2, and strong pollen pool genetic structures (ΦFT), of 0.319 to 0.598 across populations and years. We suggest that the observed spati...
Bromeliaceae is a morphologically distinctive and ecologically diverse family originating in the ... more Bromeliaceae is a morphologically distinctive and ecologically diverse family originating in the New World. Three centers of diversity, 58 genera, and about 3,140 bromeliad species are currently recognized. We compiled all of the studies related to the reproductive biology, genetic diversity, and population structure of the Bromeliaceae, and dis-cuss the evolution and conservation of this family. Bromeliads are preferentially pollinated by vertebrates and show marked variation in breeding systems, from predominant inbreeding to predominant outcrossing, as well as con-stancy in chromosome number (2n = 2x = 50). Autogamous or mixed mating system bromeliads have a high inbreed-ing coefficient (FIS), while outcrossing species show low FIS. The degree of differentiation among populations (FST) of species ranges from 0.043 to 0.961, which can be influenced by pollen and seed dispersal effects, clonal growth, gene flow rates, and connectivity among populations. The evolutionary history of ...
Supplemental material, Supplemental Material1 for Sustainability Agenda for the Pantanal Wetland:... more Supplemental material, Supplemental Material1 for Sustainability Agenda for the Pantanal Wetland: Perspectives on a Collaborative Interface for Science, Policy, and Decision-Making by Walfrido M. Tomas, Fabio de Oliveira Roque, Ronaldo G. Morato, Patricia Emilia Medici, Rafael M. Chiaravalloti, Fernando R. Tortato, Jerry M. F. Penha, Thiago J. Izzo, Leticia C. Garcia, Reinaldo F. F. Lourival, Pierre Girard, Nelson R. Albuquerque, Mauricio Almeida-Gomes, Maria H. da Silva Andrade, Flávia A. S. Araujo, Andréa C. Araujo, Erica C. de Arruda, Vivian A. Assunção, Leandro D. Battirola, Maristela Benites, Fabio P. Bolzan, Julia C. Boock, Ieda M. Bortolotto, Marivaine da Silva Brasil, Andre R. Camilo, Zilca Campos, Maria A. Carniello, Agostinho C. Catella, Carolina C. Cheida, Peter G. Crawshaw Jr. Sandra M. A. Crispim, Geraldo A. D. Junior, Arnaud L. J. Desbiez, Felipe A. Dias, Donald P. Eaton, Gabriel P. Faggioni, Maria A. Farinaccio, Julio F. A. Fernandes, Vanda L. Ferreira, Erich A. Fisch...
The pollination syndrome hypothesis usually does not successfully apply to the diversity of flora... more The pollination syndrome hypothesis usually does not successfully apply to the diversity of floral phenotypes or help predict the pollinators of most plant species. In Bromeliaceae, there is a wide range of floral visitors, making its species ideal to test for a correlation between nectar and floral traits with pollination syndrome. In this study, we analyzed the floral features, nectar production patterns, pollinators and floral visitors of Vriesea gigantea, and discussed its potential adaptive and ecological significance. We study three natural populations from the Atlantic Forest, Southern Brazil. The species presented protogyny and herkogamy, and its anthesis occurred at different periods among different populations. Vriesea gigantea has a relatively constant rate of nectar production during the day that continues overnight but at a reduced rate. Newly opened flowers already have around 80.0 μl of nectar. Although classified as chiropterophilous, based on flower morphology and p...
Plant fertility can influence many aspects of population ecology and evolution. The quantity and ... more Plant fertility can influence many aspects of population ecology and evolution. The quantity and quality of pollen produced by a plant is an important component of repro-ductive success. Plant fertility was analyzed by assessing: chromosome number, meiotic behavior and pollen viability of seven native populations of Vriesea gigantea. All plants presented 2n = 50 chromosomes. Most of the pollen mother cells showed a regular meiotic behavior with 25 bivalents and regular chromosome segregation. In accordance, high pollen viability (84–98%) was recorded for all investigated populations. These results indicated that plants from all populations analyzed are fertile. Despite the overall high pollen viability, significant differences were detected among populations. The popula-tion of Praia do Araçá showed a reduced percentage of pollen viability, although meiosis was quite regular. Reduction in pollen viability could have an important effect on plants fertility and, consequently, on fitne...
Abstract: Microsatellite markers were isolated in Dyckia distachya, an endangered bromeliad from ... more Abstract: Microsatellite markers were isolated in Dyckia distachya, an endangered bromeliad from southern Brazil, which will be useful to assess the population genetic structure and reproductive success in introduced and natural populations of this species. Twenty microsatellite loci were developed from an enriched genomic library, and nine of these were amplified. The loci were characterized in 43 individuals from introduced and wild D. distachya populations. All nine loci were polymorphic, with four to ten alleles per locus. In an introduced population the observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.136–0.667 and 0.543–0.877, respectively, while in a wild population it ranged from 0.000 to 0.895 and from 0.050 to 0.811, respectively. The development of these microsatellite markers will contribute to investigations of the reproductive potential and viability of introduced populations of D. distachya as well as the single known wild population. Cross-amplification in other ...
Seed dispersal, population structure and the mating system of plant species can have great conseq... more Seed dispersal, population structure and the mating system of plant species can have great consequences on the genetic structure of populations. Vriesea gigantea is a bromeliad from southeastern Brazil which is self-compatible and pollinator dependent for fruit set. Its populations are fertile in terms of the production of flowers, pollen, fruits and seeds. To assess the importance of seed supply for gene flow, colonization and distribution of adult individuals, the seed dispersal and population structure of V. gigantea were studied. Seeds are dispersed over short distances; most seeds land close to the mother plant. This pattern coincides with the reported aggregate distribution of bromeliad seedlings. Population structure results showed high seedling recruitment, because 51.3% developed into adults, although few juveniles reached this stage. This result is different from that for other bromeliad species from different habitat conditions. Seed dispersal and population structural pa...
The present study analyses the first data on genetic diversity of A. quebracho-blanco with the fr... more The present study analyses the first data on genetic diversity of A. quebracho-blanco with the fragmentation of its natural habitat, supporting conservation strategies such as the definition of priority areas for conservation. DNA was extracted from 25 individuals of five populations of A. quebracho-blanco from Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. Six ISSR primers were used to characterize the genetic diversity and structure of this species. The genotypes were grouped according to a distance matrix, considering the genetic diversity indices of Nei (He), Shannon (H’), polymorphic information content (PIC), and heterozygosis (H). The populations showed an average genetic diversity that ranged from 0.09 to 0.15 for the Shannon index and from 0.19 to 0.31 for the Nei index; the Mantel test was not significant (r2 = 0.25, P = 0.106). The results obteined for the sampled populations reveal that conservation units are indispensable for conserving the species genetic resources. In addition, it ...
Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are bacteria that have mechanisms that facilitate plant gr... more Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are bacteria that have mechanisms that facilitate plant growth in stress conditions such as drought. The objective of this study was to characterize bacterial strains isolated from bromeliads roots in ironstone outcrops (Urucum Residual Plateau, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil) for plant growth-promoting under drought conditions. Firstly, we screened isolates with the presence of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity. Then, all isolates were tested for tolerance to drought, exopolysaccharides (EPS) production, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)-producing abilities, phosphate and zinc solubilization, production of catalase and hydrolytic enzymes (amylase, cellulase, and protease). Germination assay and a pot experiment with maize plants submitted to well-watered and drought conditions were performed with the strains most promising (VBN11 and VBE23). Briefly, Bacillus cereus VBE23 showed in vitro higher ACC deaminase activity (3.83 and 2....
Some epiphytes are adapted to extreme environments with the ability to survive drought as a resul... more Some epiphytes are adapted to extreme environments with the ability to survive drought as a result of their morphological (xeromorphism), anatomical (foliar trichomes or scales) and physiological features. In contrast to vegetative features, they may have diverse sexual reproductive strategies. Here we compared the flowering morphology, floral biology, breeding system and pollinators of Tillandsia duratii, T. loliacea and T. recurvifolia (Bromeliaceae) adapted to an extreme environment, the Brazilian Chaco. Tillandsia duratii and T. recurvifolia flower for 5–6 months, whereas T. loliaceae flowers for 11 months, mainly in the dry season, with low to high flowering overlap between them. Although these species generally show similar flowering morphology, they differ in size, colour, odour and/or floral functionality, suggesting non-sharing of pollinators among them. Bimodal pollination occurs in T. duratii (bees, moths other than hawkmoths) and T. recurvifolia (butterflies, hummingbird...
Microsatellite markers were developed in (Bromeliaceae) to investigate species and subspecies bou... more Microsatellite markers were developed in (Bromeliaceae) to investigate species and subspecies boundaries within the genus and the genetic diversity of natural populations. We used 454 pyrosequencing to isolate 835 microsatellite loci in . Of 64 loci selected for primer design, 15 were polymorphic among 23 individuals of and 76 individuals of the heterologous subspecies subsp. and subsp. . Twelve and 13 of these loci were also polymorphic in one population each of and , respectively. Numbers of alleles per locus varied from two to 14 in , two to 12 in , one to nine in , and one to 10 in . STRUCTURE analyses clearly separated the taxa from each other. The 15 new microsatellite markers are promising tools for studying population genetics in species.
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