From the flowers to the cells: a trait-based and cytogenomic study of Macaronesian Aeonium genus (Crassulaceae)

Tese de mestrado, Biologia dos Recursos Vegetais, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2019Macaronesian region comprises five archipelagos (i.e., Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary Islands and Cabo Verde) in the Northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Volcanic in nature, all archipelagos reach high altitudes even in relatively small areas and harbor an extremely rich endemic flora, including notable examples of plant radiation, such as the genus Aeonium (ca. 41 taxa), Sonchus (ca. 31 taxa) and Echium (ca. 27 taxa). Considered a biodiversity hotspot, Macaronesia is recognized as a model for studying the evolutionary processes involved in flora diversification. Aeonium genus (Crassulaceae) includes about 41 taxa and is considered the most speciose radiation of Macaronesia, occupying many contrasting habitat types in the Canary Islands, Madeira and Cabo Verde. The great species richness and the wide range of characters observed in Aeonium species make it a model of study par excellence. This dissertation aimed to study the reproductive traits and cytogenomic variation patterns of Aeonium genus in order to understand the characters that influence the distribution of the most speciose radiation of Macaronesian Region. For these purposes, a holistic approach was used that integrates different methods in the areas of reproductive biology (Chapter 2), cytogenomics (Chapter 3) and conservation biology (Chapter 4), based on extensive fieldwork on the islands of the Canary Islands. The reproductive trait-based results (Chapter 2) showed that inflorescence height was positively correlated to flower number and geographic range size. This suggested that species that invest in taller inflorescences and more reproductive units have wider distributions and a more generalist behavior. According to the cytogenomic results (Chapter 3), Aeonium species tend to have small genomes, being subshrubs the large-genomed ones. Comparative analysis across the genus revealed a positive correlation between 2C-values and conservation status, owning endangered species, on average, large genomes. Finally, in a conservation approach (Chapter 4), most of Aeonium taxa occur in Tenerife in Teno Rural Park and Anaga Rural Parks, being there their hotspot of biodiversity. The representation of Aeonium endemics in the network of the Protected Areas is relatively high once a large area (40%) of Canary Islands is classified as protected. Thus, by integrating the knowledge of the various approaches applied in the three chapters (2 – 4) of this dissertation, it was possible to contribute with new data to explain the distribution of Aeonium and detect hotspots areas of species diversity, based on inflorescence height, genome size and abiotic factors. Some species have their limited range of occurrence, among other external factors (e.g., anthropogenic action and invasive species), by the reduced inflorescence height. On the other hand, species with a larger genome do not respond to this trend and have also limited dispersal ranges. However, further morphological, cytogenomic analyzes and more fieldwork in all Macaronesian Islands to inventory all Aeonium species will reinforce the results and identify the main factors leading to the large diversification of largest plant radiation of Macaronesia, contributing to the preservation of the unique biodiversity existing in these island ecosystems

Plant growth forms dictate adaptations to the local climate

Adaptive radiation is a significant driver of biodiversity. Primarily studied in animal systems, mechanisms that trigger adaptive radiations remain poorly understood in plants. A frequently claimed indicator of adaptive radiation in plants is growth form diversity when tied to the occupation of different habitats. However, it remains obscure whether morphological adaptations manifest as growth form diversity per se or as its constituent traits. We use the classic Aeonium radiation from the Canary Islands to ask whether adaptation across climatic space is structured by growth form evolution. Using morphological sampling with site-associated climate in a phylogenetic context, we find that growth forms dictate adaptations to the local environment. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the response of specific traits to analogous environments is antagonistic when growth forms are different. This finding suggests for the first time that growth forms represent particular ecological functions, allowing the co-occurrence of closely related species, being a product of divergent selection during evolution in sympatry.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests

The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (−9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth’s climate

DataSheet_1_Plant growth forms dictate adaptations to the local climate.pdf

Adaptive radiation is a significant driver of biodiversity. Primarily studied in animal systems, mechanisms that trigger adaptive radiations remain poorly understood in plants. A frequently claimed indicator of adaptive radiation in plants is growth form diversity when tied to the occupation of different habitats. However, it remains obscure whether morphological adaptations manifest as growth form diversity per se or as its constituent traits. We use the classic Aeonium radiation from the Canary Islands to ask whether adaptation across climatic space is structured by growth form evolution. Using morphological sampling with site-associated climate in a phylogenetic context, we find that growth forms dictate adaptations to the local environment. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the response of specific traits to analogous environments is antagonistic when growth forms are different. This finding suggests for the first time that growth forms represent particular ecological functions, allowing the co-occurrence of closely related species, being a product of divergent selection during evolution in sympatry.</p

Table_1_Plant growth forms dictate adaptations to the local climate.xlsx

Adaptive radiation is a significant driver of biodiversity. Primarily studied in animal systems, mechanisms that trigger adaptive radiations remain poorly understood in plants. A frequently claimed indicator of adaptive radiation in plants is growth form diversity when tied to the occupation of different habitats. However, it remains obscure whether morphological adaptations manifest as growth form diversity per se or as its constituent traits. We use the classic Aeonium radiation from the Canary Islands to ask whether adaptation across climatic space is structured by growth form evolution. Using morphological sampling with site-associated climate in a phylogenetic context, we find that growth forms dictate adaptations to the local environment. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the response of specific traits to analogous environments is antagonistic when growth forms are different. This finding suggests for the first time that growth forms represent particular ecological functions, allowing the co-occurrence of closely related species, being a product of divergent selection during evolution in sympatry.</p

USO RACIONAL DE PLANTAS MEDICINAIS E PLANTAS ALIMENTÌCIAS NÃO CONVENCIONAIS NOS MUNICÍPIOS DE MAGÈ E GUAPIMIRIM, RJ.

O presente trabalho apresenta os resultados preliminares do projeto desenvolvido pelo Laboratório de Farmacobotânica, em apoio à iniciativa do Comitê Gestor da Microbacia do Rio Cachoeira em conjunto com a EMATER – Rio na implementação do Projeto Desenvolvimento Rural Sustentável em Microbacias Hidrográficas do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - RIO RURAL BIRD. Esta microbacia, faz parte da baía de Guanabara, fica localizada no município de Magé/RJ, e tem como atividade econômica primária a agropecuária, ela está associada a problemas ambientais como deficiência de mata ciliar, assoreamento de rios e sua contaminação pelo uso excessivo de agrotóxicos. São objetivos do projeto: Incentivar o uso racional e responsável das plantas medicinais; Resgatar os saberes da população em relação às plantas da região, sobretudo quanto ao uso adequado das espécies alimentícias, medicinais e ornamentais; Incentivar o cultivo de espécies de uso medicinal nas hortas caseiras para emprego seguro através de orientações adequadas de emprego, dosagem, riscos e formas farmacêuticas adequadas para disponibilização dos princípios ativos. Através da realização de oficinas, os agricultores são instruídos e orientados em relação do uso racional de plantas medicinais e plantas alimentícias não convencionais (PANC), seu cultivo adequado, produção e sua preparação. As PANC escolhidas pelos agricultores estão sendo analisadas quanto à sua composição nutricional e avaliadas quanto á presença de compostos antinutricionais a fim de fornecer dados que orientem de forma precisa os modos de preparo e consumo pelos agricultores e seus familiares. Estão sendo elaborados e publicados manuais para orientação de aspectos ligados ao uso e dosagem, entre outros elementos, como material de consulta permanente para os agricultores e demais membros da comunidade. Foram publicados dois livros em formato de e-book em uma série de dez títulos previstos. O primeiro versa sobre plantas com atividade inseticida para uso em  cultivos orgânicos e agroecológicos  e um manual sobre uso racional de plantas medicinais com 40 espécies de plantas. O projeto alcança cinco anos de trabalhos com elevado grau de produção, incentivando os alunos de graduação ao trabalho de extensão com atendimento às demandas reais do público-alvo

Data from Sullivan et al. (2020) Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw7578.

ABSTRACT: The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (−9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater rate of decline in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth’s climate