Anatomia foliar de bromélias ocorrentes em áreas de cerrado do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Visando apontar características inerentes à família Bromeliaceae e indicar possíveis adaptações anatômicas encontradas nas espécies de cerrado, foram estudadas as folhas de cinco Bromelioideae, sete Tillandsioideae e uma Pitcairnioideae. em geral, nas Bromelioideae, os estômatos estão aprofundados na epiderme e verifica-se um tecido mecânico epidérmico e subepidérmico; observa-se um tecido parenquimático armazenador de água, células esclerificadas não relacionadas aos tecidos vasculares, além de canais de aeração percorrendo longitudinalmente o mesofilo. Nas Tillandsioideae, as folhas são densamente recobertas por escamas, os estômatos ocorrem nas duas superfícies e o mesofilo é bastante compacto. em Pitcairnioideae, a estrutura foliar é bastante semelhante à das Bromelioideae, embora os estômatos sejam ligeiramente elevados em relação à epiderme e não ocorram grupos de células esclerificadas extravasculares. Os resultados foram avaliados dentro de um contexto adaptativo e taxonômico.Our aim was to indicate typical features of Bromeliaceae as well as possible adaptive features found in cerrado species. We studied the leaves of five Bromelioideae, seven Tillandsioideae and one Pitcairnoideae. Usually the stomata of Bromelioideae are located only on the abaxial leaf surface, there is epidermal and subepidermal mechanical tissue present, as well as water-storage parenchyma, sclerified cells not related to the vascular tissues, and longitudinal air canals. The leaves in Tillandsioideae are densely covered by peltate trichomes, and there are stomata on both surfaces and a compact mesophyll. In Pitcairnioideae, the leaf structure is very similar to that of the Bromelioideae but the stomata are slightly raised above epidermal cell level and there are no sclerified cell groups. The results were evaluated in an adaptive and taxonomic context.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Rhizome and root anatomy of 14 species of Bromeliaceae

ABSTRACT The anatomy of rhizomes and roots of 14 species of Bromeliaceae that occur in the cerrado biome were studied with the aim of pointing out particular anatomical features of the family and possible adaptations related to the environment. All the rhizomes are similar although some have root regions growing inside the cortex. In some species the vascular cylinder of the rhizome is clearly limited from the cortex. The roots are also very similar, although the coating tissue differs in roots growing inside the rhizome or externally to it and the cortex has a variable organization according to the region. The studied species present anatomical features that are associated to water absorption and storage, showing that they are adapted to the cerrado environment

Vascularização foliar e anatomia do pecíolo de Melastomataceae do cerrado do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Foram estudados o pecíolo e a vascularização foliar de 22 espécies de Melastomataceae do cerrado do Estado de São Paulo. A análise da vascularização mostrou que, embora venação acródroma seja constante para todos os representantes, determinados caracteres, como o tipo de aréola, a relação entre o número de nervuras primárias e secundárias, o tipo de venação última marginal e a organização da rede de nervuras, são úteis na delimitação das tribos e gêneros estudados. O estudo anatômico do pecíolo também revelou que determinados aspectos, como o contorno do órgão, a distribuição dos feixes vasculares e as características epidérmicas, fornecem subsídios para a caracterização de gêneros. As variações encontradas na vascularização foliar e na estrutura do pecíolo são descritas para todos os representantes estudados e discutidas dentro de um contexto taxonômico do grupo.We studied the leaf vasculature and the petiole anatomy of 22 species of Melastomataceae from the cerrado of the São Paulo State, Brazil. In all the representatives, the leaf venation is of the acrodromous pattern, but some features, such as the kind of areolation, the number of primary and secondary veins, the type of marginal ultimate venation, and the arrangement of the vein nets, can be related to the tribe and genera that the species belongs. Some aspects of the petiole structure, such as its outline, the distribution of the vascular bundles and the epidermal features, are also useful to characterize the genera. The variation observed on leaf venation and on petiole anatomy are described and discussed under a taxonomic point of view.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora