Université de Fribourg

Mating system variation and assortative mating of sympatric bromeliads (Pitcairnia spp.) endemic to neotropical inselbergs

Palma-Silva, Clarisse ; Cozzolino, Salvatore ; Paggi, Gecele Matos ; Lexer, Christian ; Wendt, Tânia

In: American Journal of Botany, 2015, vol. 102, no. 5, p. 758–764

Premise of the study: The mating system is an important component of the complex set of reproductive isolation barriers causing plant speciation. However, empirical evidence showing that the mating system may promote reproductive isolation in co-occurring species is limited. The mechanisms by which the mating system can act as a reproductive isolation barrier are also largely unknown. Methods:...

Université de Fribourg

Limited pollen flow and high selfing rates toward geographic range limit in an Atlantic forest bromeliad

Matos, Gecele ; Palma-Silva, Clarisse ; Bodanese-Zanettini, Maria Helena ; Lexer, Christian ; Bered, Fernanda

In: Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants, 2015, vol. 211, p. 1–10

Bromeliaceae is a Neotropical family that evolved ecological key innovations in association with extensive adaptive radiation. Its species present a variety of different mating system strategies varying within and among species, within genera and subfamilies. Also, species with a wide geographical range can display large variation in mating system, reproductive success and genetic diversity. Here...

Université de Fribourg

Phylogeography and genetic differentiation along the distributional range of the orchid Epidendrum fulgens: a Neotropical coastal species not restricted to glacial refugia

Pinheiro, Fábio ; Barros, Fábio De ; Palma-Silva, Clarisse ; Fay, Michael F. ; Lexer, Christian ; Cozzolino, Salvatore

In: Journal of Biogeography, 2011, vol. 38, no. 10, p. 1923–1935

Aim Phylogeographical studies in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (BAF) have mostly included species associated with forest habitats, whereas taxa associated with grassland and sand-dune plant communities have so far been largely overlooked. This study examines the phylogeography of the orchid Epidendrum fulgens, which occurs on coastal sand dunes and granitic outcrops, in order to identify major...

Université de Fribourg

Sympatric bromeliad species (Pitcairnia spp.) facilitate tests of mechanisms involved in species cohesion and reproductive isolation in Neotropical inselbergs

Palma-Silva, Clarisse ; Wendt, T. ; Pinheiro, Fábio ; Barbará, Thelma ; Fay, Michael F. ; Cozzolino, Salvatore ; Lexer, Christian

In: Molecular Ecology, 2011, vol. 20, no. 15, p. 3185–3201

The roles of intra- and interspecific gene flow in speciation and species evolution are topics of great current interest in molecular ecology and evolutionary biology. Recent modelling studies call for new empirical data to test hypotheses arising from the recent shift from a ‘whole-genome reproductive isolation’ view to a ‘genic’ view of species and speciation. Particularly scarce (and...

Université de Fribourg

Range-wide patterns of nuclear and chloroplast DNA diversity in Vriesea gigantea (Bromeliaceae), a neotropical forest species

Palma-Silva, Clarisse ; Lexer, Christian ; Paggi, G. M. ; Barbará, Thelma ; Bered, F. ; Bodanese-Zanettini, M. H.

In: Heredity, 2009, vol. 103, p. 503–512

The processes that have shaped the extraordinary species diversity in neotropical rainforests are poorly understood, and knowledge about the patterns of genetic diversity across species' ranges is scarce, in contrast to other regions of the globe. We have conducted a range-wide study of genetic diversity in a plant endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, Vriesea gigantea (Bromeliaceae),...

Université de Fribourg

Genetic relationships and variation in reproductive strategies in four closely related bromeliads adapted to neotropical ‘inselbergs’: Alcantarea glaziouana, A. regina, A. geniculata and A. imperialis (Bromeliaceae)

Barbará, Thelma ; Martinelli, Gustavo ; Palma-Silva, Clarisse ; Fay, Michael F. ; Mayo, Simon ; Lexer, Christian

In: Annals of Botany, 2009, vol. 103, no. 1, p. 65-77

Background and Aims: Bromeliads (Bromeliaceae) adapted to rock outcrops or ‘inselbergs’ in neotropical rain forests have been identified as suitable plant models for studying population divergence and speciation during continental plant radiations. Little is known about genetic relationships and variation in reproductive strategies within and among inselberg-adapted species, yet knowledge...