Systematics of the sensu stricto clade of (Melastomataceae, Lavoisiereae).

A systematic monograph of the s.s. clade is presented, a Brazilian endemic lineage of Melastomataceae comprising 11 species and currently recognised as part of s.

Erratum: Author Correction: Modularity increases rate of floral evolution and adaptive success for functionally specialized pollination systems.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/s42003-019-0697-7.].

Modularity increases rate of floral evolution and adaptive success for functionally specialized pollination systems.

Angiosperm flowers have diversified in adaptation to pollinators, but are also shaped by developmental and genetic histories. The relative importance of these factors in structuring floral diversity remains unknown. We assess the effects of development, function and evolutionary history by testing competing hypotheses on floral modularity and shape evolution in Merianieae (Melastomataceae).

Beyond buzz-pollination - departures from an adaptive plateau lead to new pollination syndromes.

Pollination syndromes describe recurring adaptation to selection imposed by distinct pollinators. We tested for pollination syndromes in Merianieae (Melastomataceae), which contain bee- (buzz-), hummingbird-, flowerpiercer-, passerine-, bat- and rodent-pollinated species. Further, we explored trait changes correlated with the repeated shifts away from buzz-pollination, which represents an 'adaptive plateau' in Melastomataceae.

Seed diversity in the tribe Miconieae (Melastomataceae): taxonomic, systematic, and evolutionary implications.

Miconieae is the largest tribe in the Melastomataceae with over 1,850 species. The members of Miconieae display a wide range of morphological diversity, and seed morphology is no exception. Previous studies have found that seed morphological diversity is not congruent with traditional classifications, and suggest that it may reflect evolutionary relationships within Miconieae.

Phylogeny and infrageneric classification of Symplocos (Symplocaceae) inferred from DNA sequence data.

Symplocos comprises ∼300 species of woody flowering plants with a disjunct distribution between the warm-temperate to tropical regions of eastern Asia and the Americas. Phylogenetic analyses of 111 species of Symplocos based on the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the chloroplast genes rpl16, matK, and trnL-trnF yielded topologies in which only one of the four traditionally recognized subgenera (Epigenia; Neotropics) is monophyletic. Section Cordyloblaste (subgenus Symplocos; eastern Asia) is monophyletic and sister to a group comprising all other samples of Symplocos.

Phylogeny and circumscription of the near-endemic Brazilian tribe Microlicieae (Melastomataceae).

The members of tribe Microlicieae in the flowering plant family Melastomataceae are nearly all endemic to the cerrado biome of Brazil. Traditional classifications of the Melastomataceae have attributed between 15 and 17 genera to the Microlicieae, but subsequent revisions have circumscribed the tribe more narrowly. The monophyly and intergeneric relationships of the Microlicieae were evaluated through phylogenetic analyses with molecular and morphological data sets.