Assessment of Gene Flow to Wild Relatives and Nutritional Composition of Sugarcane in Brazil.

The commercial release of genetically modified organisms (GMO) requires a prior environmental and human/animal health risk assessment. In Brazil, the National Biotechnology Technical Commission (CTNBio) requires a survey of the area of natural occurrence of wild relatives of the GMO in the Brazilian ecosystems to evaluate the possibility of introgressive hybridization between sexually compatible species. Modern sugarcane cultivars, the focus of this study, derive from a series of hybridization and backcrossing events among species.

Phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation favor range expansion of a Neotropical palm.

One of the most intriguing questions in plant ecology is which evolutionary strategy allows widely distributed species to increase their ecological range and grow in changing environmental conditions. Phenotypic plasticity and local adaptations are major processes governing species range margins, but little is known about their relative contribution for tree species distribution in tropical forest regions. We investigated the relative role of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation in the ecological distribution of the widespread palm in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

The Chloroplast Genome of (Passifloraceae) Assembled from Long Sequence Reads: Structural Organization and Phylogenomic Studies in Malpighiales.

The family Passifloraceae consists of some 700 species classified in around 16 genera. Almost all its members belong to the genus . In Brazil, the yellow passion fruit () is of considerable economic importance, both for juice production and consumption as fresh fruit.

Comparison of microsatellites and isozymes in genetic diversity studies of Oryza glumaepatula (Poaceae) populations.

The study of the genetic structure of wild plant populations is essential for their management and conservation. Several DNA markers have been used in such studies, as well as isozyme markers. In order to provide a better comprehension of the results obtained and a comparison between markers which will help choose tools for future studies in natural populations of Oryza glumaepatula, a predominantly autogamous species, this study used both isozymes and microsatellites to assess the genetic diversity and genetic structure of 13 populations, pointing to similarities and divergences of each marker, and evaluating the relative importance of the results for studies of population genetics and conservation.

Mating system of Brazilian Oryza glumaepatula populations studied with microsatellite markers.

Background And Aims: A knowledge of natural populations' breeding systems is important in order to implement in situ and ex situ management and conservation practices. Using microsatellite markers, three Oryza glumaepatula populations from Brazil were studied to determine the breeding system and genetic structure parameters of this species.

Methods: Each population represented by ten families with ten individuals per family was studied using eight microsatellite primers.