Phylogenetic niche conservatism and plant diversification in South American subtropical grasslands along multiple climatic dimensions.

Phylogenetic niche conservatism can be investigated at multiple scales on an explicit geographical context. Haplotype-based comparative analyses of lineages occupying the same region, and thus subjected to similar environmental factors, allow decoupling shared evolutionary and ecological patterns, as well as multiple dimensions of adaptive diversification. Here we aimed to assess the role of environmental drivers on diversification of subtropical grassland, based on haplotypic diversity of two plant genera.

How diverse can rare species be on the margins of genera distribution?

Different genetic patterns have been demonstrated for narrowly distributed taxa, many of them linking rarity to evolutionary history. Quite a few species in young genera are endemics and have several populations that present low variability, sometimes attributed to geographical isolation or dispersion processes. Assessing the genetic diversity and structure of such species may be important for protecting them and understanding their diversification history.

Genetic diversity and population structure of naturally rare Calibrachoa species with small distribution in southern Brazil.

Calibrachoa is a South-American genus comprising 27 species, several considered endemic or rare; few were subjects in genetic studies. We attempted to generate new data about the phylogenetically related and rare species C. eglandulata, C.

Cold tolerance in rice germinating seeds revealed by deep RNAseq analysis of contrasting indica genotypes.

Rice productivity is largely affected by low temperature, which can be harmful throughout plant development, from germination to grain filling. Germination of indica rice cultivars under cold is slow and not uniform, resulting in irregular emergence and small plant population. To identify and characterize novel genes involved in cold tolerance during the germination stage, two indica rice genotypes (sister lines previously identified as cold-tolerant and cold-sensitive) were used in parallel transcriptomic analysis (RNAseq) under cold treatment (seeds germinating at 13 °C for 7 days).

Were sea level changes during the Pleistocene in the South Atlantic Coastal Plain a driver of speciation in Petunia (Solanaceae)?

Background: Quaternary climatic changes led to variations in sea level and these variations played a significant role in the generation of marine terrace deposits in the South Atlantic Coastal Plain. The main consequence of the increase in sea level was local extinction or population displacement, such that coastal species would be found around the new coastline. Our main goal was to investigate the effects of sea level changes on the geographical structure and variability of genetic lineages from a Petunia species endemic to the South Atlantic Coastal Plain.

Geological and climatic changes in quaternary shaped the evolutionary history of Calibrachoa heterophylla, an endemic South-Atlantic species of petunia.

Background: The glacial and interglacial cycles that characterized the Quaternary greatly affected the distribution and genetic diversity of plants. In the Neotropics, few phylogeographic studies have focused on coastal species outside of the Atlantic Rainforest. Climatic and sea level changes during the Quaternary played an important role in the evolutionary history of many organisms found in coastal regions.