| Grant number: | 13/10679-0 |
| Support Opportunities: | BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants |
| Duration: | March 01, 2014 - April 30, 2016 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Botany - Plant Morphology |
| Principal Investigator: | Veronica Angyalossy |
| Grantee: | Veronica Angyalossy |
| Host Institution: | Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil |
| Associated researchers: | Anselmo Nogueira ; Caian Souza Gerolamo ; Carolina Lopes Bastos ; Julio Cezar Majcher ; Marcelo Rodrigo Pace |
Abstract
Cambial variants are alternative forms of secondary growth that generate great anatomical diversity and that have evolved multiple times along the evolution of the vascular plants, from fossils Pteridosperms, "Gimnosperms" to Eudicotyledons. Cambial variants have been studied since de XIX century and are notorious for the architectures they generate in the organs in which they occur, such as in the ladder-like stems (Bauhinia-Leguminosae), cables structures (Sapindaceae), and cross-vines (Bignoniaceae). In addition, cambial variants tend to be taxon-specific, synapomorfic in the clades in which they occur, such as the variants found in Bignonieae, tribe of Bignoniaceae, and Menispermaceae. Cambial variants are very diverse, but overall can be divided into two major groups: i) those derived from a single cambium; and ii) those derived from multiple cambia. Despite the amassed knowledge on the different types of cambial variants and the families in which they occur, little is still known on the mechanisms that generate these variants and which evolutionary pressures might have favored their establishment. What is known is that cambial variants are most common in lianas then in other habits, with independent evolutions of this feature in different taxa. The presence of cambial variants has been related with injury repair, water and carbohydrate storage, development, and stem biomechanics. Various question under the term "cambial variants" still need clarifications. Therefore, in the present work we adopt an integrative approach in plant anatomy to address questions on the following aspects, here subdivided in 4 sub-projects: i. developmental studies of the cambial variants in roots and stems; ii. seasonal activity of the vascular cambium in lianoid species with and without cambial variants; iii. comparative anatomy of the vascular system: xylem and phloem, in lianas and self-supporting plants; iv. impact of the different subtypes of cambial variants found in Bignonieae (Bignoniaceae) in the growth, biomechanics, and hydraulic conductivity in selected species of lianas from a Terra Firme forest of Central Amazon. With this approach we aim to raise data that will contribute to a better comprehension of the role of the cambial variants in the evolution of vascular plants as a whole. (AU)
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