SYSTEMATICS, POPULATION GENETIC STRUCTURE AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF EUPHORBIA SECT. BRASILIENSES V. W. STEINM. & DORSEY (EUPHORBIACEAE)

• Grant number: 15/11812-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Plant Taxonomy
• Principal Investigator: Inês Cordeiro
• Grantee: Inês Cordeiro
• Host Institution: Instituto de Botânica. Secretaria de Meio Ambiente, Infraestrutura e Logística (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Clarisse Palma da Silva

Abstract

Euphorbia sect. Brasilienses V.W. Steinm. & Dorsey is an exclusively Brazilian group, which include Euphorbia attastoma Rizzini, Euphorbia holochlorina Rizzini, Euphorbia phosphorea Mart. and Euphorbia sipolisii N.E. Br. Although their cactiform appearance, species within this section do not bear spines, are practically aphyllous once their rudimentary leaves are early deciduous, and their stems are succulent and photosynthesizing. E. phosphorea occurs almost all over caatinga regions while E. attastoma is restricted to southwestern State of Bahia and northeastern State of Minas Gerais, where it grows in transitional zones between campos rupestres and caatinga. E. sipolisii is endemic from campos rupestres in Diamantina region and E. holochlorina from inselbergs within Atlantic Forest domain in the State of Espírito Santo. The main objective of this study is to understand speciation processes and diversification within the group by the evaluation of genetic diversity and structure of its populations. The analysis of populations will provide additional data for the circumscription of those species that despite living in different biomes, have very similar morphological characteristics. Furthermore, we aim to clarify affinities among its species by a phylogenetic analysis based on molecular data and lastly present a taxonomic treatment for the section. For population studies, epidermal samples from 20 individuals of each population will be collected, and the genetic variability will be evaluated with microsatellites. Allelic frequency and diversity indexes - allele number per loci (Na), effective allele number (Ne), mean observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosity - will be calculated. Phylogeographical analyses will be performed considering DNAcp and nrDNA primers set developed for the genus. To test the monophyly of the section, phylogenetic analyses will include as external groups species from Euphorbia sect. Stachydium Boiss. The taxonomic treatment will include species descriptions, distribution maps, commentaries, illustrations and an identification key for the species. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

HURBATH, FERNANDA; SANTOS LEAL, BARBARA SIMOES; MARQUES DA SILVA, OTAVIO LUIS; PALMA-SILVA, CLARISSE; CORDEIRO, INES. A new species and molecular phylogeny of Brazilian succulent Euphorbia sect. Brasilienses. SYSTEMATICS AND BIODIVERSITY, v. 16, n. 7, p. 658-667, 2018. (15/11812-1)

HURBATH, FERNANDA; STUBBS, REBECCA L.; CORDEIRO, INES; CELLINESE, NICO. Biogeography of succulent spurges from Brazilian Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest (SDTF). Taxon, v. 70, n. 1, DEC 2020. (15/11812-1)