| Grant number: | 07/06336-0 |
| Support type: | Scholarships in Brazil - Master |
| Effective date (Start): | March 01, 2008 |
| Effective date (End): | February 28, 2010 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Botany - Plant Taxonomy |
| Principal Investigator: | Milton Groppo Júnior |
| Grantee: | Carla Poleselli Bruniera |
| Home Institution: | Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil |
| Associated research grant: | 06/03170-0 - Phylogenetic and systematic studies in Rutaceae: phylogeny and delimitation of Galipeinae (Galipeae) based on nuclear and plastidial DNA sequences, AP.JP |
Abstract The objective of this of project is to carry out a cladistic analyses of Almeidea (Rutaceae), on basis of morphological and molecular data. This genus belongs to subtribe Galipeinae, (tribe Galipeae), a exclusively neotropical group, characterized by having mainly zygomorphic flowers and the presence of staminodes by the sterilization of 2-3 stamens. Almeidea is composed of five species according its last revision, all restricted to the eastern Brazil (Paraná, till southern Bahia, including eastern Minas Gerais). They are trees or treelets, occurring in the understory of primary or secondary forests, characterized by the simple or 1-foliolate leaves, by the (sub)terminal, thyrsoid ou botryoid inflorescences, and mainly by the showy, pinky or purplish flowers, with free petals and five fertile stamens or with 2-3 modified in staminodes. The fruit is a schizocarp with 1-3 mericarps. Fieldwork will be carried out where the species occur, as well as visits to herbaria with representative collections of Galipeinae (as CEPEC, RB, and SPF herbaria) and requests of loans, to characterize better the species morphologically and verify their geographic distribution. Characteristics of the flowers, anatomy of the leaves and pollen will be used in the morphological analysis. Nuclear regions ETS e ITS, plus the plastidial trnl-trnf region will be sequenced by the molecular analysis. Species of the polymorphic genus Conchocarpus will be also utilized in the analysis, given its morphological and phylogenetical proximity, verified in preliminary studies. Other groups of Galipeinae will be used as outgroups, such Galipea, Rauia, and Ravenia, besides other neotropical genera of Rutaceae. Parsimony will be utilized as optimization criterion. A global analysis will be conducted, depending on the congruence of the results. The objective of the analysis is (besides the verification of the phylogenetic hypothesis within Almeidea species) trace biogeographical hypothesis to the group and verify its positioning in Galipeinae. The study will contribute to an ongoing larger project, which tries to understand the phylogeny of the subtribe as a whole. | |