Pollen dispersal and reproductive system of the palm Euterpe edulis in Atlantic Forest fragments

• Grant number: 16/18235-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2017
• End date: December 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Marina Corrêa Côrtes
• Grantee: Giovane Böerner Hypolito
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Tropical forests are under intense human activities, which lead to fragmentation and habitat loss. Fragmentation results in the isolation of remnants and therefore disrupts the connectivity among populations. The interruption of gene flow associated with the reduction in population size due to habitat loss can intensify inbreeding and genetic drift, reducing genetic diversity in the medium-long term. We will investigate how the reproductive system and genetic dispersal via pollen from a predominantly outbreeding palm (Euterpe edulis) varies in fragmented and preserved landscapes. We will study two forest fragments and two more preserved forest remnants of the Atlantic Forest of São Paulo State, Brazil. In each area, we will collect 30 ripe fruits from 15 palms to conduct progeny analyses. Eight microsatellite markers will be used to estimate the outcrossing rate, correlation of paternity, the average distance of pollination and the effective number of pollen donors. We expect that pollination and outcrossing rate will be higher in the preserved areas than in fragmented forests, because of the larger population size of palms and pollinating fauna expected in the reserves. This project will contribute information on how the genetics of tropical plants respond to habitat modifications by human activities, assisting in the conservation of tropical forests. (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)

MARÍLIA SOUZA LUCAS; CAROLINA DA SILVA CARVALHO; GIOVANE BÖERNER HYPOLITO; MARINA CORRÊA CÔRTES. Protocolo otimizado para isolar DNA genômico de alta qualidade em diferentes tecidos de uma espécie de palmeira. Hoehnea, v. 46, n. 2, 2019-07-22. (16/18235-2, 14/01029-5)