Phylogeny, functional traits and evolution of seed dormancy in Cerrado

• Grant number: 17/27100-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: May 01, 2018
• End date: October 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Grantee: Diego Fernando Escobar Escobar
• Supervisor: Rafael Rubio de Casas
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidad de Granada (UGR), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 14/21430-6 - Dispersion phenology and germination strategies of woody and herbaceous plants in the Brazilian Savanna, BP.DR

Abstract

In seasonal ecosystems, seed germination at the beginning of the rainy season is crucial for plant recruitment as it maximizes the favorable period for establishment, allowing seedlings to better withstand the low water availability during the subsequent dry season. In such ecosystems, the time when seeds germinate is regulated by the relationship between fruiting phenology and seed dormancy. However, the relationship between dormancy classes, seed functional traits and phylogeny are poorly understood. Therefore, we determined dispersal syndrome and season, growth form, seed mass and dormancy classes of 83 species belonging to 26 families of a Neotropical savanna (cerrado) in order to evaluate how the phylogenetic history and seed functional traits have shaped dormancy (presence and classes) in cerrado. Specifically, we intend to: (1) describe the evolution of dispersal syndrome and season, growth form, seed mass and dormancy classes in seeds from cerrado, determining if a phylogenetic signal is present; (2) determine the relative importance of seed functional traits and phylogeny in the evolution of seed dormancy in cerrado. (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)

ESCOBAR, DIEGO F. E.; SILVEIRA, FERNANDO A. O.; MORELLATO, LEONOR PATRICIA C.. Do regeneration traits vary according to vegetation structure? A case study for savannas. JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, v. 32, n. 1, SEP 2020. (14/21430-6, 13/50155-0, 10/51307-0, 17/27100-6)

ESCOBAR ESCOBAR, DIEGO FERNANDO; DE CASAS, RAFAEL RUBIO; CERDEIRA MORELLATO, LEONOR PATRICIA. Many roads to success: different combinations of life-history traits provide accurate germination timing in seasonally dry environments. OIKOS, v. 130, n. 11, SEP 2021. (14/21430-6, 17/27100-6, 10/51307-0, 13/50155-0)