Pollen disparity in the Piptadenia group (Leguminosae): differences between lineages and ecological groups

• Grant number: 20/07423-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2021
• End date: August 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Plant Taxonomy
• Principal Investigator: Leonardo Maurici Borges
• Grantee: Rafael Fernandes Barduzzi Lopes
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The study of the morphological disparity has proved to be of great help in the study of the evolution of living beings, making it possible to understand phenomena that were not understood before. However, disparity analyses are rarely applied to plants. This project aims to fill part of this gap in the knowledge about the evolution of plants. Thus, we will study the pollen disparity of the Piptadenia group, a paraphyletic group of Neotropical mimosoid legumes. The Piptadenia group has independent lineages with evolutionary similarities, such as habitat transition events and similar pollen morphology, and therefore is an interesting model for studies of morphological evolution. In this context, we asked what are the patterns of pollen disparity in the Piptadenia group, and whether independent lineages occurring in the same habitats have similar pollen disparity. To answer these questions, we will obtain pollen morphology data for 10% of the group from the literature and from optical and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The project will be developed over one year, and at the end it will produce an article to be submitted to a high quality international scientific journal.