Demographic dynamics of Pitcairnia flammea (Bromeliaceae) over time, and along the altitudinal and ecological gradients of the Atlantic Forest

• Grant number: 23/01488-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: July 20, 2023
• End date: January 19, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Clarisse Palma da Silva
• Grantee: Tami da Costa Cacossi
• Supervisor: María José Sanín Perez
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Arizona State University, Phoenix (ASU), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/04148-1 - Genomic patterns of Pitcairnia flammea (Bromeliaceae) along an altitudinal gradient in the Atlantic Forest, BP.MS

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest is one of the most diverse forests in the world, with high rates of endemism. Due to that, there is an increasing effort on knowing the genetic basis of this diversity and investigating how current diversity patterns can be molded and explained by different evolutionary and demographic processes. Pitcairnia flammea Lindl. (Bromeliaceae) is an endemic bromeliad of the Atlantic Forest, and occurs from sea level to more than 2000m of altitude, presenting high morphological differences and low gene flow among populations. In this study, our aim is to 1) evaluate the demographic history of P. flammea populations, searching for expansion and retraction events along the elevational gradient and time; 2) quantify gene flow dynamics (connectivity) among populations of P. flammea over time; 3) understand the role of Pleistocene climatic oscillations in the demography history of P. flammea populations. For that, we are going to use two different approaches and SNP markers derived from RAD-seq of several individuals from eight populations of P. flammea distributed along the Atlantic Forest's altitudinal gradient. The results obtained in this study will be fundamental to understanding the evolutionary and demographic history of this endemic species, considering the effects of the altitudinal gradient over its isolated populations. Knowing the effect of past climatic changes on an endemic species also contributes to the conservation of plants in the face of future climate changes in one of the main diversity hotspots of the world. (AU)