The role of integration, modularity, and pollinators in the floral morphological diversification in Mimosa (Leguminosae)

• Grant number: 24/00265-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: July 01, 2024
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany
• Principal Investigator: Leonardo Maurici Borges
• Grantee: Monique Maianne da Silva
• Supervisor: Fabio de Andrade Machado
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Oklahoma State University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/12607-3 - Floral disparity of the sensitive plants: the role of integration, modularity and pollinators in the diversity of Mimosa flowers, BP.DR

Abstract

Variations in the degree of co-variation between different parts of a phenotype (phenotypic integration and modularity) can shape the evolution of complex structures, such as flowers. Although flowers function in an integrated way, different floral traits may have different functions in the reproductive process. Thus, intra-floral variation/covariation can be modular. However, our knowledge on how integration and modularity shaped floral disparification is still limited, especially in species-rich groups with low floral morphological specialization. Here, we propose integrating floral morphological data and plant-pollinator interactions to investigate (1) how floral morphological evolution is influenced by patterns of intra-floral integration and modularity and (2) how floral disparity and intra floral integration and modularity are associated with the diversity and niche of pollinators in the megadiverse genus Mimosa (Leguminosae). By addressing these questions, we expect to understand how intrinsic and extrinsic factors can affect the evolution of plants with uniform floral morphology - an important, albeit neglected, component of the astonishing angiosperm diversity.