Functional convergence of plant communities coexisting with Pitcairnia flammea Lindl. populations across an elevation gradient in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

• Grant number: 24/08569-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Pant Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Clarisse Palma da Silva
• Grantee: Cleber Juliano Neves Chaves
• Supervisor: Kenneth James Feeley
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Miami, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 20/14805-4 - Effect of altitudinal thermal gradient on the adaptive convergence of communities and local adaptation of Pitcairnia flammea Lindl, BP.PD

Abstract

Abiotic variables, such as temperature and water availability, shape species distributions across environmental gradients, determining patterns of plant community composition. However, biotic interactions can also play a crucial role in community assembly, influencing species co-occurrence and abundance distributions. Understanding the relative impact of biotic and abiotic interactions across environmental gradients is therefore crucial to predicting how organisms respond to climate change. Here, we aim to explore how biotic interactions shape the ecological strategies of Pitcairnia flammea populations across an elevation gradient in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The Brazilian Atlantic Forest, known for its high biodiversity, is home to P. flammea, an endemic bromeliad with a wide distribution and multiple ecological strategies. Populations of P. flammea exhibit significant genetic structuring and limited gene flow, allowing them to adapt to local conditions. Prior studies have shown that populations inhabiting different elevations have evolved unique ecological strategies to adapt to diverse climate conditions, particularly at the upper and lower ends of the gradient. Yet, the ecological approach adopted by populations at mid-elevations remains uncertain. Exploring how biotic interactions change across the communities where this species thrives could offer valuable insights into its diversification. Our objective is to investigate how community composition influences the ecological strategy of P. flammea populations across the elevation gradient. We hypothesize that species diversity increases towards intermediate elevations due to more-mild or benign environmental conditions, leading to increased negative interactions, low abundances, and phenotypical divergence. In contrast, populations at the extremes of the gradient are anticipated to exhibit phenotypical convergence and positive interactions, with P. flammea populations reaching higher abundances and facilitating the growth of other plants. In accordance with our hypothesis, we predict greater species, functional, and phylogenetic diversities at intermediate elevations. Additionally, we expect to find higher abundances of P. flammea and functional convergence at the colder and warmer extremes of the elevation gradient. Through field surveys and experimental manipulations in situ, our study aims to provide valuable insights into the ecological evolution of P. flammea and the general diversification in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest ecosystem as a whole.