How individual variation in flowering and pollination influence the reproductive success of Neotropical plant species?

• Grant number: 24/19816-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Support Program for Fixating Young Doctors
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Fábio Pinheiro
• Grantee: Natalia Costa Soares
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/01041-7 - Between ecological and evolutionary frontiers: the autoecology of the moss Bryum argenteum in different Brazilian phytogeographical domains, AP.R

Abstract

The main objective of this project is to evaluate how intraspecific variations in phenology and plant-pollinator interactions influence the reproductive success of Neotropical plant species. To this end, we will use as a model different populations and species of the genus Epidendrum (Orchidaceae), which is considered a model system for ecological and evolutionary studies in Neotropical regions. Data collection will be carried out in specific populations of different Epidendrum species, with the objective of evaluating variations in floral, phenological and plant-pollinator interactions, within and between populations along the spatial distribution gradient of the species. This approach will integrate methods from different areas of plant ecology, such as floral biology and morphology, reproductive phenology and pollination. Therefore, this study can help us understand how variations in functional and reproductive characteristics of individuals that make up natural plant communities impact reproductive success and, consequently, ecological and evolutionary processes in Neotropical ecosystems. Furthermore, this study will provide relevant information for the conservation and maintenance of these natural environments of high biodiversity.