Genomic perspectives on the impact of climate changes on bromeliads from the Atlantic Forest mountains

• Grant number: 25/00159-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Clarisse Palma da Silva
• Grantee: Tami da Costa Cacossi
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/10639-5 - Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change, AP.CEPID

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest, located in the Neotropical region, is the fifth main biodiversity hotspots in the world, characterized by broad environmental gradients. Historical climatic changes, combined with topographic and environmental heterogeneity, have driven the rapid diversification of lineages in this region, which may be associated with processes such as hybridization, introgression, and incomplete lineage sorting, representing challenges for evolutionary reconstructions. Bromeliaceae is an interesting example of adaptive radiation in the Neotropics, with the genus Pitcairnia, the second most diverse in the family, broadly distributed in the mountains of the Atlantic Forest. In this context, we aim to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the Pitcairnia flammea clade, widely distributed in the mountains of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, and to investigate the role of interspecific gene flow in the diversification process, considering the influence of historical climatic changes. Whole-genome sequencing data will be used to investigate: (1) the phylogeny of the P. flammea clade, analyzing divergence times and hybridization events over evolutionary time; (2) the evolutionary pattern of flower coloration in P. flammea clade, aiming to understand the role of prezygotic barriers in the evolution of reproductive isolation; (3) genomic signatures associated with reproductive isolation and introgression between P. flammea, a widely distributed species, and P. corcovadensis, a rare species that occurs exclusively in sympatry with P. flammea; and (4) the patterns of genetic diversity and structure, as well as the demographic history of P. flammea and P. corcovadensis populations. Our results will be fundamental for elucidating about species evolution in one of the most biodiverse and threatened regions of the planet, contributing to the understanding of the resilience of Neotropical species and populations in the face of global climatic changes.