Morphoanatomical and chemical attributes of the corolla of Zeyheria Mart. (Bignoniaceae) and implications for plant-pollinator interaction.

• Grant number: 25/08643-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Plant Morphology
• Principal Investigator: Silvia Rodrigues Machado
• Grantee: Sabrina Lemes Dias
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The flowers of Bignoniaceae are mostly zoophilous and pollinated by medium to large bees, moths, bats and hummingbirds. One of the characteristics of the family is the diversity of floral glands, including nectaries, secretory trichomes and osmophores, which are odor-producing glands located mainly in the corolla. The morphoanatomical and chemical attributes of the corolla and their possible implications in the interaction between plants and their floral visitors have received attention in recent decades. However, detailed studies on the microstructure, anatomy and histochemical composition of the corolla are still scarce for representatives of Bignoniaceae. Thus, this project aims to investigate the morphoanatomical and chemical attributes of the corolla of Zeyheria montana and Z. tuberculosa. These two species share the presence of a vestigial nectariferous disc; however, they differ in habitat and pollinators. The material will be processed using the usual methods in light microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The project aims to understand whether the morphoanatomical and chemical characteristics of the corolla affect the plant-pollinator interaction in these species.