Do molecular evolutionary rates influence flower disparity in tribe Mimoseae?

• Grant number: 25/25097-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2026
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Plant Taxonomy
• Principal Investigator: Leonardo Maurici Borges
• Grantee: Beatriz Teixeira de Vasconcelos
• Supervisor: Natsu Katayama
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Tokyo, Japan
• Associated to the scholarship: 25/10473-0 - Floral disparity in the Mimoseae: distinct lineages from the same biomes shares the patterns of floral morphology?, BP.IC

Abstract

Morphological diversity, known as disparity, is a fundamental tool for understanding evolutionary patterns and processes that shape biodiversity. Although widely applied for animals, this approach is still underexplored for plants, especially in the context of floral morphology. This project complements our goal to investigate how floral diversity is structured, to what extent it is influenced by phylogenetic relationships, and how geographic variations, especially biome transition events, affect morphological variation in the Tribe Mimoseae (Leguminosae), a pantropical group with high ecological and phylogenetic diversity. . Here we expand this research by asking if molecular evolution, which tends to align with lineage diversification, is also related to changes in floral disparity. To answer this question, we will use multivariate and phylogenetic comparative analyses to test for the correlation between patterns of floral disparity and rates of molecular evolution. By uncovering the patterns and processes behind floral diversification in Mimoseae we aim to provide new perspectives on processes governing the evolution of floral disparity. (AU)