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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Evolution of phytochemical diversity in Pilocarpus (Rutaceae)

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Author(s):
Allevato, Daniella M. [1] ; Groppo, Milton [2] ; Kiyota, Eduardo [3] ; Mazzafera, Paulo [3, 4] ; Nixon, Kevin C. [1]
Total Authors: 5
Affiliation:
[1] Cornell Univ, Sch Plant Sci, Sect Plant Biol, LH Bailey Hortorium, Ithaca, NY 14850 - USA
[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, Dept Biol, USP Ribeirao Preto, Ribeirao Preto - Brazil
[3] Univ Estadual Campinas, UNICAMP, Dept Biol Vegetal, Inst Biol, Campinas, SP - Brazil
[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Prod Vegetal, Escola Super Agr Luiz de Queiroz, Piracicaba - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 4
Document type: Journal article
Source: Phytochemistry; v. 163, p. 132-146, JUL 2019.
Web of Science Citations: 0
Abstract

The evolution of phytochemical diversity and biosynthetic pathways in plants can be evaluated from a phylogenetic and environmental perspective. Pilocarpus Vahl (Rutaceae), an economically important medicinal plant in the family Rutaceae, has a great diversity of imidazole alkaloids and coumarins. In this study, we used phylogenetic comparative methods to determine whether there is a phylogenetic signal for chemical traits across the genus Pilocarpus; this included ancestral reconstructions of continuous and discrete chemical traits. Bioclimatic variables found to be associated with the distribution of this genus were used to perform OLS regressions between chemical traits and bioclimatic variables. Next, these regression models were evaluated to test whether bioclimatic traits could significantly predict compound concentrations. Our study found that in terms of compound concentration, variation is most significantly associated with adaptive environmental convergence rather than phylogenetic relationships. The best predictive model of chemical traits was the OLS regression that modeled the relationship between coumarin and precipitation in the coldest quarter. However, we also found one chemical trait was dependent on phylogenetic history and bioclimatic factors. These findings emphasize that consideration of both environmental and phylogenetic factors is essential to tease out the intricate processes in the evolution of chemical diversity in plants. These methods can benefit fields such as conservation management, ecology, and evolutionary biology. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 16/06260-2 - Integrative systematic studies in Neotropical families, with emphasis on Rutaceae, Asteraceae and Rubiaceae
Grantee:Milton Groppo Júnior
Support type: Regular Research Grants
FAPESP's process: 08/58035-6 - Control of lignin biosynthesis in sugar cane: many gaps still to be filled
Grantee:Paulo Mazzafera
Support type: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Thematic Grants