Flora最新文献

{"title":"Intraspecific variation of leaf traits in tree plantings of different ages in a tropical forest","authors":"Nathalie Loureiro ,&nbsp;Jerônimo Sansevero","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152700","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152700","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Response functional traits are characteristics related to how organisms respond to variations in abiotic or biotic factors, which can vary along an environmental gradient. Variations in traits within a community arise due to the arrival or departure of species, but also due to variation across individuals of the same species. The objectives of this study were: (i) to assess differences in the intraspecific variation (ITV) of leaf traits in restoration sites of different ages in a tropical forest; (ii) to observe if species of the same ecological group exhibit similar variation in resource use traits over time; and (iii) to assess the relationships between pairs of traits for each species at different sites. The tree species <em>Alchornea triplinervia, Calophyllum brasiliense, Guarea guidonia, Inga laurina</em>, and <em>Pseudobombax grandiflorum</em> were evaluated in 5-, 13-, and 25-year-old plantings in an area of Atlantic Forest. The results showed that, for most traits, the highest ITV was observed in the oldest planting and the species did not show equivalence in the pattern of trait changes, regardless of their ecological group. Most correlations between pairs of traits differed among plantations of different ages. We showed that intraspecific variation does not necessarily occur in a similar way among species of the same ecological group and suggest that ITV in a given area is related to environmental rather than ontogenetic factors. We also demonstrated that even well-established correlations between pairs of traits do not always persist over time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"325 ","pages":"Article 152700"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143487993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morphological and anatomical variations in stem-related photosynthetic structures of the Fabaceae","authors":"Veit M. Dörken ,&nbsp;Philip G. Ladd ,&nbsp;Robert F. Parsons","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152693","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152693","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Leaves are the photosynthetic organs of most plants. However some species have other photosynthetic structures as well as leaves or have lost the ability to produce green leaves and have evolved alternative organs for carbon fixation. The Fabaceae is a speciose family that has species with probably the widest range of photosynthetic structures in land plants. We examined five pea species where leaves are often ephemeral or have been entirely reduced to nonphotosynthetic bracts to understand the ways in which alternative structures have been formed. The evolutionary incentive to use stems for photosynthesis is likely related to light and seasonal water availability. <em>Cytisus scoparius</em> sheds leaves under dry conditions and photosynthesis is then restricted to ridged stems where the ridges are derived from highly modified stipular tissues. In <em>Genista sagittalis</em> the annual shoots do have leaves but the stems form extensions derived from leaf bases that laterally expand to form continuous leaf-like wings down the stem increasing photosynthetic area. Anatomically <em>Cytisus</em> and <em>Genista</em> are relatively mesomorphic and avoid water stress by losing leaves (<em>Cytisus</em>) or having annual stems (<em>Genista</em>). The other three species grow in a mediterranean-type climate with pronounced summer drought. Leaf blades are reduced to brown bracts but the leaf bases extend between the stem nodes to form photosynthetic ridged stems or cladodes. <em>Jacksonia alata</em> is a diminutive species with limited photosynthetic area which may contribute to its subordinate position in its community. <em>Leptosema aphyllum</em> and L. <em>tomentosum</em> have much broader cladodes and are larger shrubs. These three species have stems and cladodes with a dense anatomical structure and abundant sclerenchyma that allow the species to take advantage of the winter-spring rainfall but enable their survival through the hot and arid summer. The five species emphasise that different structures can be modified to achieve a similar outcome.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"325 ","pages":"Article 152693"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143479822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comprehensive morphology and embryology of Pilostyles berteroi (Apodanthaceae): Revisiting floral and seed anatomy in holoparasitic plants","authors":"María Florencia Romero ,&nbsp;Héctor Sato ,&nbsp;Ana M. Gonzalez","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152684","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152684","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Pilostyles berteroi</em> (Apodanthaceae) is an endophytic holoparasite on the stems of <em>Adesmia trijuga</em> (Fabaceae). The presence of flowers and fruits serves as the sole indication of its existence. We analyzed the morphoanatomy of its flowers and seeds and embryological processes. The flowers are gregarious and unisexual, with each flower type distributed on different branches of the same individual <em>A. trijuga</em>. This suggests that populations of <em>P. berteroi</em> growing on <em>A. trijuga</em> may be dioecious. Unisexual flowers have a whorl of bracts and two whorls of tepals. Staminate flowers (SFs) have a synandrium with several pollen sacs arranged in 3–4 rings. Pollen grains are tricolpate with psilate exine and are released by rupture of the pollen sac wall, which lacks the endothecium. Pistillate flowers (PFs) have a semi-inferior and unilocular ovary with parietal-diffuse placentation, and a sessile stigma. Papillae are present between the pollen sacs and stigmatic region in SFs, and cover the stigma's sides in PFs, forming its receptive part. Both flower types have a nectary: embedded at the synandrium base in SFs, and covering the ovary wall base in PFs. The mature seed has a globular embryo, with a suspensor and endosperm. The embryological processes observed in <em>P. berteroi</em> closely resemble those described in other species, indicating a remarkable uniformity among the studied <em>Pilostyles</em> species. These findings underscore the importance of conducting additional taxonomic and molecular investigations to reassess the genus's systematics. Overall, this study provides novel insights into the biology of <em>P. berteroi</em>, which will be valuable for future research on the evolution and ecology of these fascinating plants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"324 ","pages":"Article 152684"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143427542","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Variability of Bilobate silicomorphs in different species of Aristida L. from Western Ghats part of Maharashtra, India and its systematic and environmental implications","authors":"Manjuree Karmakar ,&nbsp;Ranita Biswas ,&nbsp;Madhab Naskar ,&nbsp;Oindrila Biswas ,&nbsp;Althaf Ahamed Kabeer K ,&nbsp;Subir Bera","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152681","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152681","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Phytolith analysis has gained immense importance in taxonomic demarcation of grass species based on the morphometry and abundance of distinctive phytolith morphotypes. <em>Aristida</em>, a genus belonging to the subfamily Aristidoideae under family Poaceae is distributed in wide geographical locations and prefers to grow in warm and arid regions.The present study attempts to distinguish different species of <em>Aristida</em> collected from various sites of northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India on the basis of variations in B<span>ILOBATE</span> silico-morphotypes. We suggest that B<span>ilobates</span> having long shank with convex-convex ends can be regarded as the most significant morphotype for the genus <em>Aristida</em>. The present study further shows how B<span>ILOBATE</span> sub-morphotypes aid taxonomic differentiation of <em>Aristida</em> species of the study area and correlates the grasses with the regional climatic parameters.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"324 ","pages":"Article 152681"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143422705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A method for the identification and evaluation of Glycyrrhiza germplasm based on DNA barcodes and leaf micromorphology","authors":"Zhenzhu Du ,&nbsp;Wenbin Xu ,&nbsp;Yuxia Wang ,&nbsp;Zhancang Ma ,&nbsp;Ping Yan ,&nbsp;Gang Huang ,&nbsp;Hongbin Li","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152680","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152680","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Large-scale artificial cultivation of medicinal &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza&lt;/em&gt; plants is imperative due to the short supply and the dramatic decline in wild populations. Xinjiang is the main &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza&lt;/em&gt; production area of China, but the quality of cultivated &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza&lt;/em&gt; plants is low due to the mixed cultivation of multiple seeds of unknown origins. To explore the identification method and efficient cultivation of elite &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza&lt;/em&gt; germplasms in Xinjiang, China, in this study, the differences in leaf micromorphological characteristics and main active ingredients of 6 &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza&lt;/em&gt; species and 2 hybrids in Xinjiang were clarified, and then identification on the basis of DNA barcode was conducted. The results showed that: (1) The combination of nuclear gene ITS2, chloroplast nucleic acid sequences trnH-psbA and trnV-ndhC could accurately identify &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza&lt;/em&gt; species and hybrids, and the calculation of genetic distance could preliminarily determine the maternal species of hybrids. ITS2 and trnH-psbA results indicated that maternal parent of hybrid I was &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza inflata&lt;/em&gt;. The ITS2 and trnV-ndhC results showed that the maternal parent of hybrid II was either &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza uralensis&lt;/em&gt; or &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza aspera&lt;/em&gt;. (2) Seventeen leaf micromorphological traits were utilized to compare and differentiate the tested &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza&lt;/em&gt; species. Traits such as glandular trichome density (GTDe), shape (GTS), diameter (GTDi), and wax layer ornamentation (WLo) exhibited significant interspecific variations. Specifically, &lt;em&gt;G. prostrata&lt;/em&gt; lacked glandular trichomes entirely, &lt;em&gt;G. aspera&lt;/em&gt; displayed the lowest GTDe, the glandular trichomes of &lt;em&gt;G. inflata&lt;/em&gt; were partially scaly, while those of &lt;em&gt;G. uralensis&lt;/em&gt; were cylindrical with a notably larger diameter compared to &lt;em&gt;G. glabra&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;G. glabra&lt;/em&gt; var. &lt;em&gt;glandulosa&lt;/em&gt;. The upper epidermis granules of &lt;em&gt;G. glabra&lt;/em&gt; var. &lt;em&gt;glandulosa&lt;/em&gt; were less abundant and their surfaces smoother than in other tested &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza&lt;/em&gt; species. Cluster analysis based on 11 micromorphological traits with absolute weight values exceeding 0.7 in the first four principal components, including GTDi, revealed that all tested &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza&lt;/em&gt; species clustered into a single category. Hybrid types showed close affinity to &lt;em&gt;G. uralensis&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;G. inflata&lt;/em&gt;, findings consistent with DNA barcode results. (3) The comprehensive evaluation of germplasms in Xinjiang found that &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza glabra&lt;/em&gt; was superior to other germplasms (&lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza glabra&lt;/em&gt; &gt; &lt;em&gt;G. glabra&lt;/em&gt; var. &lt;em&gt;Glandulosa&lt;/em&gt; &gt; &lt;em&gt;G. uralensis&lt;/em&gt; &gt; &lt;em&gt;G. inflata&lt;/em&gt; &gt; &lt;em&gt;G. aspera&lt;/em&gt; &gt; hybrid &lt;em&gt;I&lt;/em&gt; &gt; &lt;em&gt;G. prostrata&lt;/em&gt; &gt; hybrid II), indicating that the hybridization reduced the medicinal value of &lt;em&gt;Glycyrrhiza&lt;/em&gt; species. This study is of great significance for the identification of &lt;em&gt;Glycyrr","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"324 ","pages":"Article 152680"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143422703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morphoanatomy, ontogeny and histochemistry of internal mucilage-secreting structures in the bracts and flowers of three genera of Bromeliaceae","authors":"Tiago Augusto Rodrigues Pereira ,&nbsp;Eliza Louback ,&nbsp;Vanessa de Carvalho Harthman ,&nbsp;Hugo Humberto de Araújo ,&nbsp;Renata Maria Strozi Alves Meira ,&nbsp;Luzimar Campos da Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152679","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152679","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The presence of mucilaginous secretion in peduncles and inflorescences has been associated with certain species in the tribe Vrieseeae, within the genera <em>Alcantarea, Vriesea</em>, and <em>Werauhia</em>. Given the diversity of secretory structures and their ecological and functional significance, our objective was to describe the structures responsible for the secretions found in flowers and bracts of 16 species from the tribe Vrieseeae distributed across the three genera mentioned above, and to address questions regarding the type of structures and the chemical nature of the secretion, as well as their functional role. Samples of bracts, floral buds, and open flowers were analyzed at various developmental stages through anatomical and histochemical analyses using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. We documented and described two types of internal secretory structures that produce hydrophilic and mucilaginous secretions: secretory ducts in flowers and mucilage-secreting tissue in bracts. The presence of secretory structures varied in different regions depending on the species, being found in flowers (receptacle base and sepals) and floral and peduncle bracts. The mucilaginous secretion could play a protective role against desiccation, pathogens, and insects, similar to the function of colleter secretions. Furthermore, the mucilage stored in flowers may act as a polysaccharide reserve, aiding in the survival of these species under environmental stress, for example. The results obtained are relevant for expanding our understanding of secretory structures in Bromeliaceae, as well as for the conservation of the family in nature.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"324 ","pages":"Article 152679"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143422702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative study on the secondary xylem and phloem formation in three varieties of Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC (Fabaceae)","authors":"Meera Rami ,&nbsp;Rajaram V. Gurav ,&nbsp;Swaroopsingh Gaikwad ,&nbsp;Kishore S. Rajput","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The structure and composition of the main stem and the increase in stem diameter were compared histologically in <em>Mucuna pruriens</em> (L.) DC. var. <em>pruriens, M. pruriens</em> var. <em>hirsuta</em> (Wight &amp; Arn.) Wilmot-Dear and M<em>. pruriens</em> var. <em>utilis</em> (Wall. ex Wight) Baker ex Burck. Initially, all three varieties showed regular secondary growth like most eudicots, the vascular cambium divided bi-facially and deposited secondary xylem centripetally and phloem centrifugally. The secondary xylem showed typical anatomical features characteristic of the lianescent habit, such as the co-occurrence of dimorphic (narrow and wide) vessels and an abundance of thin-walled, nonlignified parenchyma cells. After a certain period of secondary growth, earlier formed axial parenchyma began to dedifferentiate into interxylary phloem in all three varieties investigated. The number of sieve elements increased gradually with the increase in age. However, the thick stems of <em>M. pruriens</em> var. <em>hirsuta</em> showed simultaneous differentiation of phloem on both centripetal and a centrifugal direction, which was exclusively observed in this variety. In thick stems, the formation of vascular cylinders external to the regular phloem (neoformed vascular cylinders) was observed in <em>M. pruriens</em> var. <em>hirsuta</em> (8 mm) and <em>M. pruriens</em> var. <em>pruriens</em> (14 mm). At the same time, they were found absent in <em>M. pruriens</em> var. <em>utilis</em> (10 mm). Ontogenetically, the initiation of these vascular cylinders was unique and it was initiated from the dilating phloem ray cells and pericyclic parenchyma cells. The vascular cylinders developed from the dilating ray cells were irregularly (tangentially or diagonally) oriented while cylinders originating from pericyclic parenchyma had regular polarity (phloem externally and xylem internally). The initiation of the interxylary phloem and the structure of the secondary xylem of both regular and neoformed external vascular cylinders are elucidated in detail.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"324 ","pages":"Article 152682"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143422704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From herbarium specimens to contemporary surveys: Tracing the extinction dynamics and performance of endangered plant species in central Germany","authors":"Weronika A. Vörös ,&nbsp;Isabell Hensen ,&nbsp;Sabrina Träger ,&nbsp;Christoph Rosche ,&nbsp;Jochen Müller ,&nbsp;Christine Römermann ,&nbsp;Annett Baasch ,&nbsp;Marcus Lehnert","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2024.152664","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2024.152664","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Habitat loss and fragmentation, extensive land use, and climate change lead to an unprecedented amount of local extinctions in the Anthropocene. To protect endangered species, population ecological studies are essential to assess the current state of remnant populations. In addition, it is pertinent to investigate changes in the distribution of endangered species over time and space. Given the apparent lack of long-term studies, herbarium records are a valuable source for tracking these changes. In this study, we analyze three endangered plant species (<em>Antennaria dioica, Omphalodes scorpioides</em>, and <em>Viola pumila</em>), with different habitat preferences (dry grassland, riparian forest, and alluvial meadow, respectively) to examine their current status, and performance of the extant populations in central Germany. The analysis of herbarium specimens from the last 200 years indicates a dramatic decline in the occurrence area of all three species. Furthermore, most populations still found in central Germany are very small and strongly fragmented. Our results suggest that of several factors categorized into four groups (population size, climate, soil parameters, and vegetation parameters), the number of individuals or patches, Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), soil depth, and percentage of bare soil exert the most pronounced influence on plant performance of the studied species. However, nature and strength of these correlations vary considerably across species. All this clearly shows an urgent need to prevent species extinction, underlining the imperative importance of species conservation, and the need for initiatives such as conservation breeding and reintroduction or reinforcement, which could lead to success even in small populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"323 ","pages":"Article 152664"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143182167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carbon and nitrogen contents and isotopic composition among venezuelan plant communities, functional groups and successional stage","authors":"Nelson Ramírez,&nbsp;Ana Herrera,&nbsp;Herbert Briceño","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152671","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2025.152671","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The main aim was to determine the diversity and differences in the leaf values of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents and natural isotopic composition (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) among tropical species from 27 contrasting plant communities, functional groups and the successional status. The high variation in the leaf values of δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, %N, %C and C:N ratio are related to the high diversity of species, communities and functional groups. Significant results were as follow: δ¹⁵N and %N were negatively correlated with elevation and rainfall. The %C increased with elevation and rainfall. The hightest N content and δ¹⁵N were found in drier communities and the lowest values in the wettest areas following the leaf economics spectrum. The highest mean values of δ¹⁵N was found in annual herbs and the lowest in shrubs and trees. The mean values of δ¹⁵N were higher in disturbed than undisturbed habitats. The highest mean values of δ¹³C occurred in perennial herbs, succulent species, epiphytes and parasites and the lowest in trees, shrubs and vines. The %C was higher in trees and shrubs and lowest in herbaceous species, and higher for species in undisturbed compared to disturbed habitats. Some trends between plant families, physiology, and communities were recorded. The most important conclusions highlight that climate, composition of functional groups, plant families and ultimately the structure of the communities influence the isotopic composition and C and N contents of species. Functional groups contribute to understanding how life diversity in the tropics may reflect biogeochemistry diversity. Classification of communities based on the isotopic composition and C and N of leaves allows partially grouping certain communities according to some general characteristics such as life form composition and geographical areas. The taxonomic composition also partially influenced communities classification and only explains a fraction of the variation determined according to leaf biogeochemistry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"323 ","pages":"Article 152671"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143182170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extrafloral nectary plants in Brazilian biomes: Dominance of Cerrado and Fabaceae","authors":"Vanessa Dayane da Costa Barbosa ,&nbsp;Alexandra Bächtold ,&nbsp;Kleber Del-Claro ,&nbsp;Estevao Alves Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.flora.2024.152668","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flora.2024.152668","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) have been described in almost 4500 plant species, but there are several gaps in our knowledge of their occurrence and distribution. Here, we investigated the distribution and richness of EFN˗plants in Brazilian biomes. Data were extracted from published literature, and our analysis included only EFN˗plants that interacted with ants. A total of 234 EFN˗plant species in 47 families were registered in the Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Pampa, and the Amazon. The Cerrado was evaluated in 65 % of all publications and had the highest richness (92 species) and the most exclusive species compared to the other biomes. Fabaceae was the most speciose family and was dominant in all biomes (except in the Amazon). Only 13 of 234 plant species were observed in more than one biome. In a network analysis, <em>Qualea grandilflora, Turnera subulata</em> and <em>Plathymenia reticulata</em> were relatively more important than other species, as they connected biomes and increased the community's cohesion. Our understanding of EFN˗plants is limited because the Fabaceae and Cerrado were overrepresented. In addition, the high exclusivity of flora within biomes adds a regional factor to our understanding of ant–plant interactions. Our data of plants visited by ants were compared with descriptive checklists of EFN˗plants, and 127 species and 16 families of EFN˗plants unknown from checklists were identified. Conversely, checklists contain hundreds of EFN˗plants from which interactions with ants are unknown, indicating a great potential for studies of ant–plant interactions and mutualisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55156,"journal":{"name":"Flora","volume":"323 ","pages":"Article 152668"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143182216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}