Identification of Tropical Woody Plants in the Absence of Flowers and the Fruits: A Field Guide.Roland Keller

James K. Jarvie

doi:10.1086/419993

Diversity of functional traits of fleshy fruits in a species-rich Atlantic rain forest

Biota Neotropica ◽

10.1590/s1676-06032011000100019 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 181-193 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Mauro Galetti ◽

Marco Aurélio Pizo ◽

Leonor Patrícia Cerdeira Morellato

Keyword(s):

Rain Forest ◽

Woody Plants ◽

Atlantic Rain Forest ◽

Fruit Traits ◽

Fruit Morphology ◽

Se Brazil ◽

Common Strategy ◽

Tropical Woody Plants ◽

Plant Families ◽

Chemical Traits

Production of vertebrate-dispersed fruits is the most common strategy of tropical woody plants to disperse their seeds. Few studies have documented community-wide variation of fruit morphology and chemistry of vertebrate-dispersed fruits in species-rich tropical communities. We examined the functional diversity of fruit morphological and chemical traits of 186 species representing 57 plant families in an undisturbed lowland plant community in the Atlantic rain forest of SE, Brazil. We were particularly interested in associating morphological and chemical fruit traits to their main seed dispersers, either birds, mammals or 'mixed' (i.e. fruits eaten by birds and mammals). The morphological and chemical traits of fruits at the study site generally resemble the patterns observed in fruits worldwide. Bird fruits tend to be smaller than mammal fruits, being colored black or red, whereas mammal fruits are often yellow or green. Mammal fruits are more variable than bird fruits in relation to morphological traits, while the reverse is true for chemical traits. Mixed fruits resemble bird fruits in the patterns of variation of morphological and chemical traits, suggesting that they are primarily bird-dispersed fruits that are also exploited by mammals. Mixed fruits are common in tropical forests, and represent an excellent opportunity to contrast the effectiveness of different functional groups of frugivores dispersing the same plant species.

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How stable are genomes of tropical woody plants? Heterozygosity in C-banded karyotypes ofPorcelia as compared withAnnona (Annonaceae) andDrimys (Winteraceae)

Plant Systematics and Evolution ◽

10.1007/bf00984029 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 145 (1-2) ◽

pp. 29-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Wilfried Morawetz

Keyword(s):

Woody Plants ◽

Tropical Woody Plants

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Comparative Transcriptomics of Tropical Woody Plants Supports Fast and Furious Strategy along the Leaf Economics Spectrum in Lianas.

10.1101/2021.07.06.451334 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Uğur Uzay Sezen ◽

Samantha J. Worthy ◽

Maria N. Umaña ◽

Stuart J. Davies ◽

Sean M McMahon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Woody Plants ◽

Cell Cycle Progression ◽

Genetic Basis ◽

Shade Avoidance ◽

Cycle Progression ◽

Leaf Economics Spectrum ◽

Tropical Plant ◽

Tropical Woody Plants ◽

And Function ◽

Leaf Economics

Lianas, climbing woody plants, influence the structure and function of tropical forests. Climbing traits have evolved multiple times, including ancestral groups such as gymnosperms and pteridophytes, but the genetic basis of the liana strategy is largely unknown. Here, we use a comparative transcriptomic approach for 47 tropical plant species, including ten lianas of diverse taxonomic origins, to identify genes that are consistently expressed or downregulated only in lianas. Our comparative analysis of full-length transcripts enabled the identification of a core interactomic network common to lianas. Sets of transcripts identified from our analysis reveal features related to functional traits pertinent to leaf economics spectrum in lianas, include upregulation of genes controlling epidermal cuticular properties, cell wall remodeling, carbon concentrating mechanism, cell cycle progression, DNA repair and a large suit of downregulated transcription factors and enzymes involved in ABA-mediated stress response as well as lignin and suberin synthesis. All together, these genes are known to be significant in shaping plant morphologies through responses such as gravitropism, phyllotaxy and shade avoidance.

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