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Ballistochory in the herbaceous bamboo genus Reitzia (Poaceae, Bambusoideae, Olyreae): the second report of this dispersal syndrome in grasses

  • Reproductive Biology - Original Article
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Abstract

Seed dispersal is essential for the success of plants, allowing them to find advantageous areas to inhabit while avoiding inbreeding. Although predominantly anemochoric, grasses (Poaceae) have evolved other ways to disperse their diaspores, such as zoochory and also ballistochory (forcible dispersal), which is considered rare within this family. To date, ballistochory in grasses is only known for the sister genera Raddia and Sucrea, Neotropical herbaceous bamboos (tribe Olyreae). In this study, this dispersal syndrome is confirmed for Reitzia, a monospecific herbaceous bamboo genus and member of the Piresia clade, which is restricted to the Atlantic forest in southeastern and southern Brazil. We hypothesize that the pedicel of the pistillate spikelet, more than the glumes, may be responsible for the ballistic movement. We also provide an updated conservation assessment and a distribution map for the genus.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil (CNPq—grants 426334/2018-3, 441760/2020-1) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG—grants APQ-01222-21, APQ-03365-21) for financial support. FMF also thanks Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brazil (CAPES) (PNPD), and RPO (PQ-1C) and CADW (PQ-2) thank CNPq for the fellowships received.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biologia Vegetal, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, 38400-902, Brazil

    Fabrício Moreira Ferreira & Cassiano A. Dorneles Welker

  2. Centro de Educação Superior da Região Sul, Departamento de Engenharia de Pesca E Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Do Estado de Santa Catarina, Laguna, Santa Catarina, 88790-000, Brazil

    Christian Silva

  3. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Botânica, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 44036-900, Brazil

    Reyjane P. Oliveira

  4. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011-4009, USA

    Lynn G. Clark

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  1. Fabrício Moreira Ferreira
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Contributions

FMF reviewed herbaria, performed the experiment, wrote the manuscript, and prepared the illustrations and maps. RPO reviewed herbaria and reviewed the manuscript. CADW, CS, and LGC contributed to the interpretation during the writing of the manuscript and reviewed it.

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Correspondence to Fabrício Moreira Ferreira.

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Ferreira, F.M., Silva, C., Oliveira, R.P. et al. Ballistochory in the herbaceous bamboo genus Reitzia (Poaceae, Bambusoideae, Olyreae): the second report of this dispersal syndrome in grasses. Braz. J. Bot 46, 1079–1087 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-023-00944-2

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