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Garcinia brasiliensis: insights into reproductive phenology and sexual system in a Neotropical environment

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Abstract

Sexual systems play a key role in the ecology and evolution of plant populations. Research on Garcinia L. has shown the occurrence of variations in the sexual systems of this genus, with some authors considering it as dioecious, and for some species as gynodioecious or androdioecious. The population of G. brasiliensis in the restinga of Maricá is dioecious with two individuals characterized as monoecious. Anatomical analysis showed that one has pistillate and sterile staminate flowers, being an unusual female and the other has staminate and perfect flowers (functional pollen grains and ovules), being andromonoecious. In addition, field observations, controlled hand-pollinations, reproductive phenology and anatomical analysis showed no evidence of apomixis in this Neotropical species, different from that provided in the literature for paleotropical species. However, asexual reproduction occurs through ramets suggesting that in this environment of restinga the seedlings are subjected to considerable limitations, and vegetative propagation becomes an important alternative for the occupation of the environment. Flowering episodes occurred throughout the study period, featuring a subannual and long-lasting flowering pattern mainly due to multiple blooms of male plants. The floral characters observed in G. brasiliensis are often associated with a generalist pollination system. Apis mellifera and Trigona spinipes are the effective pollinators of G. brasiliensis flowers. Our findings provide new insights into the reproductive biology of Garcinia.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments, Dr. Marcia Souto Curi and Dr. Favizia Freitas de Oliveira for insect identification and Dr. Janet W. Reid (JWR Associates) for the revision of the English text. This study is part of the Ph.D. thesis of C.R.B. and the M.Sc. theses of D.O.L. and R.C.P.S., which were carried out in the Postgraduate Program in Biological Sciences (Botany) of the Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and were supported by CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Botânica, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22940-040, Brazil

    D. O. Leal, C. R. Benevides, R. C. P. Silva, L. D. R. Santiago-Fernandes, B. Sá-Haiad & H. A. Lima

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  1. D. O. Leal
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  2. C. R. Benevides
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  3. R. C. P. Silva
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  4. L. D. R. Santiago-Fernandes
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  5. B. Sá-Haiad
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  6. H. A. Lima
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Correspondence to D. O. Leal.

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Leal, D.O., Benevides, C.R., Silva, R.C.P. et al. Garcinia brasiliensis: insights into reproductive phenology and sexual system in a Neotropical environment. Plant Syst Evol 299, 1577–1585 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-013-0833-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-013-0833-7

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