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Turkish Journal of Botany

Author ORCID Identifier

MARIA LUIZA de AZEVEDO', 'de Azevedo: 0000-0002-8771-3630

MARIA NEUDES OLIVEIRA: 0000-0002-3668-2133

André RODRIGO RECH: 0000-0003-4685-7483

GUDRYAN JACKSON BARONIO: 0000-0003-2988-9168

JOSE CARLOS dos SANTOS: 0000-0001-8907-2753

EVANDRO MACHADO: 0000-0002-9301-5257

ISRAEL PEREIRA: 0000-0003-1035-1253

ERIC GORGENS: 0000-0003-2517-0279

DOI

10.55730/1300-008X.2814

Abstract

The campos rupestres, ecosystems that are both unique and highly diverse, are home to a variety of endemic species, including Comanthera bisulcata (Eriocaulaceae). This species, of economic importance, has its inflorescences used in handicrafts due to the fact that they retain the appearance of living structures even after being harvested and dried. The trade of these inflorescences depends almost exclusively on extraction, an activity of great importance for the traditional communities of the Espinhaço Meridional municipalities, in Minas Gerais. However, research is essential to improve the management of this native species. In this study, we highlight the importance of pollination for the reproductive success of C. bisulcata, through the investigation of floral visitors and germination tests. We observed pollinators during the flowering period in cultivated beds in campos rupestres area in Diamantina, Minas Gerais. For the germination test, we collected seeds from two different environments: inside greenhouse, isolated from pollinating insects; and in natural habitat, with pollinators’ presence. Subsequently, we subjected the seeds collected from both locations (no pollination and natural pollination) to treatments with/without gibberellin (0 and 500 mg L-1). The species presented a generalist pollination strategy, including visitors that collected both pollen and nectar as well as those who exclusively feed on nectar. We found a greater effect of pollination on germination and only minor effects of gibberellin application. Our results reinforce the importance of pollination in reproductive systems, once gibberellin was not sufficient to overcome the limitation of pollinator absence in C. bisulcata. We conclude that natural pollination is a decisive factor to be considered in management plans for the conservation of C. bisulcata.

Keywords

Autogamy, Eriocaulaceae, management, reproduction

First Page

262

Last Page

273

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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