Vriesea Carinata Research Articles

De novo assembly of Vriesea carinata leaf transcriptome to identify candidate cysteine-proteases

Vriesea carinata is an endemic bromeliad from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. It has trichome and tank system in their leaves which allows to absorb water and nutrients. It belongs to Bromeliaceae family, which includes several species highly enriched of cysteine-proteases (CysPs). These proteolytic enzymes regulate processes as senescence, cell differentiation, pathogen-linked programmed cell death and mobilization of proteins. Although, their biological importance, there are not genomic resources in V. carinata that can help to identify and understand their molecular mechanisms involved in different biological processes. Thus high-throughput transcriptome sequencing of V. carinata is necessary to generate sequences for the purpose of gene discovery and functional genomic studies. In the present study, we sequenced and assembled the V. carinata transcriptome to the identification of CysPs. A total of 43,232 contigs were assembled for the leaf tissue. BLAST analysis indicated that 23,803 contigs exhibited similarity to non-redundant Viridiplantae proteins. 28.24% of the contigs were classified into the COG database, and gene ontology categorized them into 61 functional groups. A metabolic pathway analysis with KEGG revealed 9679 contigs assigned to 31 metabolic pathways. Among 16 full-length CysPs identified, 11 were evaluated in respect to their expression patterns in the leaf apex, base and inflorescence tissues. The results showed differential expression levels of legumain, metacaspase, pyroglutamyl and papain-like CysPs depending of the leaf region. These results provide a global overview of V. carinata gene functions and expression activities of CysPs in those tissues.

Development, characterization, and transferability of SSR markers for Vriesea carinata (Bromeliaceae) based on RNA sequencing.

Premise of the StudyExpressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat (EST‐SSR) markers were isolated for Vriesea carinata, an endemic bromeliad from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. These SSR loci may be used to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of this species and related bromeliads.Methods and ResultsBased on the transcriptome data of V. carinata, 30 primer pairs were designed and selected for initial validation. Of these primer pairs, 16 generated suitable SSR loci in 69 individuals. The number of alleles per locus ranged from one to 13; the levels of observed and expected heterozygosity per locus ranged from 0.000 to 1.000 and from 0.000 to 0.935, respectively. All loci produced heterologous amplification. Transferability of the loci was tested in 15 species belonging to three Bromeliaceae subfamilies.ConclusionsThe developed EST‐SSR markers revealed polymorphism in the four studied populations and could be useful to investigate the genetic diversity of V. carinata and related species. The markers may also be suitable for novel gene annotation and discovery.

Interspecific and intergeneric hybridization in Bromeliaceae and their relationships to breeding systems

Plant hybridization allows for the creation of new genotypes playing a strategic role in the development of new cultivars of interest for the horticultural trade, and is a central phenomenon in plant speciation processes. We worked with a plant family known as a case of Neotropical adaptive radiation, characterizing the reproductive systems selected species. This study aimed to identify the reproductive systems of sixteen bromeliad species, and to evaluate potential reproductive barriers in interspecific and intergeneric crosses. A total of 931 interspecific and intergeneric hybridization crosses were conducted in 80 different combinations involving 16 species belonging to five genera Aechmea, Ananas, Pseudananas, Alcantarea, and Vriesea. Reproductive systems were determined by controlled pollinations, and autogamy or self-incompatibility indexes. Fluorescence microscopy was used to evaluate pollen tube growth in the pistil. Seed germination was evaluated for each treatment. Over half of the species showed evidences of self-incompatibility: Aechmea bicolor, Ae. fasciata, Ae. nudicaulis, Ananas ananassoides, An. bracteatus, An. lucidus, An. parguazensis, Vriesea carinata, and V. paraibica. Among the self-compatible species, Ae. bromeliifolia, Ae. distichantha, and Pseudananas sagenarius presented autogamy. Alcantarea nahoumii, V. friburgensis, V. michaelii, and V. simplex exhibited no autogamy thus requiring pollinators. Agamospermy was observed in Ae. bromeliifolia, and Ae. distichantha. Crosses were successful in 43% of the attempts, corresponding to 32% of the species of the Ananas genus. Among the intergeneric crosses, only V. michaelii x Al. nahoumii and V. simplex x Al. nahoumii succeeded. Possible causes of self-incompatibility and incongruity in these crosses are related to different impediments to the pollen tube growth, such as an irregular deposition of callose on pollen tube; curling and arrest of pollen tube growth in the style, among others. It is suggested that the self-incompatibility is gametophytic, avoiding self-fertilization.

Effect of rosette size, clonality and spatial distribution on the reproduction of Vriesea carinata (Bromeliaceae) in the Atlantic Forest of Paraná, southern Brazil

Plant size and clonality are important traits for explaining the reproductive effort of clonal plants. Larger plants can invest more resources into reproduction, and clonality is known to increase reproductive effort. Moreover, reproductive effort is influenced by environmental variation, and so the spatial distribution of plants may affect plant reproductive effort. We investigated the effect of plant size, clonality and spatial distribution on the reproductive effort of Vriesea carinata in the Atlantic Forest in the state of Parana, Brazil. We marked twenty individual plants and measured their rosette size, biomass and number, as well as rosette reproductive effort (number of flowers, fruits and seeds). We also evaluated the relationship between reproductive effort and spatial distribution of plants. Reproductive effort did not correlate with size, whereas greater clonal growth contributed to a lower reproductive effort because rosettes within clones that had more rosettes set fewer flowers. We found that plants growing closer to each other exhibited similar reproductive efforts independently of vegetative traits, because reproductive traits were spatially autocorrelated. In Vriesea carinata, the main drivers of reproductive effort are clonality, which decreases flower production, and spatial factors, which result in greater similarity in reproductive efforts among more proximate plants.

Stigma structure and receptivity in Bromeliaceae

Morphoanatomical characterization of the stigma of different species has provided important data for the taxonomy of Bromeliaceae. Stigma receptivity is fundamental for the effectiveness of reproduction in plants, and the production of hybrids by controlled pollination. This study aimed to characterize stigma morphoanatomy of 18 Bromeliaceae species, from five genera, by means of light and scanning electron microscopy, and to determine the stigma receptivity of these species. The species investigated were: Aechmea bicolor, Aechmea bromeliifolia, Aechmea distichantha, Aechmea fasciata, Aechmea nudicaulis, Ananas sp., Ananas ananassoides, Ananas bracteatus, Ananas lucidus, Ananas parguazensis, Alcantarea nahoumii, Pseudananas sagenarius, Vriesea carinata, Vriesea friburgensis, Vriesea michaelii, Vriesea paraibica, Vriesea simplex and Vriesea unilateralis. Three methods were used comparatively to determine stigma receptivity during floral opening: hydrogen peroxide, benzidine and α-naphthyl acetate. Two stigma types were observed: conduplicate-spiral in Aechmea, Ananas, Alcantarea and Pseudananas and convolute-blade in Vriesea. The stigma is trifid, formed by a unistratified epidermis, parenchyma with numerous idioblasts containing raphides, and three vascular bundles, one for each carpel. In the conduplicate-spiral stigmas type, the inner epidermal cells contain dense cytoplasm and a prominent nucleus, a characteristic not observed in the convolute-blade stigmas type. The stigmatic papillae vary according to species, as well as the presence of an ornamented cuticle. The longest pistil length was observed in A. nahoumii (91.75mm) and shortest in A. bromeliifolia (4.19mm). Higher stigma receptivity is observed at anthesis for the species studied, with the highest receptivity at 8 am and remaining receptive until noon, with the exception of V. unilateralis, for which the greatest receptivity was observed at midnight and extended until dawn. The use of α-naphthyl acetate was the most efficient methodology for the detection of stigma receptivity, and to identify the receptive areas of the stigma.

Efeito de bioestimulante composto de cinetina, ácido indolbutírico e ácido giberélico em epífitas, visando a restauração florestal

RESUMO Com objetivo de introdução de epífitas em manejo de restauração florestal, foi avaliado o efeito da aplicação de bioestimulante no desenvolvimento de três espécies epífitas sob condição de arboreto. Plantas das espécies Vriesea carinata Wawra (Bromeliaceae), Oncidium flexuosum Sims (Orchidaceae) e Rhipsalis paradoxa (Salm-Dyck ex Pfeiff.) Salm-Dyck (Cactaceae) foram pulverizadas, com o bioestimulante Stimulate® nas concentrações de 0,0, 4,0, 8,0 e 12,0 mL L-1. Estacas de Chorisia speciosa foram utilizadas como suporte e substrato para a fixação das plantas. As variáveis analisadas foram: qualidade da fixação, número de folhas, brotos e raízes e, matéria seca da parte aérea e raízes. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos ao acaso constituído de quatro tratamentos (concentrações do bioestimulante) com três repetições de cinco plantas, totalizando 15 plantas por tratamento, para cada espécie. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância e regressão. Os tratamentos 4 e 8 mL L-1 de bioestimulante proporcionou aumento da produção de folhas e do diâmetro do caule de V. carinata, enquanto que as demais variáveis analisadas, nas três espécies, não apresentaram diferenças significativas entre os tratamentos. Nas condições do experimento, o bioestimulante não apresentou respostas significativas quanto ao crescimento, desenvolvimento do sistema radicular e à qualidade da fixação para as espécies estudadas; estimulando, no entanto, o crescimento da parte aérea de V. carinata e O. flexuosum. A facilidade de aplicação do bioestimulante, proporcionando o crescimento da parte aérea e o baixo custo do produto, possibilita a sua utilização no estímulo do crescimento de plantas epífitas a serem utilizadas na restauração florestal.

Identification of potential miRNAs and their targets in Vriesea carinata (Poales, Bromeliaceae)

The miRNAs play important roles in regulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. A small RNA and RNA-seq of libraries were constructed to identify miRNAs in Vriesea carinata, a native bromeliad species from Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. Illumina technology was used to perform high throughput sequencing and data was analyzed using bioinformatics tools. We obtained 2,191,509 mature miRNAs sequences representing 54 conserved families in plant species. Further analysis allowed the prediction of secondary structures for 19 conserved and 16 novel miRNAs. Potential targets were predicted from pre-miRNAs by sequence homology and validated using RTqPCR approach. This study provides the first identification of miRNAs and their potential targets of a bromeliad species.

Extrativismo de bromélias no Estado do Paraná

Visando a contribuir para o melhor entendimento da participação da atividade extrativista no âmbito da comercialização de bromélias no Brasil, apresentou-se resultado de pesquisa que buscou: a) identificar e caracterizar os extrativistas de bromélias formalmente registrados e os informais no Estado do Paraná; b) identificar e caracterizar as metodologias de coleta, o preparo e vias de comercialização das plantas coletadas; c) levantar a opinião dos extrativistas sobre facilidades e dificuldades desta atividade. O extrativismo de bromélias no Paraná foi identificado em 12 municípios, englobando 31 famílias extratoras, predominantemente concentradas no litoral do Paraná (n=10) e Município de Ortigueira (n=7). Foram identificados dois tipos básicos de extrativistas: residente e oportunista, com diferenças marcantes entre estes, especialmente no que se refere a volume e forma de extração. Foram identificadas 21 espécies submetidas ao extrativismo, sendo as mais frequentemente coletadas: Vriesea incurvata Gaudich. comercializada por 90% dos entrevistados, Nidularium innocentii Lem. (77%), Vriesea platynema Gaudich. (67%), Tillandsia stricta Sol. ex Ker Gawl. (55%) e Vriesea carinata Lem. (55%).

Morphoanatomy and ontogeny of fruit in Bromeliaceae species

This study aims to give an overall view of fruit structure in Bromeliaceae, since these studies are extremely scarce in this family, showing the morphology, anatomy and ontogeny of fruits of six species belonging to six different genera, representing three subfamilies. All species studied have a tricarpellary and trilocular ovary, with an obturator covering the placental region. Dyckia maritima, Pitcairnia flammea, Tillandsia aeranthos and Vriesea carinata have capsular fruits (septicidal or biscidal), characterized mainly by the presence of macrosclereids in the exocarp or endocarp, fibers in the ventral region of the carpels, six dehiscence lines and three vascular bundles in each carpel. Aechmea calyculata and Billbergia nutans have fruits classified as berries, presenting exocarp and hypodermis as mechanical layers and many vascular bundles in each carpel. Many useful characters for taxonomy of Bromeliaceae were revealed, so fruits are excellent tools for delimitation of genera and subfamilies. In relation to Bromeliaceae capsules, macrosclereids are conspicuous structures of the pericarp and fruit anatomy is greatly related to dehiscence type. The U-shaped cell wall thickenings are a very common character in this family and can be identified as structures also occurring in monocot fruits.

Native bromeliads as biomonitors of airborne chemical elements in a Brazilian restinga forest

Epiphytic bromeliads have been used as biomonitors of air pollution since they have specialized structures in leaves for absorbing humidity and nutrients available in the atmosphere. Leaves of five bromeliad species were collected in the conservation unit Parque Estadual Ilha do Cardoso, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, and analyzed by INAA. Vriesea carinata was the species showing most accumulation, with the highest mass fractions of K, Na, Rb and Zn. Similar results were previously found for the same species collected in the dense ombrophilous forest. Chemical composition of bromeliads provided an indication of the atmosphere status in the conservation unit.