Glandular trichomes evolved three times independently in the genus. In two cases, these glandular trichomes are oil-secreting, suggesting that the corresponding flowers might be pollinated by oil-bees. Biogeographical patterns indicate expansions from Central America and the northern Andes to the subandean ranges between Chile and Argentina and to the extended area of the Paraná river basin. The distribution of oil-flower species across the phylogenetic trees suggests that oil-producing trichomes may have played a key role in the diversification of the genus, a hypothesis that requires future testing.

Floral glandular structures and especially trichomal elaiophores evolved multiple times independently in the American tribes of Iridoideae. The distribution pattern of species displaying glandular trichomes across the phylogeny reveals lability in the pollination system and suggests that these structures may have played a significant role in the diversification of the Iridoideae on the American continent.

RESUMO -(Vegetação campestre do sul do Brasil: dinâmica de espécies à exclusão do gado.) O presente estudo objetivou avaliar modificações ocorridas na vegetação em uma área de campo natural , após oito anos sem influência de pastoreio. A área situa-se na Estação Experimental Agronômica da UFRGS , no município de Eldorado do Sul, RS, onde foram realizadas amostragens em 1984 e 1992. Dezesseis unidades amostrais permanentes de 0,25 m' foram utilizadas para verificar a presença e o valor de cobertura das espécies, pela escala de Daubenmire. São apresentados os valores de freqüência e cobertura absolutas (FA e CA, respectivamente) das espécies de Gramineae, Compositae, Rubiaceae, Leguminosae, Umbelliferae e Cyperaceae nos levantamentos de 1984 e 1992. O trabalho evidenciou a relação entre a forma biológica das espécies predominantes e os estados pastejado ou excluído. Em Gramineae, espécies rasteiras, estoloníferas ou rizomatosas (Paspalum notatum, Axonopus affinis e outras), características da área pastejada, foram substituídas por plantas de hábito cespitoso (Andropogon lateralis, El)'onurus candidus e outras), capazes de sombrear e sobrepujar as de baixo porte. Espécies de compostas e rubiáceas, de um modo geral, apresentaram uma redução em FA e pouca alteração em CA. As leguminosas apresentaram principalmente um aumento em FA, mantendo a CA praticamente constante. As umbelíferas destacaram-se pelo aumento da CA em metade de suas espécies. Ocorreu o surgimento de 25 e o desaparecimento de 42 espécies em 1992.Palavras-chave: dinâmica da vegetação, exclusão do gado, fitossociologia, pastagem natural, sucessão vegetal, vegetação campestre.ABSTRACT -(Grassland vegetation in Southern Brazil: dynamics of species in caule excluded areas.) The aim of this study was to evaluate modifications after eight years without grazing in a native grassland area, located at the Estação Experimental Agronômica -UFRGS, in Eldorado do Sul, RS. Vegetation surveys were done in 1984 and 1992. Sixteen permanent sample quadrats (0.25 m') were established and presence of species and cover-abundance values according to the Daubenmire scale were recorded. Absolute frequencies and covervalues (AFand AC, respectively) in 1984 and 1992 are presented for Gramineae, Compositae, Rubiaceae, Leguminosae, Umbelliferae and Cyperaceae species. The study showed the relation between the growth forms of the most

DNA barcoding aims to develop an efficient tool for species identification based on short and standardized DNA sequences. In this study, the DNA barcode paradigm was tested among the genera of the tribe Sisyrinchieae (Iridoideae). Sisyrinchium, with more than 77% of the species richness in the tribe, is a taxonomically complex genus. A total of 185 samples belonging to 98 species of Sisyrinchium, Olsynium, Orthrosanthus and Solenomelus were tested using matK, trnH-psbA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS). Candidate DNA barcodes were analysed either as single markers or in combination. Detection of a barcoding gap, similarity-based methods and tree-based analyses were used to assess the discrimination efficiency of DNA barcodes. The levels of species identification obtained from plastid barcodes were low and ranged from 17.35% to 20.41% for matK and 5.11% to 7.14% for trnH-psbA. The ITS provided better results with 30.61-38.78% of species identified. The analyses of the combined data sets did not result in a significant improvement in the discrimination rate. Among the tree-based methods, the best taxonomic resolution was obtained with Bayesian inference, particularly when the three data sets were combined. The study illustrates the difficulties for DNA barcoding to identify species in evolutionary complex lineages. Plastid markers are not recommended for barcoding Sisyrinchium due to the low discrimination power observed. ITS gave better results and may be used as a starting point for species identification.

Sisyrinchium micranthum is native to southern Brazil and shows a wide range of morphological variation in this region. This study was performed to compare individuals of this species in terms of traits such as morphology, chromosome number, meiotic behaviour, pollen viability and genetic diversity using inter simple sequence repeat markers. First, general morphological aspects were evaluated and plants were classified into three morphological categories (CI, CII and CIII) to analyse the cytogenetic and genetic data. Three chromosome numbers corresponding to three ploidies were found: 2n = 2x = 16, 2n = 4x = 32 and 2n = 6x = 48. All morphological types showed regular meiotic behaviour and high meiotic index values and pollen viability. CII is the most frequent in southern Brazil. The most common haploid chromosome number, n = 8, has not been reported previously in this species. The percentage of polymorphic loci ranged from 6.45 to 61.29% for each accession. Molecular and cytogenetic analyses indicate that some S. micranthum accessions may have more than one ploidy. This study represents the first effort to characterize this taxonomically complex species based on cytogenetic and genetic aspects.

With the present work, we aim to provide a better understanding of chromosome evolutionary trends among southern Brazilian species of Iridoideae. Chromosome numbers and genome sizes were determined for 21 and 22 species belonging to eight genera of Tigridieae and two genera of Trimezieae, respectively. The chromosome numbers of nine species belonging to five genera are reported here for the first time. Analyses of meiotic behaviour, tetrad normality and pollen viability in 14 species revealed regular meiosis and high meiotic indexes and pollen viability (> 90%). The chromosome data obtained here and compiled from the literature were plotted onto a phylogenetic framework to identify major events of chromosome rearrangements across the phylogenetic tree of Iridoideae. Following this approach, we propose that the ancestral base chromosome number for Iridoideae is x = 8 and that polyploidy and dysploidy events have occurred throughout evolution. Despite the variation in chromosome numbers observed in Tigridieae and Trimezieae, for these two tribes our data provide support for an ancestral base number of x = 7, largely conserved in Tigridieae, but a polyploidy event may have occurred prior to the diversification of Trimezieae, giving rise to a base number of x2 = 14 (detected by maximum‐parsimony using haploid number and maximum likelihood). In Tigridieae, polyploid cytotypes were commonly observed (2x, 4x, 6x and 8x), whereas in Trimezieae, dysploidy seems to have been the most important event. This feature is reflected in the genome size, which varied greatly among species of Iridoideae, 4.2‐fold in Tigridieae and 1.5‐fold in Trimezieae. Although no clear difference was observed among the genome sizes of Tigridieae and Trimezieae, an important distinction was observed between these two tribes and Sisyrinchieae, with the latter possessing the smallest genome sizes in Iridoideae. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 177, 27–49.

Sisyrinchium micranthum Cav. is a member of the family Iridaceae, which is distributed over the American continent. In Brazil, this species is found, not only in disturbed areas and coastal regions, but is also very common in urban centers, such as public parks, during the spring. Chromosome counts for North American specimens are 2n = 32 and 2n = 48, whereas in southern Brazil, there is a polyploidy series with three chromosome numbers, 2n = 16, 2n = 32, and 2n = 48. Population analyses using DNA molecular markers are inexistent for this species, in spite of its wide distribution and morphological variation. To study the genetic population structure of S. micranthum, five natural populations were accessed in a conservation park within the Atlantic Rain Forest Biome in southern Brazil. Here, the chromosome numbers 2n = 16 and 2n = 48 had already been described. Molecular analysis showed that the populations are highly structured with low gene flow among them. The population with 2n = 48 was genetically less variable than and distinct from the other populations. Population genetics in relation to cytogenetic data provided new insights regarding the genetic diversification and mating system of S. micranthum.

The polyploid species Herbertia lahue (Molina) Goldblatt is widespread in the grassland areas of southern America. In this study, genotypic and phenotypic variations among hexaploids and octoploids from H. lahue were assessed based on quantitative floral traits and ISSR markers. Additionally, gynoecium and breeding systems were analysed through anatomical analysis and hand-pollination experiments. Cytotypes are self-compatible, and the anatomy of the embryo sac remains similar in hexaploids and octoploids. AMOVA indicates that hexaploid populations are less genetically variable than octoploids (respectively 4 and 22 %, P \ 0.001), thus the largest source of genetic variation for H. lahue lies among populations (82 %, P \ 0.001), probably a combined effect of selfing, changes in population size, and local adaptation. Genetic variation between cytotypes was significant (16 %, P \ 0.001), though unclear segregation among cytotypes was discovered through PCoA. A Mantel test indicated no relationship between geographic and genetic distances (r = 0.04; P = 0.37), possibly as a result of the combined effect of the recurrent origin of polyploids, gene flow restricted by selfing, and poor capacity for seed dispersal. In terms of floral measurements, eight measures of perigonium, androecium, and gynoecium varied significantly between cytotypes, though no clear grouping was defined by PCA. Presumably, complex variation in floral characters across cytotypes may result in the absence of distinct grouping by PCA. The combined use of ISSR markers and morphological characters revealed a complex relationship between H. lahue cytotypes shaped by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors.