In this study, we evaluate phylogeographic patterns and predictions of ecological niche modelling (ENM) for Eugenia uniflora (Myrtaceae), a widely distributed taxon in the Atlantic forest domain, to understand the effect of past climatic oscillations on the demographic history of this species. An analysis of phylogeographic population structure and demography was conducted on E. uniflora from 46 localities in natural environments across the distribution range of the species based on three plastid markers. ENM was also performed to predict suitable environments and areas of dramatic decrease in future suitability for the species under distinct representative concentration pathways (RCPs). Eugenia uniflora exhibited higher haplotype and nucleotide diversity in the southern part of its distribution than in the northern part. Two divergent lineages were revealed in the phylogenetic analysis of haplotypes, with an estimated divergence at c. 4.9 Mya. The populations in the northern and central regions of the range probably experienced population growth, whereas populations in the southern region are marked by historical demographic stability. ENM results indicate that the distribution of E. uniflora was fragmented in cool periods and was broader and more connected during warm periods during Pleistocene. The results suggest distinct evolutionary histories in southern to northern populations, indicating region-specific responses to changes.
sn-Glycerol-3-phosphate 1-O-acyltransferase (GPAT) is an important enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of an acyl group from acyl-CoA or acyl-ACP to the sn-1 or sn-2 position of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) to generate lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs). The functional studies of GPAT in plants demonstrated its importance in controlling storage and membrane lipid. Identifying genes encoding GPAT in a variety of plant species is crucial to understand their involvement in different metabolic pathways and physiological functions. Here, we performed genome-wide and evolutionary analyses of GPATs in plants. GPAT genes were identified in all algae and plants studied. The phylogenetic analysis showed that these genes group into three main clades. While clades I (GPAT9) and II (soluble GPAT) include GPATs from algae and plants, clade III (GPAT1-8) includes GPATs specific from plants that are involved in the biosynthesis of cutin or suberin. Gene organization and the expression pattern of GPATs in plants corroborate with clade formation in the phylogeny, suggesting that the evolutionary patterns is reflected in their functionality. Overall, our results provide important insights into the evolution of the plant GPATs and allowed us to explore the evolutionary mechanism underlying the functional diversification among these genes.
Psidium cattleyanum Sabine is an Atlantic Forest native species that presents some populations with red fruits and others with yellow fruits. This variation in fruit pigmentation in this species is an intriguing character that could be related to species evolution but still needs to be further explored. Our goal was to provide genomic information for these morphotypes to understand the molecular mechanisms of differences in fruit colour in this species. In this study, we performed a comparative transcriptome analysis of red and yellow morphotypes of P. cattleyanum, considering two stages of fruit ripening. The transcriptomic analysis performed encompassing leaves, unripe and ripe fruits, in triplicate for each morphotype. The transcriptome consensus from each morphotype showed 301,058 and 298,310 contigs from plants with yellow and red fruits, respectively. The differential expression revealed important genes that were involved in anthocyanins biosynthesis, such as the anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) and UDP-glucose:flavonoid-o-glucosyltransferase (UFGT) that were differentially regulated during fruit ripening. This study reveals stimulating data for the understanding of the pathways and mechanisms involved in the maturation and colouring of P. cattleyanum fruits and suggests that the ANS and UFGT genes are key factors involved in the synthase and pigmentation accumulation in red fruits.
Myrtaceae are one of the largest families of flowering plants and are widely distributed in the Neotropics, where they are mainly represented by the tribe Myrteae. Myrteae are the most species-rich tribe of Myrtaceae and include groups with significant ecological and economic importance. Myrteae are considered to be a model group for biodiversity studies in the Neotropics, and so understanding the history of their diversification in this area is extremely important. The last decade has witnessed an increase in macro- and microevolutionary studies of the group, and summarizing this knowledge is now crucial to plan future steps in research on Myrteae. Here we provide the first overview of evolution and diversification studies on Myrteae, highlighting recent advances in understanding their evolutionary history. We discuss biogeography, phylogeny, phylogeography, population genetics, genomics and cytology in light of current knowledge. Finally, we provide perspectives and open hypotheses to be tested in future studies to fill gaps in the evolutionary knowledge of specific groups/taxa in Myrteae.
Evolutionary diversity in species can arise in many ways, including local adaptation. Despite the global importance of tropical forest ecosystems, few studies have explored patterns of local adaptation in tropical tree species. We investigated population genetic structure and adaptive genetic diversity in Eugenia uniflora, a widely distributed tree species across the Atlantic Forest Domain (AFD). We sampled E. uniflora in distinct environments from the AFD and genotyped 523 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using a candidate gene approach. We studied neutral population structure and used two outlier methods based on population differentiation (Bayescan and LEA) and one gene-environment association analysis (LFMM) to detect putative SNPs under divergent selection. We detected spatial population structuring between the northern and southern range of the species distribution and higher genetic diversity in southern populations from the riparian forest. We found 18 candidate loci potentially involved in local adaptation, among which LEA and LFMM both detected seven loci. Overall, precipitation-related variables were more represented in statistically significant genotype-climate associations (c. 60%). Our study provides a first insight into the distribution of adaptive genetic variation in E. uniflora, highlighting how tropical tree species may adapt over time and across the AFD.
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