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Subordinate species composition and distribution are regarded as a result of the dominant species structure. However, the spatial organization of subordinate species can also be related to dispersal abilities and interactions (competition and facilitation) within subordinate species.Here, we tested the influence of dominant species on subordinate species and examined traits of subordinate species together with their spatial patterns within a tropical coastal plant community. We hypothesized that the identity of dominant species determines subordinate abundance, and dispersal and persistence trait values variation, within coexisting subordinate species. Moreover, we expected that functionally similar subordinate species aggregate in space, regarding these values. We used the relative abundance of shrubs and trees from 83 vegetation patches in 2 hectares of Restinga vegetation in southeastern Brazil. We determined trait value dissimilarities between dominant and subordinate species and within subordinates, and tested for the effect of the dominant species on subordinate abundance and trait values variation. Spatial cross-correlation functions were estimated for the four most abundant subordinate species with spline and Moran"s I cross-correlograms. Our results showed that dominant and subordinate species exhibit contrasted trait values for dispersal and persistence.However, the composition of subordinate species in patches and the variation in their functional traits were not controlled by the identity of dominant species. Surprisingly, subordinate species segregated in space. Spatial segregation was related to dissimilar trait values within subordinates. However, the identity of dominants and patch size had no control over subordinates" abundance. We suggest that such spatial segregation can result from competitive interactions. Dissimilar functional trait values within subordinate species seem to explain the spatial segregation of these species, principally led by differences in seed production and potential allelopathic interactions (e.g. Myrtaceae species). Therefore, independently of the identity of dominant species, subordinate species have a direct effect on the community composition of the Restinga vegetation. Together, our findings considerably increase knowledge on subordinate species in tropical plant communities and provide new insight into the potential role of subordinate species in community assembly.

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The increase in severity of droughts associated with greater mortality and reduced vegetation growth is one of the main threats to tropical forests. Drought resilience of tropical forests is affected by multiple biotic and abiotic factors varying at different scales. Identifying those factors can help understanding the resilience to ongoing and future climate change. Altitude leads to high climate variation and to different forest formations, principally moist or dry tropical forests with contrasted vegetation structure. Each tropical forest can show distinct responses to droughts. Locally, topography is also a key factor controlling biotic and abiotic factors related to drought resilience in each forest type. Here, we show that topography has key roles controlling biotic and abiotic factors in each forest type. The most important abiotic factors are soil nutrients, water availability, and microclimate. The most important biotic factors are leaf economic and hydraulic plant traits, and vegetation structure. Both dry tropical forests and ridges (steeper and drier habitats) are more sensitive to droughts than moist tropical forest and valleys (flatter and wetter habitats). The higher mortality in ridges suggests that conservative traits are not sufficient to protect plants from drought in drier steeper habitats. Our synthesis highlights that altitude and topography gradients are essential to understand mechanisms of tropical forest's resilience to future drought events. We described important factors related to drought resilience, however, many important knowledge gaps remain. Filling those gaps will help improve future practices and studies about mitigation capacity, conservation, and restoration of tropical ecosystems.

DNA fingerprinting based on SSR amplification profiles was applied to native species of Piper from the Atlantic Forest to compare the utility of this type of molecular marker with the morphological characters traditionally applied in Piper taxonomy and identification. Fifty-one SSR markers developed for four species of Piper native to Asia and Mesoamerica were applied to 16 species, together with 63 morphological characters, for species characterization. Molecular and morphological data were analysed by cluster analysis, followed by a cluster sharpness test and the construction of a heat map to visualize the association of characters with species groups. A multivariate regression tree determined the number of loci needed for species identification. Forty-five primers were transferable to at least four species. Molecular data were more efficient in detecting sharp groups than morphological data. Species groups delimited by a set of shared morphological characters were differentiated based on molecular data. The sixteen studied species could be separated by nine primers, demonstrating the cross-species transferability of SSR markers and the usefulness of DNA fingerprinting for both the delimitation and the identification of species of Piper.

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ResumoEste estudo apresenta o inventário florístico atualizado para Rubiaceae no Parque Estadual de Mata das Flores (PEMF), município de Castelo, no Espírito Santo. O remanescente florestal estudado está localizado em uma das áreas prioritárias para conservação da Floresta Atlântica ao sul do estado. A listagem elaborada embasou a análise da similaridade florística de Rubiaceae no fragmento estudado com outras 17 áreas de Floresta Atlântica, por meio de análise de agrupamentos e métodos de ordenação. Foram identificadas 45 espécies e duas subespécies, pertencentes a 20 gêneros. Psychotria (8 spp.) foi o gênero mais representativo, seguido de Faramea (6 spp.) e Rudgea (4 spp. AbstractThis study presents the updated floristic inventory of the family Rubiaceae in Mata das Flores State park (MFSP), Castelo, Espírito Santo. The studied forest remnant is located in one of the priority areas for Atlantic Forest conservation on the southern portion of the state. The list gave support to the analysis of floristic similarity between the studied fragment and 17 other areas of the Atlantic Forest, using cluster analysis and ordination methods. A total of 45 species and two subspecies were identified. They belong to 20 genera. Psychotria (8 spp.) was the most representative genus, followed by Faramea (6 spp.) and Rudgea (4 spp.). Four taxa are new species to science. Four taxa are listed in different threat categories. Cluster and ordination analysis revealed that Mata das Flores is distinct from the other areas in the Atlantic Forest. The results point to the Mata das Flores State Park as an important center of diversity for Rubiaceae in Espirito Santo.

We investigated whether essential oil and aqueous and ethanolic extracts from M. vittoriana leaves have phytotoxic effects on the germination and initial development, and cytogenotoxic effects on the cell cycle, of model plants. The essential oil and extracts of M. vittoriana were characterized and used as treatments in phytotoxicity and cytotoxicity tests. The results indicated a reduction in germinative parameters and plant growth, with the higher concentrations of extracts and essential oil having the most evident effects. The cell cycle was also affected with a reduction of the mitotic index and the presence of chromosomal and nuclear alterations. All treatments showed clastogenic and aneugenic modes of action. The results can be associated with the synergistic effects of metabolites found in the extracts and essential oil, mainly the presence of the sesquiterpene germacrene D in the essential oil and of catechins, saponins, and tannins in the extracts. These substances inhibit plant germination and growth, confi rming the phytotoxic effects of M. vittoriana in plant models, which should now be tested under fi eld conditions.