Dry soil determines the pseudoviviparous reproduction in Comanthera nivea (Eriocaulaceae) in the Campos Rupestres in south‐eastern Brazil

Abstract

Pseudovivipary is an asexual reproduction strategy correlated with extreme environments. Comanthera nivea occurs in habitats with low water retention. This study investigated the effect of soil moisture availability on C. nivea pseudoviviparous reproduction and flowering. We established four permanent plots (1 × 1 m), two in a shaded area, in which we marked 15 rosettes in each plot, and two in a full‐sun area, in which we marked 10 rosettes in each plot. We made monthly observations from August 2016 to January 2017, to quantify the number of flower heads and of pseudoviviparous ramets per rosette, and measured soil moisture. Our results showed a high correlation between soil moisture and flowering. Flowering in C. nivea occurs in periods of increased soil moisture, whereas pseudoviviparous reproduction occurs in the driest period. The advantages of a pseudoviviparous canopy‐forming strategy in habitats with scarcity of water in the soil are discussed.

Misunderstanding on germination sensu stricto leads us to a false positive germination‐dormancy balance in diaspores of Paepalanthus chiquitensis Herzog (Eriocaulaceae), a threatened everlasting flowering species

“…Therefore, by understanding the germination-dormancy balance in P. chiquitensis diaspores, we expect not only to provide clues about the ecophysiology, but also strategy opportunities for the ex situ conservation of the species. This is in agreement with other authors concerned about the germplasm of campos rupestres species (Le Stradic et al, 2015), a phytophysionomie from Cerrado that has recently been better studied according to botany and ecology (e.g., Lombello, Biondi, Teodoro, & Coelho, 2020;Tellhado, Silveira, Fernandes, & Cornelissen, 2017).…”