Cryptic species in Pagamea coriacea sensu lato (Rubiaceae): evidence from morphology, ecology and reproductive behavior in a sympatric context

In this study we explore morphological and ecological variation in sympatric populations of Pagamea coriacea s.l. - a species complex from white-sand vegetation in the Amazon. A total of 147 trees were sampled and monitored at three nearby sites in Central Amazon, Brazil. Multivariate analyses of morphology indicated two distinct groups (A and B), which also differed in bark type, each containing subgroups associated with sexual dimorphism. However, a single hermaphroditic individual was observed within group B. As expected, all pistillate plants produced fruits, but 23% of the staminate plants of group B, and 5% of group A also produced fruits. This variation suggests that the sexual systems of both groups are between dioecy and gynodioecy. There was an overlap in flowering phases between the two groups, but the pattern of floral maturation differed. Ecologically, plants of group B were found in more shaded habitats and over sandstone bedrocks, while group A was prevalent in deeper sandy soils as canopy plants. The significances of morphological and environmental differences were tested by a multivariate analysis of variance, and a canonical discriminant analysis assessed the importance of variables. The coexistence in sympatry of two discrete morphological groups in the P. coriacea s.l., with different habitat preferences and reproductive behaviors, indicates they represent distinct species.

Diet and ecomorphology of Leporinus reticulatus (Characiformes: Anostomidae) from the upper Rio Juruena, MT, Brazil: ontogenetic shifts related to the feeding ecology

The conservation of diverse and well-distributed fish taxa, as the genus Leporinus, relies intrinsically on the knowledge of the ecological attributes of its representatives. Aiming to increase this knowledge, studies on diet and ecomorphology are ideal to provide important information about species ecology. Thus, this study aimed to analyze aspects of feeding ecology of L. reticulatus, from the upper Rio Juruena, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. The diet of specimens in different ontogenetic stages was compared, as well as their teeth morphology and ecomorphological attributes. Leporinus reticulatus presented omnivorous diet, with higher consumption of invertebrates by smaller specimens (younger ones), and gradual introduction of plant items in larger specimens (older ones). The items consumed by the individuals and the ecomorphological attributes indicated that the species is generalist and opportunistic, besides its association with the river bottom, evidencing a benthic feeding behavior. This species presents a gradual ontogenetic modification in teeth shape and mouth positioning, ranging from a terminal mouth with tricuspid teeth, in smaller specimens, to an inferior mouth with spatula shaped teeth with no cusps, in larger specimens.The ecomorphological attributes indicate an increasing swimming efficiency, and ability for performing vertical displacements, along the ontogenetic development, which in addition to the morphological ontogenetic alterations in the buccal apparatus, contributes to a better ability to explore another niches.

The illustrated dictionary of gardening :a practical and scientific encyclopædia of horticulture for gardeners and botanists /edited by George Nicholson ; assisted by J.W.H. Trail ... and J. Garrett ...

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The illustrated dictionary of gardening :a practical and scientific encyclopædia of horticulture for gardeners and botanists /edited by George Nicholson ; assisted by J.W.H. Trail ... and J. Garrett ...

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The illustrated dictionary of gardening :a practical and scientific encyclopædia of horticulture for gardeners and botanists /edited by George Nicholson ; assisted by J.W.H. Trail ... and J. Garrett ...

v. 3

The illustrated dictionary of gardening :a practical and scientific encyclopædia of horticulture for gardeners and botanists /edited by George Nicholson ; assisted by J.W.H. Trail ... and J. Garrett ...

v. 4

The illustrated dictionary of gardening :a practical and scientific encyclopædia of horticulture for gardeners and botanists /edited by George Nicholson ; assisted by J.W.H. Trail ... and J. Garrett ...

v. 5

The illustrated dictionary of gardening :a practical and scientific encyclopædia of horticulture for gardeners and botanists /edited by George Nicholson ; assisted by J.W.H. Trail ... and J. Garrett ...

v. 6

The illustrated dictionary of gardening :a practical and scientific encyclopædia of horticulture for gardeners and botanists /edited by George Nicholson ; assisted by J.W.H. Trail ... and J. Garrett ...

v. 7

The illustrated dictionary of gardening :a practical and scientific encyclopædia of horticulture for gardeners and botanists /edited by George Nicholson ; assisted by J.W.H. Trail ... and J. Garrett ...

v. 8

The illustrated dictionary of gardening :a practical and scientific encyclopædia of horticulture for gardeners and botanists /edited by George Nicholson ; assisted by J.W.H. Trail ... and J. Garrett ...

v. 9

Commentationes botanicae :observationes botanique /dédiées a la Société d'horticulture de Tournay par B.-C. Dumortier.

1822

The blennioid fishes of Belize and Honduras, Central America, with comments on their systematics, ecology, and distribution (Blenniidae, Chaenopsidae, Labrisomidae, Tripterygiidae) / David W. Greenfield, Robert Karl Johnson.

n.s. no.8(1981)