Browsing by Author "Sequeira, Miguel Menezes de"
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- An expanded molecular phylogeny of Plumbaginaceae, with emphasis on Limonium (sea lavenders): taxonomic implications and biogeographic considerationsPublication . Koutroumpa, Konstantina; Theodoridis, Spyros; Warren, Ben H.; Jiménez, Ares; Celep, Ferhat; Doğan, Musa; Romeiras, Maria M.; Santos-Guerra, Arnoldo; Fernández-Palacios, José María; Caujapé-Castells, Juli; Moura, Mónica; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes de; Conti, ElenaPlumbaginaceae is characterized by a history of multiple taxonomic rearrangements and lacks a broad molecular phylogenetic framework. Limonium is the most species‐ rich genus of the family with ca. 600 species and cosmopolitan distribution. Its center of diversity is the Mediterranean region, where ca. 70% of all Limonium species are endemic. In this study, we sample 201 Limonium species covering all described infra‐ generic entities and spanning its wide geographic range, along with 64 species of other Plumbaginaceae genera, representing 23 out of 29 genera of the family. Additionally, 20 species of the sister family Polygonaceae were used as outgroup. Sequences of three chloroplast (trnL‐F, matK, and rbcL) and one nuclear (ITS) loci were used to infer the molecular phylogeny employing maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses. According to our results, within Plumbaginoideae, Plumbago forms a non‐ monophyletic assemblage, with Plumbago europaea sister to Plumbagella, while the other Plumbago species form a clade sister to Dyerophytum. Within Limonioideae, Ikonnikovia is nested in Goniolimon, rejecting its former segregation as genus distinct from Goniolimon. Limonium is divided into two major clades: Limonium subg. Pteroclados s.l., including L. sect. Pteroclados and L. anthericoides, and L. subg. Limonium. The latter is divided into three well‐supported subclades: the monospecific L. sect. Limoniodendron sister to a clade comprising a mostly non‐Mediterranean subclade and a Mediterranean subclade. Our results set the foundation for taxonomic propos‐ als on sections and subsections of Limonium, namely: (a) the newly described L. sect. Tenuiramosum, created to assign L. anthericoides at the sectional rank; (b) the more restricted circumscriptions of L. sect. Limonium (= L. sect. Limonium subsect. Genuinae) and L. sect. Sarcophyllum (for the Sudano‐Zambezian/Saharo‐Arabian clade); (c) the more expanded circumscription of L. sect. Nephrophyllum (including species of the L. bellidifolium complex); and (d) the new combinations for L. sect. Pruinosum and L. sect. Pteroclados subsect. Odontolepideae and subsect. Nobiles.
- Andryala perezii(Asteraceae), a new species from the Canary IslandsPublication . Ferreira, Maria Zita; Álvarez Fernández, Inés; Jardim, Roberto; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes deAndryala perezii M. Z. Ferreira, R. Macaronesia and Romania (Greuter, 2006þ). In Jardim, Alv. Fern. & M. Seq. (Asteraceae), a new Macaronesia, Andryala is represented by A. integ species from the Canary Islands, is described and rifolia L. and A. laxiflora DC. and at least eight illustrated. Although formerly included in A. glan- endemic taxa distributed in the Canary and Madeira dulosa Lam., the new species differs remarkably from archipelagos (Jardim & Menezes de Sequeira, 2008; Madeiran populations by its woolly stellate pubes- Acebes Ginove´s et al., 2010). The Madeira Archi cence, scattered glandular pubescence restricted to pelago hosts A. integrifolia (recently introduced), A. the peduncles and involucral bracts, peduncles crithmifolia Aiton (a rare endemic), and A. glandu flattened and enlarged at the base of the capitula, losa Lam. (Press, 1994; Ferreira et al., 2011), the and smaller cypselae. Andryala perezii has a habit latter including A. glandulosa subsp. glandulosa and similar to that of the Canarian A. pinnatifida Aiton A. glandulosa subsp. cheiranthifolia (L’He´r.) Greuter. but may be identified by its densely stellate For the Canary Islands, Acebes Ginove´s et al. (2010) pubescence on the stems; grayish white or glaucous, recognized A. integrifolia (as probably native), A. congested leaves with dense stellate pubescence on laxiflora (as introduced), and two endemic species: A. both surfaces and undulate-crispate margins; longer webbii (Sch. Bip. ex Christ) A. Santos and A. peduncles; and smaller cypselae with a ring of short pinnatifida Aiton, the latter including four subspe teeth at the apex equivalent to the height of the cies: A. pinnatifida subsp. pinnatifida, A. pinnatifida prolongation of the ribs. Comments on the chromo- subsp. preauxiana (Sch. Bip.) G. Kunkel, A. some numbers, geographic distribution, habitat, and pinnatifida subsp. buchiana (Sch. Bip.) Reyes-Bet. conservation status are also presented. The name A. & A. Santos, and A. pinnatifida subsp. teydensis (Sch. pinnatifida Aiton f. cuneifolia Sch. Bip. is lectotypi- Bip.) Rivas-Mart., Wildpret, del Arco, O. Rodr., fied and is transferred in rank as A. pinnatifida Pe´rez de Pe´rez, Garcia´ Gallo, Acebes, T. E. D´ıaz & subsp. cuneifolia (Sch. Bip.) M. Z. Ferreira, R. Fern.-Gonz. Jardim, Alv. Fern. & M. Seq.; lectotypes are The Andryala populations on the eastern Canary designated for its synonyms, A. pinnatifida f. Islands (Lanzarote and Fuerteventura) were originally buchiana Sch. Bip. and A. pinnatifida var. latifolia included by Schultz Bipontinus (1849), together with Bornm. The name A. pinnatifida is also lectotypified. populations from Tenerife, as the form A. pinnatifida A key for Macaronesian Andryala L. taxa is provided.
- Biogeography of mediterranean hotspot biodiversity: re-evaluating the'tertiary relict'hypothesis of macaronesian laurel forestsPublication . Kondraskov, Paulina; Schütz, Nicole; Schüßler, Christina; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes de; Guerra, Arnoldo Santos; Caujapé-Castells, Juli; Jaén-Molina, Ruth; Marrero-Rodríguez, Águedo; Koch, Marcus A.; Linder, Peter; Kovar-Eder, Johanna; Thiv, MikeThe Macaronesian laurel forests (MLF) are dominated by trees with a laurophyll habit com parable to evergreen humid forests which were scattered across Europe and the Mediterra nean in the Paleogene and Neogene. Therefore, MLF are traditionally regarded as an old, 'Tertiary relict' vegetation type. Here we address the question if key taxa of the MLF are relictual. We evaluated the relict hypothesis consulting fossil data and analyses based on molecular phylogenies of 18 representative species. For molecular dating we used the pro gram BEAST, for ancestral trait reconstructions BayesTraits and Lagrange to infer ancestral areas. Our molecular dating showed that the origins of four species date back to the Upper Miocene while 14 originated in the Plio-Pleistocene. This coincides with the decline of fossil laurophyllous elements in Europe since the middle Miocene. Ancestral trait and area recon structions indicate that MLF evolved partly from pre-adapted taxa from the Mediterranean, Macaronesia and the tropics. According to the fossil record laurophyllous taxa existed in Macaronesia since the Plio- and Pleistocene. MLF are composed of species with a hetero geneous origin. The taxa dated to the Pleistocene are likely not 'Tertiary relicts'. Some spe cies may be interpreted as relictual. In this case, the establishment of most species in the Plio-Pleistocene suggests that there was a massive species turnover before this time. Alter natively, MLF were largely newly assembled through global recruitment rather than surviv ing as relicts of a once more widespread vegetation. This process may have possibly been triggered by the intensification of the trade winds at the end of the Pliocene as indicated by proxy data.
- BiographicaI notes on Mary Young and Caroline Norton, illustrators of Madeiran plants for curtis's botanical magazine in the 19th centuryPublication . Mesquita, Sandra; Castel-Branco, Cristina; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes deIn 1834 and 1835, ten plates based on illustrations by ‘Miss Young’ and the ‘Hon. Miss Norton’ were published in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine to illustrate texts prepared by Richard Thomas Lowe and sent through his friend William Jackson Hooker. Mary Young is listed in the Dictionary of British and Irish Botanists and Horticulturists Including plant col lectors, flower painters and garden designers, for this contribution and the illustrations in Lowe’s History of Fishes of Madeira, as ‘companion to Miss Norton’. No other contributions of these illustrators are mentioned, and little is known about them. Here we present more information concerning these two illustrators and their part in Lowe’s work on the flora and fish fauna of Madeira.
- Breeding systems in Tolpis (Asteraceae) in the Macaronesian islands: the Azores, Madeira and the CanariesPublication . Crawford, Daniel J.; Anderson, Gregory J.; Silva, Lurdes Borges; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes de; Moura, Mónica; Santos-Guerra, Arnoldo; Kelly, John K.; Mort, Mark E.Plants on oceanic islands often originate from self-compatible (SC) colonizers capable of seed set by self fertilization. This fact is supported by empirical studies, and is rooted in the hypothesis that one (or few) individuals could find a sexual population, whereas two or more would be required if the colonizers were self-incompatible (SI). However, a SC colonizer would have lower heterozygosity than SI colonizers, which could limit radiation and diver sification of lineages following establishment. Limited evidence suggests that several species-rich island lineages in the family Asteraceae originated from SI colonizers with some ‘‘leakiness’’ (pseudo-self-compatibility, PSC) such that some self-seed could be produced. This study of Tolpis (Asteraceae) in Macaronesia provides first reports of the breeding system in species from the Azores and Madeira, and additional insights into variation in Canary Islands. Tolpis from the Azores and Madeira are predominately SI but with PSC. This study suggests that the breeding sys tems of the ancestors were either PSC, possibly from a single colonizer, or from SI colonizers by multiple dis seminules either from a single or multiple dispersals. Long distance colonists capable of PSC combine the advantages of reproductive assurance (via selfing) in the establishment of sexual populations from even a single colonizer with the higher heterozygosity resulting from its origin from an outcrossed source population. Evolution of Tolpis on the Canaries and Madeira has generated diversity in breeding systems, including the origin of SC. Macaronesian Tolpis is an excellent system for studying breeding system evolution in a small, diverse lineage.
- Cloud water interception in the high altitude tree heath forest (Erica arborea L.) of Paul da Serra Massif (Madeira, Portugal)Publication . Prada, Susana; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes de; Figueira, Celso; Vasconcelos, RitaCloud water interception (CWI) occurs when cloud droplets are blown against the forest canopy, where they are retained on the vegetation surface, forming larger water droplets that drip into the forest floor. CWI was measured from 1 October 1997 to 30 September 1999, on a first-line tree heath (Erica arborea), at Bica da Cana, Madeira Island. Rainfall was corrected for wind-loss effect and compared with throughfall and other climatological normals. The CWI depletion rate along a forest stand transect was also analysed during three distinct fog events in 2008. Cloud water was 28 mm day 1, corresponding to 68% of total throughfall and 190% of the gross precipitation. Cloud water correlates directly with monthly normals of fog days and wind speed and correlates inversely with the monthly air temperature normal. CWI has an exponential correlation with monthly relative humidity normal. Cloud water capture depletion along the stand shows a logarithmic decrease. Although a forest stand does not directly relate to a first-line tree heath, this study shows that CWI is a frequent phenomenon in the Paul da Serra massif. Restoration and protection of high altitude ecosystems in Madeira should be a priority, not only for biodiversity, ecological and economical purposes but also for its role in regional water resources.
- Cloud water interception in the temperate laurel forest of Madeira IslandPublication . Figueira, Celso; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes de; Vasconcelos, Rita; Prada, SusanaA cloud belt frequently forms on the windward side of Madeira Island, between 800 and 1600 m a.s.l., as a result of adiabatic cooling of the northeastern trade winds that are forced upward. Temperate laurel forest is the most common vegetation inside that cloud belt altitudinal range. Cloud water interception was estimated by comparing precipitation and throughfall during a hydrological year. It totalled 200 mm (8% of rainfall) during 65 days (3 mm d-1) and seems to constitute a larger fraction of water input during drier months. Multiple linear regression between gauge standard deviation and throughfall throughout rain events shows that cloud interception is common before the onset of rainfall. Its role in the ecohydrology of laurel forest and in the island’s hydrology should be acknowledged. Further studies on this issue should be a priority in order to better understand these dynamics and provide tools for the correct management of this protected forest and the island’s groundwater resources.
- Colonization and diversification shape species-area relationships in three Macaronesian archipelagosPublication . Price, Jonathan P.; Otto, Rüdiger; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes de; Kueffer, Christoph; Schaefer, Hanno; Caujapé-Castells, Juli; Fernández-Palacios, José MaríaAim: Species–area relationships (SARs) on oceanic archipelagos are shaped at least as much by speciation as by immigration–extinction dynamics. We examine three well‐studied Atlantic archipelagos to quantify the relative contributions of coloniza tion and diversification to individual and whole‐archipelago floras. Location: Three Macaronesian archipelagos: the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands. Methods: We assessed the floras of all three archipelagos in order to compare SARs and numbers of endemic species with respect to the physical characteristics of each archipelago (geological age, isolation, and environmental diversity). Utilizing a large number of available phylogenies, we partitioned each flora into putative colonist lin eages. These were used to determine: (a) the number of original colonists of each archipelago, (b) degree of relatedness among these, and (c) the degree to which internal diversification contributes to species numbers for islands and archipelagos with different physical characteristics. Results: Archipelagos varied in the parameters of the SARs in relation to their phys ical characteristics. The Canarian and Madeiran floras demonstrate remarkably simi lar SARs with z values (slopes) near 0.3, while the Azorean flora exhibits fewer species per given area and a modest z value of 0.15. The Canarian and Madeiran endemic species are concentrated in a small number of diversifying lineages, whereas the Azorean endemics were mostly in anagenetic lineages (indicating mini mal internal diversification). Lineages that do not diversify within a given archipelago significantly tend not to diversify in others, whereas diversifying lineages tend to have more species in the Canarian flora when compared with related lineages in the others. Main conclusions: Although a strong independent effect of island area on species richness exists for the whole Macaronesian region, colonization and diversification are also influenced by geological age and environmental diversity of archipelagos, overriding characteristics of individual islands (“archipelago effect”). The “Azorean diversity enigma” likely results from a combination of geological youth, low environmental diversity and disproportionate human alteration.
- Colonization routes, microevolutionary genetic structure and conservation concerns in a remote widespread insular endemic grass: the case of the Azorean tussock grass Deschampsia foliosaPublication . Moura, Mónica; Catalán, Pilar; Brehm, António; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes dePopulation genetic structure and diversity and phylogeographical dispersal routes were assessed for the Azorean endemic grass Deschampsia foliosa using AFLP markers. This species occurs on seven islands in the archipelago and a sampling of populations from the three main geographical groups of islands was used, covering its known distribution. Principal coordinates analyses (PCoAs), Bayesian analyses and phylogenetic networks revealed different degrees of admixture for the central group (C) populations and a clear differentiation for the western group (W) and São Miguel island (in the eastern group, E) populations. The best K values corresponded to nine and 11 genetic groups, which were also confirmed by analysis of molecular variance. A low but significant correlation between genetic data and geography was observed, with most relevant barriers to gene flow generally placed between sub archipelagos. We suggest a west-to-east isolation by distance dispersal model across an island age continuum with Flores–Corvo (W) and Pico (C) at the extremes of the dispersal path. An alternative scenario, also supported by the genetic data, implies an initial colonization of São Jorge (C), dispersal within C and following bidirectional dispersal to the W and E. The phylogeographical framework detected might be related to island age and to highly destructive volcanic events, and it supports the occurrence of cryptic diversity within D. foliosa. Genetic diversity estimators were highest for Pico island populations (C), lowest for São Miguel (E) and Flores (W) populations, and more divergent for the Corvo population (W). Conservation measures should be taken to preserve the genetic structure found across sub-archipelagos and islands.
- Darwin, Hooker and Arruda Furtado and the palaeobotany of Azores: Rediscovering the first collectionsPublication . Marques, Carlos A. Góis; Sequeira, Miguel Menezes deThe historical investigation of the palaeobotany of the Azores Islands led to the recent rediscovery of the leaf fos sils initially collected by Arruda Furtado in the late 19th century. Advised by Sir Charles Darwin and Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker to search for plant fossils, Arruda Furtado found the first specimens in São Miguel Island, and sent them to the UK for further identification. A recent search at the Natural History Museum, UK, revealed that from a total of sixteen specimens, only one specimen survived. In the same tray, two undescribed specimens from Furnas (São Miguel) were found. Here we describe and identify them as Woodwardia radicans, Laurus azorica and an unidentified fern. The taphonomy indicates that these fossils were preserved in a trachytic tuff, possibly related to the explosive episodes of the Furnas volcano, indicating that they could be late Pleistocene to Holocene in age. This report aims to highlight the potential of future palaeobotanical studies of the Azores Islands.