This project will produce a framework for studying a fascinating example of flower and fruit diversification in a poorly studied plant group from the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. Most species in the target group (genus Drymonia in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae) are rarely collected and inadequately known. Many of the species that will be studied have never been photographed and at least ten species are new to science. Molecular data will be generated to assess recently diversified lineages to answer questions on the origins of fruit and flower morphologies.
Results from this project will document plant diversity from ecosystems that are critically endangered. Exploratory collecting expeditions will be conducted in Panama, Costa Rica, Peru, and French Guiana where targeted areas represent significant gaps in our knowledge of plant diversity. Training opportunities will be given to one doctoral candidate in field and lab-oriented research and undergraduate students at the University of Alabama. Teachers from the Tuscaloosa City/County Schools will be exposed to a variety of experiences including assisting on field expeditions to the tropics. A live collection will be developed for conservation of rare and endangered species as well as for assessing floral features.
This project resulted in the publication of twenty-four new species and five new genera. Additional new species will be published as a result of our exploratory research expeditions to remote rainforests in Panama, Peru, and Ecuador. This project resulted in the clarification of phylogenetically reliable characters to evaluate generic boundaries in the tribe Episcieae. A significant result of this research was the documentation of three independent origins of hypocyrtoid flowers in Drymonia. The short-term significance of this research will facilitate the classification of monophyletic lineages and elucidate shifts between bee- and bird-pollinated flowers. The long-term significance of this research will help better understand the evolution of adaptation and natural selection. The following two distinctive corolla forms associated with bird pollination have multiple independent origins in Drymonia and closely related genera: hypocyrtoid ('pouched') corollas (Fig. 1A&B) and laterally compressed corollas (Fig. 1C-F). Species with either of these corolla shapes occasionally retain features of euglossine bee pollination such as poricidal anther dehiscence. Data generated from this project strongly support that shifts to bird pollination are accompanied with the evolution of 'anti-bee' mechanisms, such as constricted corollas (Fig. 1A&B) and laterally compressed throats (Fig. 1C-F). Phylogenetic results based on nuclear and chloroplast markers strongly support at least three independent origins of fleshy fruits, which are defined here as fleshy display capsules or indehiscent berries (Fig. 1G & H). This project actively collaborated with governmental and non-governmental agencies to promote plant biodiversity. We worked with students, park guards, and administrators from the following entities: Bosque Proteción Alto Mayo (Peru); Universidad San Marcos - Museo de Historia Natural (Peru); Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco (Ecuador); Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama); and Parque Nacional Napo-Galeras (Ecuador). We prepared and published identification field guides on Gesneriaceae for critically endangered forests in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. This project secured for posterity the data accumulated throughout the career of the retired expert on Gesneriaceae, Dr. Laurence E. Skog from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History by incorporating his database of 66000+ collection records into a web-based portal. Training opportunities were provided to two doctoral students in field research, molecular systematics, phylogenetic reconstruction, and taxonomic revisions. One master’s student recently graduated and over ten undergraduate students were trained in lab- and field-based techniques. The PI, undergraduate students, and graduate students presented their research at national conferences. A local science teacher from Northridge High School, Tuscaloosa, AL participated on a field expedition to Ecuador that resulted in a conference presentation and enhanced curriculum instruction. A tenured professor from a local community college was trained in field- and lab-based techniques and participated on a field expedition to Ecuador that resulted in two peer-reviewed publications.
