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Investigating the floral and reproductive biology of the endangered microendemic cactus Uebelmannia buiningii Donald (Minas Gerais, Brazil)

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Abstract

The Cactaceae are known to be amongst the most endangered plant families of the world due to reduction of their habitats and activities of collectors. As the species of the family are dependent on animals to perform cross pollination, and hence seed production, their population performance may be further negatively affected by interrupted biotic interactions. For efficient conservation of rare species, knowledge on reproductive biology and pollinators is of prime importance. In our study we focused on Uebelmannia buiningii Donald, a microendemic cactus from the Serra Negra State Park, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. During four field expeditions to three localities of the species between September 2012 and September 2013, we measured flowers, detected nectar-guides and osmophores and performed pollen viability tests. We studied the reproductive system of the species using manual self- and cross-pollination tests and observed pollinators. Our results revealed that the flowering period takes place during the dry season, between April and October, and that the diurnal flowers open between 7:00 a.m. and 5 p.m. The flowers are shortly tubular with yellow perianth-segments. We found neither nectar nor nectar-guides, and osmophores appeared as glands within the flower tube. Whereas pollen viability was 90.25%, manual cross-pollination tests have shown cross-pollination with gametophytic incompatibility. We observed two bee species visiting the flowers and acting as effective pollinators: Dialictus opacus and Plebeia sp. The combination of low reproductive activity with gametophytic incompatibility, together with the reduced number of individuals in a population and low number of populations, makes the endemic cactus U. buiningii a critically endangered species.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank F. Oliveira (UFBA) and M.G. Lhano (UFRB) for identifying the floral visitors, G. Sousa (UFRB) for support with palynology, W. Lopes, V. Chaves, J. Silva and Sr. Estanislau for fieldwork support, D. Monteiro (ICMBio) for preparing the map, L.C. Marinho (UEFS) for preparing the photographic plates, and the Plant Genetic Resources Post-Graduate Programme (UFRB). S.R.S. acknowledges the support of PROBIO II–ICMBio in financing the project (2012–2014). L.Y.S.A. acknowledges support from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa da Bahia (FAPESB), and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) in financing the project (grants RED0034/2014 and 442604/2014-9, respectively).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Campus Anísio Teixeira, Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil

    Valber Dias Teixeira

  2. Centro de Ciências, Departamento de Biologia, Laboratório de Citogenética e Evolução de Plantas, Universidade Federal do Ceará – UFC, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil

    Christiano Franco Verola & Itayguara Ribeiro da Costa

  3. Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Instituto Tecnológico Vale e Coord. Botânica, Belém, Pará, Brasil

    Daniela C. Zappi

  4. Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Ambientais e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia – UFRB, Cruz das Almas, BA, Brazil

    Grênivel Mota da Costa, Maria Angélica Pereira de Carvalho Costa & Lidyanne Yuriko Saleme Aona

  5. ICMBio/CECAT, Brasília, DF, Brazil

    Suelma Ribeiro Silva

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  1. Valber Dias Teixeira
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  2. Christiano Franco Verola
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  3. Itayguara Ribeiro da Costa
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  4. Daniela C. Zappi
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  8. Lidyanne Yuriko Saleme Aona
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Correspondence to Lidyanne Yuriko Saleme Aona.

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Teixeira, V.D., Franco Verola, C., da Costa, I.R. et al. Investigating the floral and reproductive biology of the endangered microendemic cactus Uebelmannia buiningii Donald (Minas Gerais, Brazil). Folia Geobot 53, 227–239 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12224-018-9315-6

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