Mauricio Cisternas

• Researcher at Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias INIA La Cruz

The Andean uplift and the concomitant aridification drove the rapid diversification of several plant lineages that were able to colonize warmer and drier habitats at low elevations and wetter and colder habitats at high elevations. These transitions may be facilitated by shifts in plant strategies to cope with drought and cold, which in turn can tr...

Mycorrhizal symbioses (mycorrhizas) of Ericaceae, including ericoid mycorrhiza (ErM), have been mainly studied in the Northern Hemisphere, although the highest diversity of ericaceous plants is located in the Southern Hemisphere, where several regions remain largely unexplored. One of them is South America, which harbors a remarkably high diversity...

Background and aims: Botanic gardens play a fundamental role in conservation due to the maintenance of seed and live plant collections. However, the exchange of ornamental plant seeds between botanic gardens can facilitate the entry of seeds of alien species with invasive potential. In 2018, during a visit to the collections of the National Botanic...

Esta base de datos corresponde a una parte de la colección de plantas vasculares del Herbario JBN del Jardín Botánico Nacional, Chile. Presenta especies nativas e introducidas de todo Chile (16 regiones), sin embargo, la mayor cantidad de registros corresponden a la zona central de Chile, en particular la Región de Valparaíso y Coquimbo. Este rec...

Orchids produce small seeds with no energy reserves, relying entirely on orchid mycorrhizal fungi (OMF) for germination. This process, known as symbiotic germination, can lead to different outcomes depending on abiotic factors, such as nutrient availability. Previous studies have shown that nutrient addition has a negative effect on the outcome of...

Several species of the family Orchidaceae have limited distribution and small populations, in which the probability of extinction is much higher than in broadly distributed species. As orchid seeds are very small and lack energy reserves, they require association with compatible mycorrhizal fungi that provide nutrients and carbon needed for germina...

Copiapoa (Cactaceae) is a genus endemic to the Chilean Atacama Desert. The taxa of Copiapoa subsection Cinerei occur in an area of high species richness and high levels of species endemism of the Central Chilean biodiversity hotspot. Four taxa are usually recognised in this group: Copiapoa gigantea (sometimes placed in C. cinerea as C. cinerea subs...

Phenotypic intermediacy is an indicator of putative hybrid origin, and has provided the main clues to discovering hybrid plants in nature. Mandevilla pentlandiana and M. laxa (Apocynaceae) are sister species with clear differences in floral phenotype and associated pollinator guilds: diurnal Hymenoptera and nocturnal hawkmoths, respectively. The pr...

Background and aims: Mycorrhizal associations are influenced by abiotic and biotic factors, including climate, soil conditions and the identity of host plants. However, the effect of environmental conditions on orchid mycorrhizal associations remains poorly understood. The present study examined how differences in soil nutrient availability are re...

En formato de guía de campo, este libro presenta 72 especies de orquídeas nativas de Chile con descripción, fotografías y mapas de distribución, incluyendo también un grupo de posibles híbridos y mostrando la variabilidad de las flores de este poco conocido grupo de plantas. Chilean Orchids Field Guide. Second Edition.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Species of the endemic Chilean cactus genus Copiapoa have cylindrical or (sub)globose stems that are solitary or form (large) clusters and typically yellow flowers. Many species are threatened with extinction. Despite being icons of the Atacama Desert and well loved by cactus enthusiasts, the evolution and diversity of Copiapo...

De acuerdo a datos macromorfológicos y de hábitat se transfiere Altensteinia nervosa Kraenzl. al género Myrosmodes. Se describe la especie y se establece el tipo.

Background/Question/Methods The seeds of Orchidaceae are very small and lacking of energetic reserves, so they need to associate with mycorrhizal fungi for germination and early development. The requirement of find a compatible fungus to germinate can limit the distribution and abundance of orchids. In this way it is expected that orchids with sp...

Many of Chile’s iconic cactus species are threatened by human activities and global change. In order to safeguard them from extinction, both in situ and ex situ conservation actions are urgently needed. In this paper, an overview is given of the in situ and ex situ conservation status of the mainly Chilean cactus genera Copiapoa, Eriosyce and Eulyc...

Chloraea crispa Lindl. is a terrestrial orchid endemic to Chile that has potential to be a novel alternative for the cut flower industry. The objectives of this study were to describe the phenological cycle and floral bud development of C. crispa to determine the timing of initiation and differentiation of the spike. During the summer, plants are d...

The genus Bipinnula Comm. ex Jussieu (1789: 65) includes 11–12 species distributed in two disjunct areas of southern South America. One of these comprises southern Brazil, Uruguay, and eastern Argentina, where six species occur, and the other is Chile where the rest of the species are found (Gosewijn 1993, Pridgeon et al. 2003, Cisternas et al. 201...

Chloraea crispa Lindl. is a terrestrial orchid endemic to Chile that has potential to be a novel alternative for the cut flower industry. The objectives of this study were to describe the phenological cycle and floral bud development of C. crispa to determine the timing of initiation and differentiation of the spike. During the summer, plants are d...

The phylogenetic relationships of subtribe Chloraeinae, a group of terrestrial orchids endemic to southern South America, have not been satisfactorily investigated. A previous molecular phylogenetic analysis based on plastid DNA supported the monophyly of Chloraeinae and Gavilea, but showed that Chloraea is non‐monophyletic and that the sole specie...

In this study mycorrhizal fungi were isolated from the roots of the endemic terrestrial orchid Bipinnula fimbriata. Seven isolates were previously identified as the form-genus Rhizoctonia, a polyphyletic group known to form mycorrhizal associations with Orchidaceae. Two other isolates were included in the study: #793 isolated from Chloraea crispa,...

The extent to which plants depend on pollinators for outcross pollen transportation is a key issue in plant reproductive ecology. We evaluated the putative breeding system, floral display, and natural pollination in two Southern Cone of South American orchids, Gavilea araucana and G. venosa, by performing four hand pollination trials (agamospermy,...

Chromosome numbers and karyotypes of seven specific taxa of the Chilean endemic genus Placea were determined. Chromosome numbers of P. lutea, P. ornata, P. grandiflora, P. germainii and P. aff. davidii are described for the first time. All taxa are diploid with 2n=2x=16 and karyotypes are composed of four metacentric (4 m), ten submetacentric (10 s...

The extent to which plants depend on pollinators for outcross pollen transportation is a key issue in plant reproductive ecology. We evaluated the putative breeding system, foral display, and natural pollination in two Southern Cone of South American orchids, Gavilea araucana and G. venosa, by performing four hand pollination trials (agamospermy, a...

Chromosome numbers and karyotypes of seven specific taxa of the Chilean endemic genus Placea were determined. Chromosome numbers of P. lutea, P. ornata, P grandiflora, P germainii andP. aff davidii are described for the first time. All taxa are diploid with 2«=2x=16 and karyotypes are composed of four metacentric (4 m), ten submetacentric (10 sm),...

The breeding system determines different ways whereby seeds will be produced, and the degree of dependency of plants on pollinators for seed set. The genus Chloraea (Orchiclaceae) has its main center of diversity in southern South America. There is only poor knowledge concerning its breeding system and pollination. We determined the breeding system...

Hyperaccumulator plants species are capable of accumulating more than 1,000 mg Cu kg-1 in their shoots and are useful for metal phytoextraction in soils contaminated by mining activities. To identify the hyperaccumulator plants representative of the Chilean conditions, we carried out a survey of plant diversity in the área affected by the emissions...

Hyperaccumulator plants species are capable of accumulating more than 1,000 mg Cu kg -1 in their shoots and are useful for metal phytoextraction in soils contaminated by mining activities. To identify the hyperaccumulator plants representative of the Chilean conditions, we carried out a survey of plant diversity in the área affected by the emission...

RESUMEN Mediante la técnica de análisis de imagen se evaluó las etapas de germinación de un lote de semillas de Chloraea crispa Lindl. Se pudo observar las cuatro etapas de germinación propuestas por Mitchell. La etapa cero corresponde a semillas sin germinar, éstas son alargadas, curvadas en uno de sus extremos, y alcanzan un largo promedio de 0,5...

Chloraea crispa is an endemic terrestrial orchid with good characteristics as a cut-flower like length stem, number of flowers by stem and long vase life. This species has small seeds that germinate associated to Rhizoctonia. In a program of genetic improvement of Chloraea crispa, it is necessary to develop a germination protocol with a high effici...

Through image analysis technique, germination stages of Chloraea crispa Lindl. were evaluated. The four germination steps proposed by Mitchell could be observed. Zero step corresponding to ungerminated seeds, there are lengthened, curved in one point, and 0.5 mm in mean. In step one just width increase due to embryo growth was observed. In step two...