Melania FernándezUniversity of Costa Rica | UCR · Jardín Botánico Lankester
Melania Fernández
Ph.D. Candidate
About
42
Publications
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Introduction
Melania Fernández currently works at the Jardín Botánico Lankester, University of Costa Rica, and the Plant and Soil Science Department, Texas Tech University. Melania does research in taxonomy, systematics and orchid and mycorrhizal ecology.
Additional affiliations
August 2016 - present
January 2017 - January 2018
June 2013 - present
Publications
Publications (42)
This is a correction to: Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, boae054, https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boae054
Pleurothallidinae is the most diverse Neotropical subtribe in Orchidaceae and is almost exclusively pollinated by insects of the order Diptera. Dracula, a genus of 138 species in the Pleurothallidinae, is known to attract Zygothrica (Drosophilidae) flies, common macrofungi visitors, by imitating fungal volatile compounds and lamellae. Interestingly...
Una guia práctica para la confección de láminas de disección digitales de plantas, con énfasis en Orchidaceae.
What grows where? Knowledge about where to find particular species in nature must have been key to the survival of humans throughout our evolution. Over time, and as people colonised new land masses and habitats, interactions with the local biota led to a wealth of combined traditional and scientific wisdom about the distributions of species and th...
Concrete is now a prevalent type of synthetic rock, and its production and usage have major environmental implications. Yet, assessments of ordinary concrete have rarely considered that concrete itself is potential habitat for a globally important microbial guild, the endolithic microbes, which live inside rocks and other mineralized substrates. We...
Mycorrhizal symbiosis has been related to the coexistence and community assembly of coexisting orchids in few studies despite their obligate dependence on mycorrhizal partners to establish and survive. In hyper-diverse environments like tropical rain forests, coexistence of epiphytic orchids may be facilitated through mycorrhizal fungal specializat...
Environmental and biotic axes act in combination to define the ecological niches of plant species. Two species with shared physical space are expected to compete for access to water and nutrients. In hyper-diverse areas like tropical forests, competition is expected to be extreme, and theory predicts that coexistence is only possible through specia...
Mycorrhizal symbiosis has been related to the coexistence and community assembly of coexisting orchids in few studies despite their obligate dependence on mycorrhizal partners to establish and survive. In hyper-diverse environments like tropical rain forests, coexistence of epiphytic orchids may be facilitated through mycorrhizal fungal specializat...
The typification of 53 orchid species described by Rudolf Schlechter based on specimens gathered in Costa Rica by Paul (Pablo) Biolley, Juan José Cooper Sandoval, Auguste R. Endrés, Carl Hoffmann, Emel Jiménez Segura, Otón Jiménez, Friedrich Carl Lehmann, Ferdinand Nevermann, Richard Pfau, and Henry Pittier in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
A new species of Muscarella from Costa Rica, is described and illustrated.
Aim: We conduct a biogeographical assessment of orchids in a global biodiversity hotspot to explore their distribution and occurrences of local hotspots while identifying geographic attributes underpinning diversity patterns. We evaluate habitat characteristics associated with orchid diversity hotspots and make comparisons to other centres of orchi...
Taxonomic delimitations are challenging because of the convergent and variable nature of phenotypic
traits. This is evident in species-rich lineages, where the ancestral and derived states and their gains
and losses are difficult to assess. Phylogenetic comparative methods help to evaluate the convergent
evolution of a given morphological character...
Phragmipedium is a genus with 21 species restricted to the tropics and subtropics from Central and South America. As it is a genus capable of producing seeds from both self-and cross-pollinated flowers, it is an ideal group to investigate the components of its reproductive success. In this research, some of those components are described in P. long...
Few studies have examined the diversity of fungal communities of epiphytic orchids from hyperdiverse tropical forests and its temporal dynamics. This study aims to describe the fungal diversity associated with three tropical, epiphytic orchid species from a Costa Rican hyperdiverse forest across a three year-period at the juvenile and adult stages,...
Pleurothallidinae (Epidendreae) are a megadiverse Neotropical orchid subtribe comprising > 5100 species, most
of which are probably pollinated by Diptera. The role of pollinators as drivers of species diversity is largely
unknown because knowledge of pollination systems in Pleurothallidinae is still scarce. Here, we addressed the
pollination of Tri...
We propose a new classification of the Lepanthes affinity based on previous studies and our ongoing phylogenetic re-evaluation of the Pleurothallidinae. Fourteen genera are recognized as belonging to the affinity. They are found highly supported in a DNA-based phylogenetic inference of combined plastid (matK) and nuclear (nrITS) datasets. The neces...
Molecular barcoding of orchids remains challenging and unreliable owing to the wide diversity within the family combined with poorly populated sequence databases. In highly diverse tropical ecosystems, identifying orchid taxa is challenging using morphological characteristics alone. This problem is compounded in seedlings, juvenile individuals and...
Two new species of Pleurothallis subsection Macrophyllae-Fasciculatae from Costa Rica are described and illustrated, and their relationships discussed. Pleurothallis pudica, from the central Pacific mountain region, is compared with P. phyllocardia, but it is easily recognized by the densely pubescent- hirsute flowers. Pleurothallis luna-crescens,...
Panama is still far from completing its orchid flora inventories, where large genera such as Lepanthes (Pleurothallidinae) reveal novelties regularly. Here, we describe and illustrate two new species of Lepanthes. Lepanthes aures-ursinae is similar to L. micellilabia but differs by the orbicular-ovate, obtuse, convex leaves, larger sepals 2.7–3.0 ×...
Abstract. The Swiss botanist Adolphe Tonduz worked in Costa Rica from 1889 to 1920. For 20 years he carried out important activities as a plant collector and the curator of the largest Costa Rican herbarium beginning at the Instituto Físico-Geográfico Nacional, and later at the National Museum. A large number of new species of Orchidaceae are found...
The phylogenetic relationships within the Acianthera affinity are re-evaluated using Bayesian analyses of nrITS and chloro- plast matK sequence data. Emphasis is made on species from the Antilles, Central America and the Andean South America as those have been less represented in previous studies. Acianthera is retrieved largely monophyletic, but i...
The Swiss botanist Adolphe Tonduz worked in Costa Rica from 1889 to 1920. For 20 years he carried out important activities as a plant collector and the curator of the largest Costa Rican herbarium beginning at the Instituto Físico-Geográfico Nacional, and later at the National Museum. A large number of new species of Orchidaceae are found among his...
A taxonomic revision of Trichosalpinx (Orchidaceae) in Costa Rica is presented. The
taxonomic history of the genus, its phylogenetic position and nomenclatural issues are
discussed. Characters of vegetative and floral morphology are addressed and illustrated,
and their taxonomic significance is discussed. The genus is treated as comprising 23
speci...
To THE SOUTHEAST of Cartago and Paraiso, in Costa Rica, there is a rather primitive road through Gwibata to Cach!o It is better to go up the road through Gwibata, as it is much less frightening than the road from Cachi to Alto de Araya. Near the highest point of the road (Alto de Araya) there is a small lake that is said to be quite deep, and there...
The establishment in Costa Rica of the great naturalist Charles H. Lankester in the 19th century brought a tremendous increase in the knowledge of Costa Rican Orchidaceae. His desire to leave the collections kept at his farm for a scientific and educational purpose was finally accomplished in 1973 with the foundation of Lankester Botanical Garden (...
With this book, Charles Lankester pays tribute to the rich diversity of orchids in the country that welcomed him as one of its own, and with this publication, the University of Costa Rica honors his memory as the founder of the Lankester Botanical Gardens, an internationally recognized research center for the study of orchids. A summary of the most...
The genus Trichosalpinx is a member of subtribe
Pleurothallidinae and was described 30 years ago by
C.A. Luer (1983). It was later subdivided in four subgenera
named Trichosalpinx, Tubella, Pseudolepanthes and
Xenia (Luer 1997). Although the subgenus Trichosalpinx
encompasses nearly a thirty out of the approx. 107 species
currently accepted, it is...
Epidendrum inhibitiosum is here described as part of the ongoing Icones Orchidacearum (Mex.). The new species can be recognized by the fractiflex stem and the nearly closed flowers.
Trichosalpinx sanctuarii, a new species of Orchidaceae, subtribe Pleurothallidinae, is described and illustrated. It most resembles T. ringens, from which it is distinguished in the text. The new species is endemic to Costa Rica.
After the publication of the most recent and comprehensive treatment of the Orchidaceae in the
Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica, new species continue being discovered in the country on a regular basis.
Novelties in Acianthera, Epidendrum, Lepanthes, Masdevallia, Pleurothallis, and Specklinia are discussed.
We present eight new records including the...
A new species of Trichosalpinx from the Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica is described and illustrated. Trichosalpinx reflexa, which is morphologically most similar to T. memor and T. ciliaris, is distinguished mainly by the narrow elliptical leaves, the glabrous sepals and the reflexed synsepal. Information about distribution, habitat and phenology o...
Trichosalpinx minutipetala, considered a synonym of T.
memor since 1997, is recognized as a distinct species. Descriptions
and illustrations of both species are provided, and a comparative
table of morphological characters is included. T. minutipetala is compared
morphologically to T. memor, from which it can be readily
distinguished by the much la...
Figures and Descriptions from Living Specimens, of little Known or
New Plants of Botanical Interest Grown at Lankester Botanical Garden,
University of Costa Rica
The identity of Pleurothallis luctuosa, its taxonomic history and geographic distribution are discussed, and the species is described and illustrated. A new species from Costa Rica, P. neglecta, is described and illustrated. Pleurothallis neglecta is compared with P. luctuosa, from which it differs by the distinct conduplicate leaves, different col...
Lepanthes arenasiana from the Talamanca range in Costa Rica is described and illustrated. It is most similar to L. lancifolia but differs in having denticulate sepals, the petals with the upper lobe oblong, narrowing at apex and terminating as a short apicule, and the lower lobe basally ovate and straight, filiform towards the apex. rEsuMEn: Se des...
Presentamos e ilustramos una nueva especie de Myoxanthus para Costa Rica, junto a la descripcion e ilustracion de M. scandens basadas en material costarricense. La nueva especie, Myoxanthus sotoanum, es similar a M. scandens, de la que difiere principalmente por sus hojas lineares, las flores cafe-amarillento, los petalos y el labelo amarillos, los...
Questions
Questions (8)
Hi, we are trying to figure out if ultra-purified water can be stored. We have a Thermo Smart2Pure 3 uv/uf.
If it is possible to store the ultra-purified water:
1. Will the type I water change its conductivity, resistance and TOCS (total organic carbon) to a type II or type III?
2. And how long can it be stored for?
3. What type of container would be needed?
If it is not possible to store it:
1. What would you do to decrease the need for filter change, given that our lab will only be using this type of water once a week for a year or more?
Thanks to anyone with information on this!
I am looking at fungal sequence data from epiphytic orchid root tissue, and Amanitaceae is showing up as an important constituent. Does anybody know if there are epiphytic Amanitaceae, or if mycelia can grow on trees in tropical forests?
Thank you for your comments!
We have set various in situ experiments with epiphytic orchids seeds. We put fresh orchid seeds inside nylon mesh packets (ca. 1000 seeds per packet) along with a bit of moss (to improve moisture), and then located those packets on tree branches close to mother plants. After 1 year, we retrieved the packets and open them to locate germinating seeds, but moss and lichens have grown inside of the packets, plus there is a large accumulation of detritus and dirt, so it has been very difficult to locate the seeds (only finding <5%). We don't expect mortality/decomposition rates to eliminate 95% of seeds.
Do you have a recommendation on how to locate those seeds?
We have tried the following:
1) series of washes and filters to remove bigger pieces of moss and lichens
2) washes and low centrifugation
3) centrifugation with filters
4) dilution of centrifuged materiales in several petri dishes.
We wish to use a method that wont damage the putative fungi growing in the germinating seeds / protocorms.
Thank you!
I am working with mycorrhizal fungi, and would like to find a cheaper good-quality shredder column to replace the expensive Qiagen's Qiashredder columns. So far, I have only found the EZshredder but haven't tried it yet and would like to know if it has been used in fungal DNA extractions by anyone, with good yield.
I use the 5 mm tungsten carbide beads for mycorrhizal fungi DNA extraction from plant root tissue, using the DNA plant minikit-. Right now 200 beads from Qiagen are almost 200$; so I am looking for a cheaper alternative (other brands, other metal: stainless steel?,...) and where to buy it from. Any suggestion? Many thanks!!
Hi all,
I am looking for a datalogger that measures and records the pH of a substrate for long periods of time (lets say 6 months) while exposed to rough natural conditions (in the canopy of a tree in a tropical forest, for example).
Thanks much!
Hi,
I am getting holes in the cap of my sample tubes containing root tissue when grinding them in a Retsch 400 mill. The mill is configured at 30 Hz for 1.5 min. Samples and adaptors are first submerged in liquid N2 for ca. 2-2.5 min and then put in the mill. Adapters are being fully filled.
Any idea of what may be happening? Troubleshooting?
Petals with glandular trichomes were sectioned in 1cm pieces, dehydrated and fixed in paraplast; 10 um transversal cuts were obtained. I am looking for a histochemical technique that allows me to identify whether the trichomes contain aromatic substances (lets say, terpenes) or not. Thanks a lot!
