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Experimental Studies on Species Relationships in Erythrina (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae)
Abstract
Erythrina L. comprises about 112 species distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics. Most species are trees or shrubs, and most are diploids with n = 21. All are adapted to bird pollination, some by passerine birds and others by hummingbirds. Erythrina is subdivided into five subgenera and 27 sections. Research concentrated on sect. Erythrina, with 36 species centered in Mexico and Central America; selected species in other sections were also studied. Experimental interspecific hybridizations and self-compatibility trials were conducted using cultivated trees at several botanical gardens in Hawaii. Comparative morphological analyses were made of the hybrids and their parents. Studies of population structure and natural hybridization were carried out in natural populations of hummingbird-pollinated sect. Erythrina. Erythrina species are self-compatible, but some inbreeding depression is associated with selfing. Within sect. Erythrina, interspecific hybrids are obtained just as readily as are progeny from within-species outcrosses. The hybrids are vigorous, fertile, and by several measures exhibit interspecific heterosis. At greater taxonomic distances between the parental species (between sections and subgenera), crossability, viability, and fertility of the hybrid progeny are generally lower than in intrasectional hybridizations. Some hybrids were obtained between species of different subgenera indigenous to different continents. There are probably no absolute internal barriers to hybridization among all the diploid species of Erythrina. The genus may be characterized taxogenetically as a homogamic complex. Interspecific hybrids are intermediate between their parental species in morphological traits, including macroscopic features of the inflorescence and flower and microscopic features of the leaf epidermis. The inheritance of particular features of the male parent in the progeny allows for confirmation of hybridity. Species of sect. Erythrina are generally allopatric, but field studies of natural populations in southern Mexico revealed several localities where two species do occur sympatrically and where natural hybrids are found. Traplining hummingbirds, the pollinators of sect. Erythrina, are implicated as the agents of interspecific hybridization among sympatric species. The results of experimental hybridization, together with studies of comparative morphology and distribution patterns, suggest that some species of Erythrina are stabilized hybrid derivatives.
... This family is composed of 32 tribes, 730 genera, and over 19,400 species [1]. The genus Erythrina (Fabaceae, subfamily Papilionoideae) consists of 200 species, distributed in tropical and subtropical regions [2,3]. Erythrina name has its origin from the Greek word "Erythros" related to its bright red flowers. ...
... Erythrina  neillii Mabberley & Lorence is a sterile hybrid between E. herbacea L. and Erythrina humeana Spreng having attractive bright red flowers with no fruits or seeds [2]. Many studies revealed that the identification of certain species of Erythrina is not well established [11,12]. ...
... 120 to 130 species (Du Puy et al. 2002;Schrire 2005) distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics of the world in a wide range of habitats. The species can be found in arid tropical deserts or lowland alluvial vegetations to montane forests beyond 3 000 m of altitude, varying from rhizomatous perennial subshrubs to trees measuring more than 40 m high (Neill 1988). ...
Erythrina L. is a genus that comprises ca. 120 to 130 species distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics of the world. Linnaeus established the genus in Genera Plantarum (1737) and the first binomial name given to a Brazilian Erythrina was E. crista-galli L., described by himself in Mantissa Plantarum (1767). Vellozo proposed in Florae Fluminensis (1790-1881) the first treatment of the genus in Brazil, where he treated three species from the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Martins and Tozzi proposed the most recent treatment in 2018, where the authors recognized 11 valid names and presented three new synonyms. Despite extensive efforts already made in the genus, previous works did not treat all names related to the valid ones for Brazilian Erythrina. The present work is the most comprehensive and up-to-date nomenclatural treatment for the genus in Brazil, covering all 84 related names found on digital nomenclatural databases. Here we analyze 64 protologues, update typification statuses, propose five new synonyms, 13 new lectotypes (11 first-step, two second-step) and one neotype, linking all protologues and type specimens with their corresponding available digital sources, and make additional notes on etymology and vernacular names.
... Erythrina species are closely related to one another, and most of them (even from different subgenera) produce fertile hybrids when intercrossed (Neill, 1988). ...
This datasheet on Erythrina poeppigiana covers Identity, Overview, Distribution, Dispersal, Diagnosis, Biology & Ecology, Environmental Requirements, Natural Enemies, Impacts, Uses, Prevention/Control, Management, Genetics and Breeding, Economics, Further Information.
... This genus is known to occur in tropical and subtropical regions, and in some temperate regions of the world. The American continent shows the presence of 72 species while in Africa 31 species can be found and in Asia 12 species were reported (Callejon et al., 2014;García-Beltrán and Moreno-Palacios, 2015;Majinda et al., 2001;Neill, 1988). Erythrin plants are interesting species widely used as ornamental plants and in folk medicine in various parts of the world. ...
In the present work, we report the isolation of five alkaloids from the seeds of Erythrina rubrinervia. Four of the isolated alkaloids are erythrinoid type alkaloids which were identified as erysodine (1), erysovine (2), erythraline (3) and erysotrine (4), plus an indolic alkaloid which was identified as hypaphorine (5). The analysis of spectroscopic data for the alkaloid l-hypaphorine shows that the published structure (5a) must be revised, and the correct structure is that depicted as the structure 5c. The chemical structures were elucidated by full spectroscopic analysis. The chemotaxonomic significance of those findings in the genus Erythrina is also discussed.
... Erythrina edulis is one of the about 112 legume species belonging to the genus Erythrina [1]. The name of the genus comes from erythros, which means red in reference to the color of its flowers [2]. ...
Objective: The study aim was to determine the proximate composition and amino acid profiles of seeds, leaves, pods, and flowers of Erythrina edulis that are consumed in Oxapampa, Perú. Methods: Plant parts of E. edulis were analyzed for proximate composition (proteins, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, and ash) according to AOAC methods. Amino acid profiles were determined by HPLC analysis. Results: Fat contents were low (<1.3%) in all four plant parts. The crude fiber was high in leaves and pods (19.9 and 15.1%, respectively). Protein contents in leaves (24.4%) and flowers (23.7%) were higher than that of the pods (19.3%). The limiting amino acids in the seeds were methionine and tryptophan, while the pods were deficient in four amino acids (methionine, tryptophan, histidine, and isoleucine). Of the four plant parts studied, the flowers turned out to be a promising source of protein because they meet most of the amino acid requirements for adults recommended by FAO. Conclusion: The seeds and flowers of E. edulis have a high protein content and a good amino acid profile that makes them recommended for human consumption.
Tropical dry forest ecosystems are among the most endangered ecosystems globally. In Hawaii, dry forest species are under threat due to habitat destruction, invasive species, and a loss of mutualisms including pollinators. Understanding the pollination biology of species at risk can inform conservation strategies. This study aimed to identify the breeding system and types of floral visitors to Erythrina sandwicensis (Fabaceae) or wiliwili, an iconic Hawaiian tree in decline and with little regeneration. We conducted hand-pollination trials and observed visitors in two sites: a botanical garden and a forest site. We compared fruit set, seed set, seed germination, seedling growth rate, and seedling size across four pollination treatments: open control, autogamy, geitonogamy, and xenogamy. We found that wiliwili is visited by a novel suite of non-native visitors. All treatments produced seeds, but the xenogamous (cross) treatment produced significantly more fruit and seeds than the control or other treatments. Seedlings produced from cross-pollinated treatments were also taller and had wider basal diameters after twenty-eight days of growth. These results indicate that wiliwili employs a mixed-mating system, and that trees are pollen limited. Enhancing current populations of wiliwili to promote cross-pollination could help increase population regeneration.
Premise:
Pollinators are thought to exert selective pressures on plants, mediating the evolution of convergent floral shape often recognized as pollination syndromes. However, little is known about the accuracy of using petal shape for inferring convergence in pollination mode without a priori pollination information. Here we studied the genus Erythrina L. as a test case to assess whether ornithophyllous pollination modes (hummingbirds, passerines, sunbirds, or mixed pollination) can be inferred based on the evolutionary analysis of petal shape.
Methods:
We characterized the two-dimensional dissected shape of standard, keel, and wing petals from 106 Erythrina species using geometric morphometrics and reconstructed a phylogenetic tree of 83 Erythrina species based on plastid trnL-F and nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences. We then used two phylogenetic comparative methods based on Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models, SURFACE and l1OU, to infer distinct morphological groups using petal shape and identify instances of convergent evolution. The effectiveness of these methods was evaluated by comparing the groups inferred to known pollinators.
Results:
We found significant petal shape differences between hummingbird- and passerine-pollinated Erythrina species. Our analyses also revealed that petal combinations generally provided better inferences of pollinator types than individual petals and that the method and optimization criterion can affect the results.
Conclusions:
We show that model-based approaches using petal shape can detect convergent evolution of floral shape and relatively accurately infer pollination modes in Erythrina. The inference power of the keel petals argues for a deeper investigation of their role in the pollination biology of Erythrina and other bird-pollinated legumes.
The “Heck reaction” (also called the Mizoroki–Heck reaction) is the chemical reaction of an unsaturated halide (triflate) with an activated alkene in the presence of a base and a palladium (Pd) species as catalyst to generate a substituted alkene. One of the benefits of the Heck reaction is its outstanding trans-selectivity. The Heck reaction is a Pd-catalyzed carbon–carbon cross-coupling reaction that takes place between aryl halides or vinyl halides and activated alkenes in the presence of a base. Recent developments in catalysts and reaction conditions have resulted in a much broader range of donors and acceptors that are amenable to the Heck reaction. In this chapter, we try to follow and cover, the total synthesis of alkaloids using Heck reaction.
Eucalyptus is one of the most distinctive botanical features of Australia, and since most of the species are trees and occur mainly in the non-arid quarter of the Continent with a rainfall of more than about 15 inches, they are a very prominent feature of the natural landscape of most of the more closely settled areas and a major component of the plant communities of this zone.
Oaks exemplify problems with the reproductive species concept which motivate a reconsideration of the use and nature of species. Ecology is important in the reconsideration. The species level is usually overemphasized in evolutionary thought; selection acts on phenotypes and any mutualistic units. Standard definitions tend to inhibit free conceptual progress. Multispecies, sets of broadly sympatric species that exchange genes, may occur among animals as well as plants and may conceivably bridge kingdoms. This phenomenon can be adaptively important. There may be taxa without species. The degree of modality of adaptive zones can be investigated empirically.
The general evolutionary trend in seed plants from trees to perennial and further to annual herbs is paralleled by changes in evolutionary patterns and strategies, shaped by selection and adaptation. With abbreviated generation sequences we find on the average an increasing rate of structural and dysploid change, more genetic isolation and less hybridization, therefore reduced recombination rates, and more and faster evolutionary divergence, coupled with penetration into less favourable and less stabile habitats of the biosphere. Form patterns and "subpatterns" are conditioned by particular modes of reproduction, ecogeographical position, phases of diversification, stagnation or depletion, etc. There are probably no aspects of differentation and variation, which are not selectively coordinated within the framework of such evolutionary patterns and strategies. It will be an important task for future biosystematics to find out more about this by comparative approach and experimental analysis on our way to a better understanding of evolution.
Trinidad and Tobago support populations of three Erythrina species: E. pallida, E. fusca, and E. poeppigiana. We obtained data on visit frequencies of potential avian pollinators over two flowering seasons, as well as supplementary data on pollen loads, nectar secretion and availability, breeding systems, and extrafloral nectaries. These data show that E. pallida is pollinated exclusively by long-billed hummingbird species, whereas passerine birds are apparently more important than hummingbirds as pollen vectors of the large trees E. poeppigiana and E. fusca. Characteristics of flowers and nectar in the three species correlate with these contrasting modes of pollination. Inflorescences of all three species are protected from herbivores through extrafloral nectaries, which attract belligerent ants.
Genetically compatible sympatric species are common in Quercus. The degree to which these hybridize successfully is dependent upon the factors that govern the survival of their hybrid offspring. If the parent species differ radically in their soil requirements, the intermediate individuals survive only in an intermediate habitat formed by the mixing of the two soil types. For instance, Q. Margaretta is confined to deep sand and Q. stellata to adjacent areas of various clay and gravel or sandy clay substrata. Their hybrids occur on soils intermediate between these and do not penetrate the areas to which the respective parents are restricted. Wide differences in climatic requirements also may minimize the effects of hybridization by restricting the degree of overlapping of ranges of parents. Thus Q. Havardi, an obligate inhabitant of deep sand on the southern Great Plains, comes in actual contact with Q. stellata over a very limited area at the western extremity of the latter's range where they hybridize freely. Hybrids may be found as much as one hundred and fifty miles west of the present range of Q. stellata. The direction is contrary to the direction of the strong prevailing winds. It appears, therefore, that these outlying hybrids indicate the earlier extension of Q. stellata westward during a pluvial period of the Pleistocene. These controls of effective hybridization played a part in the evolution of two species derived from Q. Gambelii (now confined to the Rocky Mountain region and southward and westward) and Q. stellata (now ranging from central Texas eastward and northward). Quercus Gambelii migrated eastward across the plains and along the sand areas of the Gulf Coastal Plain to the Atlantic during a pluvial period of the Pleistocene or earlier. Subsequent reduction of precipitation removed the plains population, thus isolating the Coastal Plain population from that of the mountains. The evolution resulting from this isolation has distinguished these populations, producing the Coastal Plain species known as Q. Margaretta. Quercus Margaretta and Q. stellata are fully compatible, but their differences in soil requirements limit their gene exchange to a slow rate. However, the westernmost segment of the Q. Margaretta (nee Q. Gambelii) population came in contact with Q. stellata in central Texas early in the eastward migration of Q. Gambelii. Furthermore, there exists in central Texas a larger area of intermediate habitats suitable to the hybrid progeny than is found east of the Mississippi River. As a consequence hybridization of Q. Margaretta with Q. stellata has been progressing in central Texas long and effectively. The resulting intermediate population has become fairly well stabilized and has formed what is known as Q. Drummondii.