Papers by Ana Ortega-Olivencia
Biodiversity and Conservation
The importance of many mutualistic interactions is poorly understood because information on their... more The importance of many mutualistic interactions is poorly understood because information on their frequency and distribution at wide spatial scales is lacking. One such interaction is that between ants and plants bearing diaspores equipped with elaiosomes, which function as a reward for ants in exchange for dispersion. Our aim was to estimate the number of taxa having elaiosome-bearing diaspores in the Ibero-Balearic territory and its relationship to several factors. We estimated that at least 572 species and subspecies, almost one-third endemic, are present, which corresponds to ca. 5.1% of European angiosperms and 9% of Iberian ones. Because this number of elaiosome-bearing taxa is much higher than those given so far for the Northern Hemisphere, the Ibero-Balearic territory should be considered an important center of myrmecochory, with myrmecochorous species richness significantly positively correlated with ruggedness, latitude, and longitude. In contrast to other myrmecochorous territories (Australia and Cape Province), where numerous trees and shrubs develop on acid substrates, most myrmecochores in the Ibero-Balearic area are perennial herbs occupying basic substrates. Such perennial herbs are more frequent in the Eurosiberian floristic region, whereas annuals abound in the Mediterranean region. The enumerated taxa mainly inhabit forests, scrubs, and anthropized sites. Among them, 56.5% carry the elaiosome on seeds (especially strophiole and caruncle types). In 36.7%, the elaiosome is borne on indehiscent fruits, such as achenes in Asteraceae, where they are found either at the base of the style or the basal hilum, and at the base of nutlets (Boraginaceae and Lamiaceae).
Plant Species Biology
Seed dispersal is one of the most important steps in the plant life cycle. However, there is, gen... more Seed dispersal is one of the most important steps in the plant life cycle. However, there is, generally, a lack of fieldworks focused on wind dispersal and especially on semachorous dispersal (seeds spread when the fruits are shaken by wind and other vectors, such as animals), including boleochorous dispersal. Therefore, we aimed to determine how different types of wind and animals affected seed dispersal under natural conditions in the widespread species Scrophularia canina. We evaluated the effects of wind gusts (simulating them using a leaf blower) and wild animals (using differently sized dogs) on seed dispersal in a population located in south‐western Europe. We found that S. canina is a semachorous species, and its spatial seed dispersal was affected by wind gust speed and direction, plant structure and vector type. The results also revealed the presence of xerochasy, individual anisotropy with strong winds, and primary short‐distance dispersal associated with successional processes independent of the vector. Additionally, there was a masking effect of plant structure on the seed shadow outline. It is essential to conduct fieldworks to reveal what actually happens in nature, taking into account the characteristics determining seed dispersal. In addition, in these works it is important to find out what factors affect seed distributions of anemochorous and semachorous species.
Acta Botanica Malacitana
Tras la identificación de numerosas plantas recolectadas en una expedición a Marruecos durante 19... more Tras la identificación de numerosas plantas recolectadas en una expedición a Marruecos durante 1989, nuestro objetivo fue averiguar si alguna implicaba la ampliación o confirmación de área para algunos de los sectores considerados en la Checklist of Vascular Plants of N Morocco. Con los resultados obtenidos se amplía la información corológica de tres taxones de angiospermas, recolectados en los sectores de Targuist (v.g. Sedum andegavense), Tsoul (v.g. Jasione montana subsp. cornuta) y Zerhoun (v.g. Mantisalca duriaei). Solo un taxón es endémico de Marruecos (Jasione montana subsp. cornuta).
Acta Botanica Malacitana
El estudio morfológico comparado de Scrophularia schousboei Lange y S. su- blyrata Brot. ha pues... more El estudio morfológico comparado de Scrophularia schousboei Lange y S. su- blyrata Brot. ha puesto de manifiesto que la variabilidad morfológica indicada para S. schousboei corresponde en realidad a la observable en plantas jóvenes o de primer año de S. sublyrata, por lo que se deduce que ambos nombres han sido aplicados a plantas de la misma especie pero de distinta edad, debiéndose denominar el taxon como S. syblyrata Brot., por ser este el epíteto disponible más antiguo.
Acta Botanica Malacitana
Weisia fallax Sehlm. (CA) TF64, Si de las Cabras, pto. de las Palomas, 400 m, suelo, fértil (R012... more Weisia fallax Sehlm. (CA) TF64, Si de las Cabras, pto. de las Palomas, 400 m, suelo, fértil (R0122M). CONCLUS ION Como resultado de nuestro trabajo hemos encontrado 22 Hepáticas y 25 Musgos que son nuevas citas para la zona estudiada Hasta ahora se conocen de Cádiz 247 musgos y 93 hepáticas, en Córdoba, 186 musgos y 56 hepáticas, en Huelva 116 musgos y 55 hepáticas y en Sevilla, 97 musgos y 47 hepáticas. El mayor número de briófitos en Cádiz creemos se debe a haber sido paso de numerosos botánicos que iban a Africa y no por diferencias de clima, suelo, etc, con las otras provincias. Esto intentaremos demostrarlo en trabajos futuros. BIBLIOGRAFIA CASAS, C.-1981-The mosses of Spain an annotated checklist. Treballs de l'institut Bot. Barcelona.
Acta Botanica Malacitana
New combinations in Dipsaceae. Palabras clave. Knautia, Lomelosia, taxonomía, Península Ibérica.K... more New combinations in Dipsaceae. Palabras clave. Knautia, Lomelosia, taxonomía, Península Ibérica.Key words. Knautia, Lomelosia, taxonomy, Iberian Peninsula.
Acta Botanica Malacitana
Floristic news of Spanish Scrophularia Palabras clave. Flora, corología, Scrap/in/aria, España. K... more Floristic news of Spanish Scrophularia Palabras clave. Flora, corología, Scrap/in/aria, España. Key words. Flora, chorology, Scrophularia, Spain.
Acta Botanica Malacitana
RESUMEN. Sobre el tratamiento de Galium L. (Rubiaceae) en Flora Iberica. El estudio taxonómico de... more RESUMEN. Sobre el tratamiento de Galium L. (Rubiaceae) en Flora Iberica. El estudio taxonómico del género Galium para Flora Iberica ha revelado la existencia en el territorio de 51 especies y 14 subespecies. Éstas han sido agrupadas en 10 secciones, previamente descritas, reconociéndose para algunas de ellas nuevas series: Galium sect. Galium ser. Trichogaliopsis (Lange) Ortega-Olivencia & Devesa, Galium sect. Galium ser. Andalusiana Ortega-Olivencia & Devesa, Galium sect. Platygalium ser. Platygalium (DC.) Ortega-Olivencia & Devesa, Galium sect. Platygalium ser. Ephedrogalium Ortega-Olivencia & Devesa y Galium sect. Leiogalium ser. Pulchra Ortega-Olivencia & Devesa. La serie Ephedrogalium comprende sólo G. ephedroides Willk., taxón para el de se ha estudiado la anatomía foliar, al objeto de evidenciar el número de nervios que poseen sus hojas -tres- y que justifica su inclusión en la sección. Para Galium idubedae (Pau ex Debeaux) Pau ex Ehrend. (Galium sect. Leptogalium Lange) se d...
PhytoKeys
Based on our study of 4,845 herbarium sheets of the genus Poa from the area covered by Flora iber... more Based on our study of 4,845 herbarium sheets of the genus Poa from the area covered by Flora iberica, namely, the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, we recognise 24 taxa (17 species, 1 subspecies and 8 varieties), mostly perennials. Most of these taxa have wide global and/or European distributions, while two (P.legionensis and P.minorsubsp.nevadensis) are Spanish endemics and two have restricted distributions (P.ligulata, Iberia–North Africa; P.flaccidula, Iberia–North Africa and the Balearic Islands, extending to Provence, France). We have studied the original publications of more than 225 names considered as synonyms, with those more historically cited in Flora iberica taken into account in this paper; a total of 26 are new synonyms. The following names are typified: P.alpinavar.involucrata Lange, P.annuavar.lanuginosa Sennen, P.minorsubsp.nevadensis Nannf., P.paui Font Quer, P.sulcata Lag. and P.trivialisvar.flaccida Willk. ex J.J. Rodr. We include P.compressa L. in the ...
Acta Botanica Malacitana
Floristic notes on some grasses of Flora ibericaPalabras clave: Corología, Flora iberica, Gramine... more Floristic notes on some grasses of Flora ibericaPalabras clave: Corología, Flora iberica, Gramineae, Península Ibérica, Poaceae, Pooideae.Key words: Chorology, Flora iberica, Gramineae, Iberian Peninsula, Poaceae, Pooideae.
TAXON
A taxonomic survey of the relict and poorly known circum-Mediterranean Anagyris (Fabaceae) was co... more A taxonomic survey of the relict and poorly known circum-Mediterranean Anagyris (Fabaceae) was conducted using a total evidence principle approach based on morphological and molecular data. Statistical analysis of both qualitative and quantitative morphological and chemically-derived traits allowed us to separate the Mediterranean A. foetida and the Canarian A. latifolia as independent species. Newly analyzed traits relating to the odour of leaves, number of inflorescences per branch, colour of fresh calyx, and degree of corolla opening, were diagnostic for identifying these two previously almost indistinguishable taxa. Significant differences in quantitative morphometric traits indicate that vegetative and floral characters are overall larger in A. latifolia than in A. foetida, supporting the hypothesis of increased size and woodiness of Macaronesian endemic plants compared to the reduced sizes of their continental counterparts adapted to the more xeric Mediterranean climate. Combined plastid trnLF and nuclear ribosomal ITS data recovered a monophyletic origin of Anagyris within the central-western Eurasian Thermopsideae clade and its split into two lineages. The dated divergences of the Anagyris lineages, calculated by Bayesian relaxed-clock methods with the combined sequence data, showed that Anagyris diverged in the late Miocene (8.2 ± 4.5 Ma), and that the origin of A. foetida (3.6 ± 3.2 Ma) pre-dated that of A. latifolia (1.9 ± 2.1 Ma).
Plant Ecology & Diversity
PloS one, 2017
The Macaronesian Scrophularia lowei is hypothesized to have arisen from the widespread S. arguta ... more The Macaronesian Scrophularia lowei is hypothesized to have arisen from the widespread S. arguta on the basis of several phylogenetic studies of the genus, but sampling has been limited. Although these two annual species are morphologically distinct, the origin of S. lowei is unclear because genetic studies focused on this Macaronesian species are lacking. We studied 5 S. lowei and 25 S. arguta populations to determine the relationship of both species and to infer the geographical origin of S. lowei. The timing of S. lowei divergence and differentiation was inferred by dating analysis of the ITS region. A phylogenetic analysis of two nuclear (ITS and ETS) and two chloroplast (psbJ-petA and psbA-trnH) DNA regions was performed to study the relationship between the two species, and genetic differentiation was analysed by AMOVA. Haplotype network construction and Bayesian phylogeographic analysis were conducted using chloroplast DNA regions and a spatial clustering analysis was carried...
![Research paper thumbnail of Dos táxones interesantes para la flora de Europa. [Two interesting taxa for European flora]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/74852706/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Anales Del Jardin Botanico De Madrid, Aug 23, 1986
Zahlbr, (con citación errónea de la fecha de publicación del basiónimo, refiriéndolo al año 1856,... more Zahlbr, (con citación errónea de la fecha de publicación del basiónimo, refiriéndolo al año 1856, como nos hace notar O. Vitikainen, comm. pers.). El único material conocido es el proveniente de la recolección utilizada por el autor; a ella alude una de las cartas enviadas por B. Lázaro a W. Nylander, conservada en la biblioteca del Museo Botánico de la Universidad de Helsinki (comm. pers, de X. Llimona) y fechada en 19 de marzo de 1898: «Le Endocarpon dilutius c'est un espece rare et je n'ai plus echantillon que je vous ai envoye et un autre egalement petit». Los ejemplares a los que se refiere se conservan en H-NYL y MAF-lich. La muestra depositada en H-NYL 3997 corresponde a un solo talo, fraccionado, con anotaciones manuscritas: «Endocarpon dilutius/Nyl.//(dibujo de ascósporas)/0.010-ll/ 0.005//Hispania. /Aranda de Moncayo/prov. Saragossa. (58)/Lázaro/1897». Este material es en todo acorde con la descripción original del taxon-nuestro recuento de 30 ascósporas da como tamaño de éstas (8)-10-(12)/5-6 um-, pero los caracteres aludidos por el autor para caracterizarlo como taxon independiente de Endocarpon miniatum (L.) Gártner [«pallidius, apotheciis supra pallescentibus, sporis minoribus (longit. 0.010-11, crassit. 0.005 millim.)»] quedan, a nuestro juicio, englobados dentro del concepto de Dermatocarpon miniatum (L.
Ecology and Evolution, 2016
Many studies have addressed evolution and phylogeography of plant taxa in oceanic islands, but ha... more Many studies have addressed evolution and phylogeography of plant taxa in oceanic islands, but have primarily focused on endemics because of the assumption that in widespread taxa the absence of morphological differentiation between island and mainland populations is due to recent colonization. In this paper, we studied the phylogeography of Scrophularia arguta, a widespread annual species, in an attempt to determine the number and spatiotemporal origins of dispersal events to Canary Islands. Four different regions, ITS and ETS from nDNA and psbA-trnH and psbJ-petA from cpDNA, were used to date divergence events within S. arguta lineages and determine the phylogenetic relationships among populations. A haplotype network was obtained to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among haplotypes. Our results support an ancient origin of S. arguta (Miocene) with expansion and genetic differentiation in the Pliocene coinciding with the aridification of northern Africa and the formation of the Mediterranean climate. Indeed, results indicate for Canary Islands three different events of colonization, including two ancient events that probably happened in the Pliocene and have originated the genetically most divergent populations into this species and, interestingly, a recent third event of colonization of Gran Canaria from mainland instead from the closest islands (Tenerife or Fuerteventura). In spite of the great genetic divergence among populations, it has not implied any morphological variation. Our work highlights the importance of nonendemic species to the genetic richness and conservation of island flora and the significance of the island populations of widespread taxa in the global biodiversity.
Biology Letters, 2016
Pollinator shifts are considered to drive floral trait evolution, yet little is still known about... more Pollinator shifts are considered to drive floral trait evolution, yet little is still known about the modifications of petal epidermal surface at a biogeographic region scale. Here we investigated how independent shifts from insects to passerine birds in the Macaronesian Islands consistently modified this floral trait (i.e. absence of papillate cells). Using current phylogenies and extensive evidence from field observations, we selected a total of 81 plant species and subspecies for petal microscopy and comparative analysis, including 19 of the 23 insular species pollinated by opportunistic passerine birds (Macaronesian bird-flowered element). Species relying on passerine birds as the most effective pollinators (bird-pollinated) independently evolved at least five times and in all instances associated with a loss of papillate cells, whereas species with a mixed pollination system (birds plus insects and/or other vertebrates) evolved at least five times in Macaronesia and papillate c...
Uploads
Papers by Ana Ortega-Olivencia