Piper: A Model Genus for Studies of Phytochemistry, Ecology, and Evolution

ISBN-13: 9781475710083 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 214 str.

Lee A. Dyer; Aparna Palmer; Lee A. Dyer

Opis

Piper is an economically and ecologically important genus of plant that includes a fascinating array of species for studying natural history, natural products chemistry, community ecology, and evolutionary biology. The diversification of this taxon is unique and of great importance in understanding the evolution of plants. The diversity and ecological relevance of this genus makes it an obvious candidate for ecological and evolutionary studies, but surprisingly, most research on Piper spp. to-date has focused on the more economically important plants P. nigrum (black pepper), P. methysticum (kava), and P. betle (betel leaf). While this book does address the applied techniques of studying Piper, its focus is more on Piper in its natural setting. Piper: A Model Genus for Studies of Phytochemistry, Ecology, and Evolution synthesizes existing data and provides an outline for future investigations of the chemistry, ecology, and evolution of this taxon, while examining its key themes of Piper as a model genus for ecological and evolutionary studies, the important ecological roles of Piper species in lowland wet forests, and the evolution of distinctive Piper attributes. This volume has a place in the libraries of those studying or working in the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology, natural products chemistry, invasive species biology, pharmaceutics, and ethnobotany.

Recenzje

From the reviews:

"This slim volume approaches comparative biology from a perspective rarely seen in book-length treatments. ... The book's premise is that species-rich lineages such as Piper are convenient models for studying questions of general interest using comparative methods. ... The book is generally well edited ... . The book is also attractively produced. ... How well does the book do in attaining its objectives? Fairly well, given the gaps that exist in our knowledge of the genus." (Doyle McKey, Ecology, Vol. 86 (7), 2005)

Spis treści

1. Introduction.- 2. Mutualism, Antiherbivore Defense, and Trophic Cascades: Piper Ant-Plants as a Mesocosm for Experimentation.- 2.1. Introduction.- 2.2. Study Sites.- 2.3. Plants.- 2.4. Herbivores.- 2.5. Ant Mutualists.- 2.6. Top Predators.- 2.7. Other Endophytic Arthropods, Nematodes, and Annelids.- 2.8. Mutualism Experiments.- 2.8.1. Evidence for Nutrient Procurement by Pheidole bicornis Plant-Ants.- 2.8.2. Evidence for Defense against Folivores by Pheidole bicornis Plant-Ants.- 2.8.3. Evidence for Higher Fitness in Establishing Fragments via Defense against Folivores.- 2.8.4. Evidence for Additional Plant Fitness Advantages Afforded by Ph. Bicornis Plant-Ants.- 2.9. Tritrophic Interactions and Antiherbivore Defense.- 2.10. Trophic Cascades.- 2.10.1. Experimental Test I: Do Trophic Cascades Operate on the Four Trophic Level System Associated with P. cenocladum Ant-Plants?.- 2.10.2. Experimental Test II: Can Top—Down and Bottom—Up Forces Affect Animal Diversity in the Endophytic Community of P. Cenocladum Ant-Plants?.- 2.10.3. Experimental Test III: Can Indirect Effects of Top Predators Extend to Other Plants in the Understory Community of Piper Ant-Plants?.- 2.11. Conclusions.- 2.12. Acknowledgments.- 3. Pollination Ecology and Resource Partitioning in Neotropical Pipers.- 3.1. Introduction.- 3.2. Pollination and Resource Partitioning in Piper.- 3.2.1. Study Site and Species of the Brazilian Study.- 3.2.2. Habit and Habitat Utilization.- 3.2.3. Vegetative Reproduction.- 3.2.4. Reproductive Phenology.- 3.2.5. Pollination and Visitors.- 3.3. Conclusions: Pollination and Resource Partitioning of Pipers in Light of Evolutionary and Conservative Ecology.- 3.4. Guidelines for Future Research on the Pollination of Pipers.- 3.5. Acknowledgments.- 4. Dispersal Ecology of Neotropical Piper Shrubs and Treelets.- 4.1. Introduction.- 4.2. The Piper Bats.- 4.3. Piper Fruiting Phenology and Dispersal Ecology.- 4.3.1. Fruiting Phenology.- 4.3.2. Patterns of Seed Dispersal.- 4.3.3. Fates of Seeds.- 4.3.4. Postdispersal Distribution Patterns.- 4.4. Coevolutionary Aspects of Bat-Piper Interactions.- 4.5. Conclusions.- 4.6. Acknowledgments.- 5. Biogeography of Neotropical Piper.- 5.1. Introduction.- 5.2. Methods.- 5.3. Results.- 5.3.1. Biogeographic Affinities and Regional Species Pools.- 5.3.2. Correlates of Local Species Richness.- 5.3.3. Variation in Growth Form and Habitat Affinity.- 5.4. Discussion.- 5.5. Acknowledgments.- 6. Faunal Studies in Model Piper spp. Systems, with a Focus on Spider-Induced Indirect Interactions and Novel Insect-Piper Mutualisms.- 6.1. Introduction.- 6.2. The Case of Piper obliquum.- 6.3. The Case of Piper urostachyum.- 6.3.1. Plant Characteristics that Encourage Mutualism.- 6.3.2. Resident Arthropods.- 6.3.2a. Herbivores.- 6.3.2b. Mutualist predators.- 6.3.2c. Parasites of the mutualism?.- 6.3.2d. Top predators.- 6.3.3. Possible Mutualisms and the Effects of Spiders.- 6.4. Summary and Conclusions.- 6.5. Acknowledgments.- 7. Isolation, Synthesis, and Evolutionary Ecology of Piper Amides.- 7.1. Introduction to Piper Chemistry.- 7.2. Isolation and Quantification of Piper Amides.- 7.3. Synthesis of Piper Amides and Their Analogs.- 7.4. Ecology of Piper Chemistry.- 7.5. Evolution of Piper Chemistry.- 7.6. Applied Piper Chemistry.- 7.7. Future Research on Piper Chemistry.- 7.8. Acknowledgments.- 8. Kava (Piper methysticum): Growth in Tissue Culture and In Vitro Production of Kavapyrones.- 8.1. Introduction.- 8.2. Origins of Kava Use and Discovery by Western Cultures.- 8.3. Description of Kava (Piper methysticum) and Its Growth for Use in Kava Production.- 8.4. Active Phytochemicals Present in Kava Extracts.- 8.5. Issues Regarding the Potential Hepatotoxicity of Kava Extracts.- 8.6. Significance of Tissue Culture Growth in Kava Production and Phytochemical Research.- 8.7. Establishment of Kava Cell Cultures and the Determination of In Vitro Kavapyrone Production.- 8.8. Regeneration of Viable Kava Plants from Kava Cell Cultures.- 8.9. Summary and Perspective.- 9. Phylogenetic Patterns, Evolutionary Trends, and the Origin of Ant—Plant Associations in Piper Section Macrostachys: Burger’s Hypotheses Revisited.- 9.1. Introduction.- 9.2. Taxonomic History of Piper sect. Macrostachys (MIQ.) C.DC..- 9.3. Natural History of Piper sect. Macrostachys.- 9.4. Phylogenetic Relationships in Piper sect. Macrostachys.- 9.5. Burger’s Hypotheses Revisited.- 9.5.1. Systematic Relationships.- 9.5.2. Evolutionary Trends.- 9.6. Ant-Plant Associations in Piper sect. Macrostachys.- 9.6.1. Origins and Evolutionary Trends.- 9.6.2. Evolution of the Mutualism.- 9.6.2a. Obligate associations and hollow stems.- 9.6.2b. Petiolar domatia and facultative associations.- 9.6.2c. Pearl Bodies.- 9.6.2d. Origin of ant-associated plant structures.- 9.7. Conclusions.- Appendix 9.1.- 10. Current Perspectives on the Classification and Phylogenetics of the Genus Piper L..- 10.1. Introduction.- 10.2. Classification.- 10.2.1. Getting Cluttered.- 10.2.2. Getting Articulated.- 10.3. Phylogeny.- 10.3.1. Phylogenetic Relationships of the Piperales: A Test of Piper’s Monophyly.- 10.3.2. Infrageneric Relationships of Piper.- 10.3.2a. Neotropical Taxa.- 10.3.2b. South Pacific and Asian taxa.- 10.4. Evolutionary Aspects.- 10.4.1. Flower Morphology.- 10.4.2. Plant Architecture.- 10.5. Acknowledgments.- Appendix 10.1.- 11. Future Research in Piper Biology.- 11.1. Introduction.- 11.2. Plant-Animal Interactions.- 11.3. Abiotic Factors.- 11.4. Geographical Distribution.- 11.5. Summary.