Silvana Marten-Rodriguez

Advisor: Dr. Charles B. Fenster

Previous Education:
M.A. Biology University of Costa Rica
B.A. Biology University of Costa Rica

Research Interests:
I am studying the role of pollinator specialization on the evolution of floral traits and breeding systems of the tribe Gesnerieae, a plant taxon that radiated in the Caribbean archipelago. I have documented specialized (hummingbird and buzz-pollination by bees), and generalized pollination systems (bats, moths and birds), as well as a diversity of breeding systems. My preliminary phylogenies suggest that hummingbird pollination is the ancestral state from which generalized systems evolved. Low visitation by hummingbirds may have triggered changes to more generalized flowers, or to selfing breeding systems. I am currently testing the hypothesis that hummingbird specialization is associated with high levels of pollen limitation in Gesnerieae. I am also testing whether or not autonomous selfing serves as a reproductive assurance mechanism when pollinators are rare.

Location of Research:
Collecting:
Puerto Rico, Republica Dominicana, Jamaica, St. Lucia

Pollen limitation and reproductive assurance experiments:
Observatorio Astronómico Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Parque Nacional El Yunke, Puerto Rico
Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco, Republica Dominicana

Publications:
Fenster CB & Martén-Rodríguez S. 2007. Reproductive assurance and the evolution of pollination specialization. International Journal of Plant Sciences 168: 215-228.

Blanco M & Martén-Rodríguez S. 2007. The stained glass palm Geonoma epetiolata. Palms 51: 139-146.

Martén S & Quesada M. 2001. Phenology, sexual expression and reproductive success of the rare neotropical palm, Geonoma epetiolata. Biotropica 33:596-605.

Funding Sources:
-2005 Pollen limitation and reproductive assurance in Caribbean Gesnerieae: are specialist species more vulnerable to reproductive failure than their generalist congeners?
-2005 American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society.
-2005 Graduate Woman in Science, SDE Fellowship. Evolution of pollination systems of Caribbean Gesnerieae: phylogenetic and experimental approaches.
-2005 Sigma-Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research. Pollen or resource limitation in island plants: are specialized species more pollen limited than their generalized relatives?
-2004 American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society. The evolution of pollination systems
in the tribe Gesnerieae (Gesneriaceae): a phylogenetic approach.
-2003 Sigma-Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research. Predicting the pollinators: an evaluation of the “pollination syndrome” concept on six species of Caribbean Gesneriaceae
(Tribe Gesnerieae).
-2003 Center for Biodiversity, University of Maryland. Evolution of pollination systems
in the Caribbean tribe Gesnerieae (family Gesneriaceae).