Publications

dioecy, more than monoecy, affects plant spatial genetic structure: the case study of ficus.	in this analysis, we attempt to understand how monoecy and dioecy drive spatial genetic structure (sgs) in plant populations. for this purpose, plants of the genus ficus were used as a comparative model due to their particular characteristics, including high species diversity, variation in life histories, and sexual systems. one of the main issues we assessed is whether dioecious fig tree populations are more spatially genetically structured than monoecious populations. using the sp statistic, w ...	2013	24223285
transferability and characterization of microsatellite markers in two neotropical ficus species.	microsatellite markers were transferred and characterized for two neotropical fig tree species, ficus citrifolia and ficus eximia. our study demonstrated that microsatellite markers developed from different subgenera of ficus can be transferred to related species. in the present case, 12 of the 15 primer pairs tested (80%) were successfully transferred to both of the above species. eleven loci were polymorphic when tested across 60 f. citrifolia and 60 f. eximia individuals. for f. citrifolia, t ...	2009	21637521
effect of local mate competition on fig wasp sex ratios.	in fig wasps, mating takes place among the offspring of one or a few foundress mothers inside the fig from which mated females disperse to found new broods. under these conditions, related males will compete with each other for mating and several studies have shown female bias in brood sex ratios as a response to local mate competition (lmc). studying pegoscapus tonduzi which pollinates ficus citrifolia in brazil, we analysed the effect of lmc (number of foundresses) on the sex ratio of the offs ...	2006	16906292
interspecific variation in xylem vulnerability to cavitation among tropical tree and shrub species.	in tropical moist forests, seasonal drought limits plant survival, productivity and diversity. drought-tolerance mechanisms of tropical species should reflect the maximum seasonal water deficits experienced in a particular habitat. we investigated stem xylem vulnerability to cavitation in nine tropical species with different life histories and habitat associations. stem xylem vulnerability was scored as the xylem water potential causing 50 and 75% loss of hydraulic conductivity (p50 and p75, res ...	2005	16137941
evaluation of the flora of puerto rico for in vitro antiplasmodial and antimycobacterial activities.	the emergence of resistant strains of plasmodium falciparum and mycobacterium tuberculosis underscores the need for novel drugs that are effective against these microorganisms. as part of our screening programme of the flora of puerto rico, we tested a number of ethanol extracts of higher plants for antiplasmodial and antimycobacterial activities. a total of 40 extracts belonging to 23 plant families and 37 species were tested for antiplasmodial activity. five extracts demonstrated activity agai ...	2001	11746852
modulation of cancer cell multidrug resistance by an extract of ficus citrifolia.	multidrug resistance due to p-glycoprotein is a serious impediment to successful chemotherapy of cancer. previous studies have shown that natural compounds such as prenyl flavonoids are able to modulate the multidrug resistance phenotype of p-glycoprotein-positive cancer cells. a fraction from the dichloromethane extract of a common guadalupe ficus, ficus citrifolia was studied for its direct interaction with the purified c-terminal cytosolic domain of p-glycoprotein, and for its induced accumul ...	2013	11396135