Pinto et al. 2026 (Article) biogeography, CAM

Functional diversification and adaptive evolution in Bromeliaceae: an integrative synthesis of anatomy, physiology, and ecology

Author(s):—H.V. Pinto-Junior, F.C. Favoreto, L.A.C. Müller, R.C. Forzza, A.R. Falqueto & L.F.T. de Menezes

Corresponding email:—herval_junior@ufrj.br

Publication:—Flora Proof 153058: 1-35. (2026) — DOI

Abstract:—Bromeliaceae represent one of the most striking examples of ecophysiological and evolutionary diversification among Neotropical plant lineages. The family encompasses a wide range of life forms, habitats, and functional strategies, supported by a unique combination of anatomical and physiological innovations, tank formation, succulence, and flexible C₃–CAM photosynthetic metabolism. These traits enabled bromeliads to colonise environments ranging from humid forest understories to arid rock outcrops and extreme atmospheric habitats, often under severe water and nutrient limitation. In this review, we synthesise current knowledge on the functional, ecophysiological, and evolutionary diversification of Bromeliaceae by integrating evidence from anatomy, physiology, ecology, and biogeography. We examine how coordinated suites of traits regulate water, nutrient, and carbon-use strategies across terrestrial, epiphytic, and atmospheric life forms, and how these strategies are shaped by environmental gradients and historical processes. Particular emphasis is placed on leaf economic traits, mineral nutrition, hydraulic architecture, and photosynthetic metabolism, highlighting patterns of functional convergence, adaptive divergence, and environmental filtering across the family. By linking trait-based approaches with evolutionary history and biogeographic context, this review provides an integrative framework for interpreting bromeliad diversity across spatial and evolutionary scales. More broadly, it reinforces Bromeliaceae as a model system for understanding plant adaptation, convergence, and diversification in heterogeneous tropical landscapes.

Keywords:—biogeography, CAM photosynthesis, functional convergence, functional traits, leaf economics, phytotelmata, Poales