No description available.

Understanding the events and processes responsible for patterns of within species diversity, provides insight into major evolutionary themes like adaptation, species distributions, and ultimately speciation itself. Here, I combine ecological, genetic and spatial perspectives to evaluate the roles that both historical and contemporary factors have played in shaping the population structure and genetic variation of foxsnakes (Pantherophis gloydi). First, I determine the likely impact of habitat loss on population distribution, through radio-telemetry (32 individuals) at two locations varying in habitat patch size. As predicted, individuals had similar habitat use patterns, but restricted movements to patches of suitable habitat at the more disturbed site. Also, occurrence records spread across a fragmented region were non-randomly distributed and located close to patches of usable habitat, suggesting habitat distribution limits population distribution. Next, I combined habitat suitability modeling with population genetics (589 individuals, 12 microsatellite loci) to infer how foxsnakes disperse through a mosaic of natural and altered landscape features. Boundary regions between genetic clusters were comprised of low suitability habitat (e.g. agricultural fields). Island populations were grouped into a single genetic cluster suggesting open water presents less of a barrier than non-suitable terrestrial habitat. Isolation by distance models had a stronger correlation with genetic data when including resistance values derived from habitat suitability maps, suggesting habitat degradation limits dispersal for foxsnakes. At larger temporal and spatial scales I quantified patterns of genetic diversity and population structure using mitochondrial (101 cytochrome b sequences) and microsatellite (816 individuals, 12 loci) DNA and used Approximate Bayesian computation to test competing models of demographic history. Supporting my predictions, I found models with populations which have undergone population size drops and splitting events continually had more support than models with small founding populations expanding to stable populations. Based on timing, the most likely cause was the cooling of temperatures and infilling of deciduous forest since the Hypisthermal. On a smaller scale, evidence suggested anthropogenic habitat loss has caused further decline and fragmentation. Mitochondrial DNA structure did not correspond to fragmented populations and the majority of foxsnakes had an identical haplotype, suggesting a past bottleneck or selective sweep. / Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2011-01-11 10:40:52.476

Cette étude vise à comparer l’histoire évolutive des parasitoïdes du genre Horismenus (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) à celle de leurs hôtes bruches (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) et plante hôte (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivée dans le contexte d’agriculture traditionnelle, au sein de son centre de domestication Mésoaméricain. Nous avons analysé la structure génétique de 23 populations de quatre espèces de parasitoïdes au Mexique, en utilisant un fragment du gène mitochondrial COI afin de les comparer aux structures précédemment publiées des hôtes bruches et du haricot commun. Nous avons prédit que les structures génétiques des populations d’hôtes (bruches et plante) et de parasitoïdes seraient similaires puisque également influencées par la migration entremise par l’humain (HMM) étant donnée que les parasitoïdes se développent telles que les bruches à l’intérieur des haricots. Compte tenu des stratégies de manipulation reproductive utilisées par l’alpha-protéobactérie endosymbionte Wolbachia spp. pour assurer sa transmission, la structure génétique des populations de parasitoïdes inférée à partir du génome mitochondrial devrait être altérée conséquemment à la transmission conjointe des mitochondries et des bactéries lors de la propagation de l’infection dans les populations de parasitoïdes. Les populations du parasitoïde H. missouriensis sont infectées par Wolbachia spp. Tel que prédit, ces populations ne sont pas différenciées (FST = 0,06), ce qui nous empêche d’inférer sur une histoire évolutive parallèle. Contrairement aux bruches, Acanthoscelides obtectus et A. ovelatus, la HMM n'est pas un processus contemporain qui influence la structure génétique des populations du parasitoïde H. depressus, étant donné la forte différenciation (FST = 0,34) qui existe entre ses populations. La structure génétique observée chez H. depressus est similaire à celle de sa plante hôte (i.e. dispersion aléatoire historique à partir d'un pool génique ancestral très diversifié) et est probablement le résultat d’un flux génique important en provenance des populations de parasitoïdes associées aux haricots spontanées à proximité des champs cultivés. L’étude de l’histoire évolutive intégrant plusieurs niveaux trophiques s’est avérée fructueuse dans la détection des différentes réponses évolutives entre les membres du module trophique face aux interactions humaines et parasitaires, et montre la pertinence d’analyser les systèmes écologiques dans leur ensemble. / This study aims to compare the evolutionary history of Horismenus parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) to that of their bruchid beetle hosts (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) and their domesticated host plant (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in the context of traditional agriculture within their Mesoamerican center of domestication. We analyzed the genetic structure of 23 populations of four Horismenus species in Mexico using COI mitochondrial gene fragments and compared the structures to previously published data on bean plant and beetle hosts. We predicted that because parasitoids complete their development within their beetle hosts, within the bean, the genetic structure of both the host and the parasitoid would be similar and equally influenced by human-mediated migration (HMM). Furthermore, because of reproductive manipulation strategies often used by the alpha-proteobacteria endosymbionte Wolbachia spp. to ensure its transmission, the genetic structure of parasitoid populations inferred from mitochondrial genome would be bias consequently to the conjoint transmission of mitochondria and the bacteria according to propagation of the infection within parasitoids populations. The populations of H. missouriensis parasitoids are infected by Wolbachia spp. As predicted, these populations are not differentiated (FST = 0.06) which prevents us to infer on a parallel evolutionary history. Unlike their bruchids hosts, Acanthoscelides obtectus and A. ovelatus, the HMM is not a contemporary process influencing H. depressus population genetic structure according to the strong populations differentiation (FST = 0.34). The genetic structure observed within H. depressus populations is similar to that of its host plant (i.e. historical random dispersal from a highly diversified ancestral gene pool) and is probably the result of extensive gene flow from parasitoids associated with wild beans populations adjacent to crop fields. The study of evolutionary history integrating multitrophic levels has proved to be fruitful in detecting different evolutionary responses among members of the trophic module face to human and parasite interactions, but also points out the pertinence of analyzing ecological systems as a whole.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) is a bird species with a lek mating system found in the Palearctic boreal taiga. It is assumed that it has a continuous distribution along Scandinavia and Siberia, whereas in Central Europe it has declined during the last decades. The primary objective of this thesis was to obtain a deeper understanding of the history, systematic classification and the genetic structure of black grouse on different geographical scales using microsatellites and control region mtDNA sequences (CR). I determined how much the mating system, habitat fragmentation and historical population processes have influenced the partitioning of genetic diversity in this species. Phylogeographical results are consistent with a demographic population expansion, and the patterns of postglacial dispersal suggest that a glacial refugium was located somewhere in central Asia, and from there black grouse spread out to Europe following the retreat of glacial ice sheets. I suggest that the two European black grouse subspecies, T. t. Tetrix and T. t. britannicus correspond to only one subspecies: T. t. tetrix, and that this lineage has diverged from T.t. viridanus, a subspecies found in Kazakhstan. The British population is significantly divergent from the remaining Eurasian samples for microsatellites but it is not for mtDNA. Therefore, they should regard as a separate Management Unit and not as a subspecies. Furthermore, British black grouse occur in three independent genetic units, corresponding to Wales, northern England/southern Scotland and northern Scotland. There was also genetic structure within Sweden. Habitat fragmentation is the main cause of population genetic structure in southern Swedish black grouse. In contrast, low levels of genetic differentiation and high connectivity were found in northern Sweden due to female-biased dispersal. On a finer geographical scale, I found genetic differences between leks due to a mixture of related and unrelated individuals within leks. However, mean relatedness values hardly differed from zero. Some leks were similar to one another and I interpret this as a result of variation in local reproductive success and philopatry. These factors would cause genetic structuring but this by itself would not reveal that kin selection is operating within black grouse leks.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:49:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 WaldirMBF_DISSERT.pdf: 3558667 bytes, checksum: 3035c50ccf49225a3c8264f6c395bf14 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-04-30 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Understanding the historical and ecological relationships which are influent in current biological diversity is one of the most challenging tasks of evolutionary biology. Recent systematics emphasizes the need of integrative approaches to delimit different lineages and species. The northeastern Brazil, mostly placed in Caatinga biome, is characterized by a semi-arid weather, low precipitation and seasonal behavior of rivers. This region is regarded lacking as ichthyological knowledge and one of the most threatened by anthropic activities. Further, will be affected by a massive water diverpsion work that will transfer waters from S?o Francisco basin, to other major four basins: Jaguaribe, Apodi-Mossor?, Piranhas-A?u and Paraiba do Norte. Loss of diversity and richness, hibridizitation, community interactions changes, population homogenization, changes in water quality and flow regime, are examples of environmental impacts already related with similar works. The present study aims to investigate morphological and molecular variation of Cichlasoma orientale Kullander 1983 and Crenicichla menezesi Ploeg 1991, two cichlid species present in northeastern Brazil basins. Further, the study aims to evaluate the influence of geomorphological and climatic processes in this variation, and point some possible impacts of the artificial connectivity which can be brought by S?o Francisco interbasin water transfer to their population dynamics. Geometric morphometrics and phylogeographical analysis were used to investigate the populations from three different hydrological regions. Our results showed a significant morphological variation of populations from basins that are involved in the S?o Franscisco s diversion project, not related to an ancient separation between populations, emphasizing morphological variation which could represent a set of plastic responses to the variable hydrological regime in Northeastern Brazil. The role of plastical responses in naturally variable habitats as well as the potential disturbs that could be brought by the interbasin water transfer works are discussed here. Further, our molecular data allowed us to make inferences about species distribution and their taxonomy, and identification of a potential new species of Crenicichla for S?o Francisco river basin. Our data also allowed to identify some shared haplotypes for both species, which could be related to lineage sorting scenarios or recent gene flow between populations. However a strong structure in most of the pairwise comparisons between populations for both species was revealed. Climatic events such as Atlantic forest regression during the Pleistocene, sea level fluctuations and dispersion by paleorivers in the mouth of Apodi-Mossor? river, and neotectonic events regulating the connection between drainages are likely to have had a contribution for the actual lineages distribution in northeastern Brazil. Further, analysis of molecular variation (AMOVA and SAMOVA) showed that the actual basin s isolation is an important factor to molecular variation, in spite of the signal of recent contact between some basins. Different genetic diversity patterns between species could be related to multiple historic events of colonization, basins landscapes or biological differences. The present study represents the first effort of integrative systematics involving fish species of northeastern Brazil, and showed important morphological and molecular patterns which could be irrecoverably affected by the artificial connection that might be caused by the S?o Francisco interbasin water transfer / O Nordeste brasileiro, majoritariamente imerso no bioma Caatinga, se caracteriza pelo clima semi-?rido, baixa precipita??o e um regime de rios intermitentes. Quanto ao conhecimento ictiofaun?stico, a regi?o ? considerada uma das maiores lacunas mundiais, e uma das mais amea?adas pelas atividades antr?picas. Al?m disso, a regi?o est? passando por obras de transposi??o, que ligar? ?guas do rio S?o Francisco com quatro bacias da regi?o: Jaguaribe, Apodi-Mossor?, Piranhas-A?u e Para?ba do Norte. Perda de diversidade, hibridiza??o de esp?cies, altera??es de comunidade, homogeneiza??o de popula??es, altera??o de qualidade e regime de fluxo de ?gua, s?o impactos ambientais j? atribu?dos a empreendimentos similares. O presente estudo objetiva investigar a varia??o morfol?gica e molecular de Cichlasoma orientale Kullander 1983 e Crenicichla menezesi Ploeg 1991, duas esp?cies com ampla distribui??o ao longo das bacias do Nordeste brasileiro, atrav?s de m?todos de sistem?tica integrativa. Al?m disso, o estudo visa analisar a influ?ncia de fatores clim?ticos e geomorfol?gicos nesta varia??o, e apontar poss?veis impactos da conex?o artificial das bacias envolvidas na transposi??o do rio S?o Francisco. Para estes fins, foram utilizadas an?lises de morfometria geom?trica e filogeogr?ficas com indiv?duos de tr?s ecorregi?es hidrogr?ficas do Nordeste brasileiro. Nossos resultados mostraram que h? uma significativa varia??o morfol?gica nas bacias envolvidas na transposi??o do rio S?o Francisco, que n?o est? ligada ? uma separa??o ancestral das bacias, evidenciando uma varia??o morfol?gica que pode representar um conjunto de respostas pl?sticas ?s constantes transforma??es principalmente relacionadas ao regime h?drico da regi?o. O papel de respostas pl?sticas em ambientes naturalmente vari?veis, assim como o potencial impacto do dist?rbio no regime h?drico a ser trazido pela transposi??o do rio S?o Francisco, s?o discutidos. Al?m disso, nossos dados moleculares permitiram fornecer mais informa??es sobre a distribui??o das esp?cies e sua taxonomia, incluindo a identifica??o de uma potencial nova esp?cie de Crenicichla na bacia do rio S?o Francisco. Os dados tamb?m mostraram alguns hapl?tipos compartilhados para ambas as esp?cies, que podem representar cen?rios incompletos de separa??o de linhagens ou fluxo g?nico recente entre popula??es, por?m forte estrutura??o entre a maior parte das bacias. Eventos clim?ticos como a regress?o da Mata Atl?ntica durante o Pleistoceno, flutua??es do n?vel do mar e a dispers?o por paleorios na por??o estuarina das bacias que desaguam no litoral norte da regi?o nordeste, al?m de eventos neotect?nicos envolvendo captura de cabeceiras, parecem ter contribu?do para a atual distribui??o de linhagens destas esp?cies no Nordeste brasileiro. Al?m disso, an?lises de vari?ncia molecular (AMOVA e SAMOVA) evidenciaram que a atual conjuntura das bacias se mostrou um fator importante para a varia??o molecular, apesar da indica??o de compartilhamento recente entre algumas bacias. Diferen?as de padr?es de diversidade intrapopulacional entre as esp?cies podem estar relacionadas a m?ltiplos eventos hist?ricos de coloniza??o, ou ? diferen?as biol?gicas. O presente estudo representa o primeiro esfor?o de sistem?tica integrativa com esp?cies da ictiofauna continental do Nordeste brasileiro, e revelou varia??es morfol?gicas e moleculares entre drenagens isoladas que podem ser irrecuperavelmente afetadas com a conex?o artificial destas bacias a partir das obras de transposi??o do rio S?o Francisco

No description available.

L’objectif principal de cette thèse est d’identifier les facteurs urbains et les caractéristiques biologiques de Reticulitermes flavipes qui ont permis à cette espèce invasive de coloniser et de persister en milieu urbain. Plus précisément, les études développées ont visé à mieux comprendre l’origine des colonies introduites à Paris, de déterminer comment celles-ci étaient arrivées en ville et, comment, malgré les moyens de lutte mis en oeuvre au cours de ces dernières décennies elles ont persisté dans le paysage parisien. Une première étude nous a permis de voir que les colonies présentes à Paris sont capables de persister et de réinfester des zones qui ont été précédemment traitées. Ces réinfestations sont possibles grâce aux modes de reproduction (néoténie) et de dispersion (par bouturage) de cette espèce qui lui permettent de survivre localement et de recoloniser des zones où les colonies avaient été partiellement éradiquées et ce, même après 15 ans. Dans une seconde étude, nous avons pu montrer deux facteurs majeurs pouvant expliquer la distribution et la propagation de R. flavipes à Paris : la structure complexe des colonies observées et la combinaison spécifique des variables de l’environnement parisien. Enfin, dans la troisième étude, nous avons décrit la dynamique d’expansion de cette espèce à des échelles nationales et régionales. Cette étude révèle des patterns de distribution variés, reflétant les caractéristiques propres des populations invasives de cette espèce en France. Dans ce travail, nous avons discuté de l’implication des caractéristiques biologiques et paysagères sur le succès invasif de cette espèce. Au vue des données obtenues au cours de cette thèse, nous avons également précisé les scénarios concernant l’histoire de l’invasion de ce termite en France, puis nous avons présenté quelques outils et préconisations qui pourraient permettre, selon nous, d’améliorer la lutte contre cet insecte nuisible en ville. / The main objective of this thesis is to identify the urban factors and biological characteristics of Reticulitermes flavipes which have allowed this invasive species to colonize and persist in urban habitat. More specifically, the developed studies aimed at better understanding the origin of introduced colonies in Paris as well as determining how they persisted in the Parisian landscape, despite implementing pest control during the last decades. A first study allowed us to observe that Parisian colonies were able to persist and reinfest areas which were previously treated. These reinfestations are possible thanks to the mode of reproduction (neoteny) and the way of dispersal (by budding) of this species, which allows it to locally survive and recolonize areas where colonies had been partially eradicated, even fifteen years later. In a second study, we were able to highlight two main factors which could explain the distribution and propagation of R. flavipes in Paris: the observed complex colony structure and the specific combination of the Parisian environmental variables. Finally, in a third study, we were able to identify its dynamic of expansion at national and regional scales which showed varied distribution patterns, reflecting the peculiar characteristics of these invasive species populations in France. In this piece of work, we analyzed the implications of the biological and landscape characteristics on the successful invasion of this species. In the view of the data obtained in this thesis, we also suggested some scenarios on the invasion history of this termite species in France and we provided tools and recommendations which, according to us, could allow the improvement of pest management of this insect in cities.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:20:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3078.pdf: 3949929 bytes, checksum: 0375aaec7134412a51147cc0d80c7620 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-05-21 / The State of Maranhão is considered as a transitional area between northeastern semiarid and amazonian rainforest. Various perennial rivers such as the rivers Parnaíba, Itapecuru, Mearim, Pindaré and Gurupi are found in Maranhão. Distribution patterns analysis indicated the region as an endemism area for Neotropical freshwater fishes. However, only few studies have been performed in the region. Therefore the relationships between the hidrographic set and the respective neighbour areas are not fully comprehended. One complication is the insufficient cientific knowledge about the endemism level in the region due to insufficient establishment of taxonomic bounds for several species in the area. This study examines the hypothesis that freshwater fishes from Maranhão rivers are valid taxonomic unities, and whether its hydrographic set can be considered as an endemism area for Neotropical fishes. The study is focused on the analsis of genetic differentiation of Hoplias malabaricus and Prochilodus lacustris. The geographic variation of H. malabaricus was studied using sequences of the DNAmt control region as well by geometric morphometrics. Besides the mitochondrial marker, the variation analyses of P. lacustris employed sequences of the S7 intron 1. Both species exhibited high genetic variability which may be related to its own ecological features. The genetic diversity of H. malabaricus, a sedentary species, is influenced by drainage architeture. On the other hand, the migratory behavior of P. lacustris and the results obtained had suggested that the variability found was influenced by historical factors. Because the most resolution of the P. lacustris data, the molecular clock hypothesis was tested and divergence times between populations sampled were estimated. These estimates matching with geological informations enabled us to identify several putative events that may play an important role in differentiation of the maranhense ichthyofauna. Under the taxonomic point of view, the hypothesis that H. malabaricus is a species complex was reinforced and the analyses suggested that putative criptic species occur in the region. The P. lacustris specimens constitute a taxonomic unit, but did not support the hypothesis that the species is endemic for the Parnaíba and Mearim rivers. Considering these results, we suggest that the most closely indication of endemism areas could be the ecoregions established by Secretaria de Recursos Hídricos from Ministério do Meio Ambiente. / O Estado do Maranhão é geralmente considerado uma área de transição entre o semiárido nordestino e a floresta amazônica, onde está localizado um conjunto de rios perenes, tais como, Parnaíba, Itapecuru, Mearim, Pindaré e Gurupi. Análises baseadas em padrões de distribuição têm indicado que a região constitui uma área de endemismo para peixes neotropicais. No entanto, devido ao reduzido número de estudos, as interrelações desse conjunto hidrográfico com áreas vizinhas são pouco compreendidas. Uma das dificuldades que surge do esquálido conhecimento científico é a identificação do nível de endemismo que a região abriga, uma vez que há problemas na definição dos limites taxonômicos de várias espécies com ocorrência registrada na área. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo testar as hipóteses de que as espécies de peixes dos rios do Maranhão são unidades taxonômicas válidas e, consequentemente, o conjunto hidrográfico pode ser considerado uma área de endemismo. O estudo foi centrado na análise de diversidade genética das espécies Hoplias malabaricus e Prochilodus lacustris. Em H. malabaricus a variação geográfica foi estudada usando sequências da região controle do DNAmt e através de morfometria geométrica. Além do marcador mitocondrial, na análise da variação em P. lacustris foram utilizadas sequências do íntron 1 do gene S7. Ambas as espécies apresentaram alta variabilidade genética que parece estar associada às características ecológicas de cada uma. H. malabaricus, sendo sedentária, teve sua diversidade genética influenciada por arquitetura de drenagem. Por outro lado, dado o comportamento migratório de P. lacustris, os resultados sugeriram que a variabilidade observada foi influenciada por fatores históricos. A maior resolução dos dados em P. lacustris permitiu testar a hipótese de relógio molecular e estimar tempos de divergências entre as populações amostradas. Estas estimativas foram combinadas com informações geológicas disponíveis, possibilitando a identificação de vários eventos que provavelmente exerceram papéis importantes na diferenciação da ictiofauna maranhense. Do ponto de vista taxonômico, as análises reforçaram a hipótese de que H. malabaricus é um complexo de espécie, sugerindo a possibilidade de ocorrência de espécies crípticas na área. As amostras de P. lacustris, por sua vez, constituem uma unidade taxonômica, mas não são consistentes com a hipótese de que a espécie é endêmica para os rios Parnaíba e Mearim. Diante dos resultados obtidos, sugerimos que a indicação mais aproximada de áreas de endemismo seja a de ecorregiões definidas pela Secretaria de Recursos Hídricos do Ministério do Meio Ambiente.

Delimitar espécies e reconstruir a história evolutiva em complexos de espécies pode demandar grandes esforços uma vez que grupos taxonomicamente problemáticos são muitas vezes consequência de eventos de especiação recente ou de rápida especiação. O complexo \'Cattleya coccinea\', da família Orchidaceae, é composto por orquídeas com alto valor ornamental, epifíticas e rupícolas de porte pequeno. Apesar de estarem descritas com caracteres morfológicos diagnósticos claros que permitem sua identificação, a delimitação das espécies atualmente reconhecidas é problemática. Portanto, os objetivos dessa pesquisa foram revisar a delimitação de espécies do complexo e a relação entre as espécies, além de avaliar a diversidade e estrutura genética, aliadas às análises filogeográficas para testar a ocorrência de eventos demográficos históricos. Para responder tais questões foram utilizadas regiões de sequência de cpDNA e nrDNA, 11 locos microssatélites, além de inferência bayesiana e modelo coalescente somadas às estatísticas tradicionais como metodologia. Os resultados suportam o monofiletismo para o clado para as regiões de cpDNA concatenadas. Indicam também quatro grandes eventos de reticulação das espécies do clado C. coccinea com outras espécies do gênero Cattleya. Adicionalmente, suportam o reconhecimento de sete diferentes espécies para o clado C. coccinea, composto por duas principais linhagens evolutivas mais ao norte da região Sudeste: C. brevipedunculata predominante da Serra do Espinhaço e C. wittigiana do norte da Serra do Mar. E cinco espécies distribuídas ao longo da Serra do Mar e Serra da Mantiqueira (C. coccinea, C. mantiqueirae, e mais três espécies correspondentes às populações de DMES; SJPSP e CSRS/JOSC/PMPR. As análises de diversidade mostraram de moderados a altos níveis de diversidade genética e apontam que as espécies C. coccinea e C. brevipedunculata apresentam os maiores níveis de diversidade comparadas a outras espécies do clado. A estruturação genética entre populações dentro de espécies mostrou variação entre níveis baixos a altos. A análise de atribuição de indivíduos a partir de inferência bayesiana mostrou a formação de oito grupos geneticamente distintos. A análise de taxa de dispersão de fluxo gênico pólen x semente mostrou que a dispersão via pólen é aproximadamente oito vezes mais eficiente que a dispersão via sementes somente para C. coccinea. Além disso, a rede de haplótipos indicou que as espécies raramente compartilham haplótipos e que C. coccinea e C. brevipedunculata apresentam maior diversidade com eventos de expansão. A análise de estimativa de tempo de divergência demonstrou que C. brevipedunculata e C. wittigiana provavelmente se originaram entre o Plioceno e o Pleistoceno. As outras espécies do clado se diversificaram no Pleistoceno. Eventos de expansão populacional foram observados para todas as espécies em eras glaciais do Pleistoceno. Por se tratarem de espécies ameaçadas, esse estudo recomenda a conservação \"in situ\" como também a conservação \"ex situ\" de todas as espécies do clado, com atenção especial às duas espécies do Espírito Santo: C. wittigiana e a espécie da localidade DMES, além da espécie da localidade SJPSP em São Paulo. / Species delimitation and reconstruction of the evolutionary history of species complexes may require great efforts since taxonomically problematic groups are often a result of recent speciation events or rapid speciation. The \'Cattleya coccinea\' complex, of the orchid family, consists of epiphytic and small rupicolous orchids with high ornamental value. Despite being described with clear diagnostic morphological characters that allow their identification, delimitation of the currently recognized species is problematic. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to review the species delimitation of the complex and the relationship between species, and to evaluate the genetic diversity and structure, combined with phylogeographic analyzes to test the occurrence of historical demographic events. To answer such questions, cpDNA and nrDNA sequence regions, 11 microsatellite loci, and Bayesian inference and coalescent model were used, combined with traditional statistics and methodology. The results support the monophyly for the clade for concatenated cpDNA regions. They also indicate four major reticulation events of C. coccinea species clade with other species of the genus Cattleya. Additionally, results support the recognition of seven different species for C. coccinea clade, composed of two main evolutionary lineages further north in the Southeast: C. brevipedunculata predominant in the Serra do Espinhaço and C. wittigiana from northern Serra do Mar. And five species distributed along the Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira (C. coccinea, C. mantiqueirae, and three other species of the populations DMES; SJPSP and CSRS/JOSC/PMPR. The diversity analyzes showed moderate to high levels of genetic diversity and point out that the species C. coccinea and C. brevipedunculata have the highest levels of diversity compared to other species of the clade. The genetic structure of populations within species showed variation from low to high. Assigning individuals analysis from Bayesian inference showed the formation of eight genetically distinct groups. The dispersal rate analysis of pollen x seed gene flow showed that dispersal through pollen is approximately eight times more efficient than the dispersal through seeds only for C. coccinea. Furthermore, the haplotype network indicated that the species rarely share haplotypes and that C.coccinea and C. brevipedunculata present greater diversity with expansion events. The divergence time estimation analysis showed that C. brevipedunculata and C. wittigiana probably originated between the Pliocene and the Pleistocene. The other clade species have diversified in the Pleistocene. Population expansion events were observed for all species in the Pleistocene ice ages. Because they are endangered species, this study recommends the \"in situ\" conservation as well as \"ex situ\" conservation for all species of clade, with special attention for two species of Espírito Santo: C. wittigiana and the species of DMES locality, in addition to the species of SJPSP location in São Paulo.