Seed and pollen morphology in the Orobanche alsatica complex (Orobanchaceae) from central Europe and its taxonomic significance

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 145 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Piwowarczyk ◽  
A. T. Halamski ◽  
E. Durska

Micromorphology of seeds and pollen of Orobanche alsatica, O. bartlingii and O. mayeri, the central European representatives of the O. alsatica aggregate (Orobanchaceae) was investigated on the basis of 32 samples from 18 localities in Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Russia. Concerning seeds, the best taxonomic character is a narrow trough on external sides of radial walls of cells of the seed wall, which is always present and continuous in O. bartlingii, mostly absent in O. mayeri, and mostly present solely at wall segment junctions (vertices) in O. alsatica (individuals parasitising Peucedanum spp.; continuous in parasites of Seseli osseum). As for pollen, the exine sculpture is verrucate in O. mayeri, granulate in O. bartlingii, and granulate to scabrate in O. alsatica. O. alsatica parasitising Peucedanum spp. and Seseli osseum (host-related morphotypes) differ in seed shape, ornamentation and wall-perforation diameter. Variability of seed and pollen characters is high, and identical morphologies occur among the investigated species. The variation coefficient is too strongly correlated with the sample size to be a reliable estimator the taxonomic value of a character. Differences in seed and pollen sculpture, hosts and ecological preferences confirm the separation of the three examined taxa at species level.

1981 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 159 ◽  
Author(s):  
PA Gadek ◽  
HA Martin

The pollen morphology of 28 species from the subtribe Metrosiderinae (s.Bentham) is described and compared in the light of several recent taxonomic revisions of this subtribe. All species have the same basic Myrtaceous pollen type, but there is intra and interspecific variability seen in a number of the pollen characters. Intraspecific variability is related either to changes in volume and size of the pollen grain or to the occurrence of polar islands. It is concluded that the character of syncolpy or parasyncolpy as relating to the presence or absence of polar islands may not be taxonomically reliable at the species level. Interspecific variation. and thus those characters most useful in assessing the taxonomy, relate to the structure of the angle of the amb, the exine structure and sculpture and the definition, form and type of colpi and apocolpia. One species shows a difference in polarity from the rest. Three basic exine sculpture types were defined, but it was necessary to examine them under the scanning electron microscope (SEM) because their patterns could not be resolved under the light microscope. Acetolysis enhanced the definition of the smaller basic sculptures under the SEM. Generally, the pollen morphology of these species was found to support the recent taxonomic revisions of this subtribe.


Hacquetia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-256
Author(s):  
Zoya M. Tsymbalyuk ◽  
Daniella Ivanova ◽  
Lyudmila M. Nitsenko

Abstract Pollen morphology of herbarium specimens of four Centranthus species (C. ruber, C. longiflorus, C. kellereri and C. calcitrapae) was studied using LM and SEM. The research aim was to provide data on their pollen characteristics and to evaluate the taxonomic value of these data for species-specific identification. Pollen grains are tricolpate, suboblate to prolate (P/E = 0.81–1.42); medium- or large-sized (P = 49.21–90.44 µm; E = 43.89–93.10 µm). Colpi are long or medium-length, wide at equator, tapered to acute or obtuse ends. Exine sculpture is echinatemicroechinate-nanoechinate; echini (1.00–1.39 µm high) and microechini (0.55–0.98 µm) are conical, with straight or convex sides and acute apices, nanoechini are 0.22–0.46 µm high. Most important characters of taxa diagnostic at species level for the taxonomy are: size of pollen and colpi, exine structure, size of echini and microechini, and pattern of tectum in areas between echini. Pollen grains of C. calcitrapae and C. macrosiphon (sect. Calcitrapa) are generally smaller in size than grains of C. ruber, C. longiflorus and C. kellereri (sect. Centranthus). Pollen of C. kellereri was analysed for the first time in the current study.


2014 ◽  
Vol 618 ◽  
pp. 344-348
Author(s):  
Ling Liu ◽  
Xi Tong Shen ◽  
Xiang Ping Chen ◽  
Xiao Min Fan ◽  
Ren Fang Chen

Study the Chinese Morus from the aspect of pollen morphology of 25 Chinese Morus plants of 10 species and 1 variety were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed the differences to be mainly in pollen size, aperture size, P/E value and columellae structure.Supported the conclusion thatMorus bombycisis a species level unit butMorus mizuho,Morus atropurpurea, andMorus multicaulisare not, the conclusion thatMorus atropurpurea,Morus multicaulis, Morus alba, andMorus macrouraare initial forms, and thatMorus mongolica, Morus mongolicavar. diabolica, Morus bombycis, andMorus australisare later forms.


2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 367 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Dessein ◽  
R. Harwood ◽  
E. Smets ◽  
E. Robbrecht

Complementary to the revision of the genus Spermacoce in the Northern Territory of Australia, pollen morphology of 48 of the 53 native Spermacoce species from the Northern Territory has been investigated by scanning electron and light microscopy. There is considerable variation for most diagnostic pollen characters. The average equatorial diameter (E) ranges from 10.5 to 41.7 µm. Grains are invariably colporate with the apertures situated at the equator (being zonocolporate). The number of apertures varies from 3 to 17. The endoaperture is generally an endocingulum, often with a secondary thinning at the ectocolpus; one species has endocolpi. The sexine is usually perforate, but psilate, foveolate, and (micro)reticulate patterns were also found. Supratectal elements are present as granules or microspines scattered over the whole surface or confined to a region around the ectoapertures. The inner nexine surface is granular, often with irregular grooves (endocracks). The pollen morphological variation observed allows the distinction of four pollen types. Three of these types are not yet recorded in other palynological studies of Spermacoce. Pollen characters are often useful to delimit species and groups of related species.


2014 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolína Lajblová ◽  
Petr Kraft

Abstract The earliest ostracods from the Bohemian Massif (Central European Variscides) have been recorded from the Middle Ordovician of the Prague Basin (Barrandian area), in the upper Klabava Formation, and became an abundant component of fossil assemblages in the overlying Šarka Formation. Both early ostracod associations consist of eight species in total, representing mainly eridostracans, palaeocopids, and binodicopids. The revision, description, or redescription of all species and their distribution in the basin is provided. Their diversification patterns and palaeogeographical relationships to ostracod assemblages from other regions are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-376
Author(s):  
Li-E Yang ◽  
Lu Lu ◽  
Kevin S. Burgess ◽  
Hong Wang ◽  
De-Zhu Li

Lamiids, a clade composed of approximately 15% of all flowering plants, contains more than 50,000 species dispersed across 49 families and eight orders (APG IV, 2016). This paper is the eighth in a series that analyzes pollen characters across angiosperms. We reconstructed a maximum likelihood tree based on the most recent phylogenetic studies for the Lamiids, comprising 150 terminal genera (including six outgroups) and covering all eight orders and 49 families within the clade. To illustrate pollen diversity across the Lamiids, pollen grains from 22 species (22 genera in 14 families) were imaged under light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. Eighteen pollen characters that were documented from previous publications, websites, and our new observations were coded and optimized onto the reconstructed phylogenetic tree using Fitch parsimony, maximum likelihood, and hierarchical Bayesian analysis. Pollen morphology of the Lamiids is highly diverse, particularly in shape class, pollen size, aperture number, endoaperture shape, supratectal element shape, and tectum sculpture. In addition, some genera show relatively high infrageneric pollen variation within the Lamiids: i.e., Coffea L., Jacquemontia Choisy, Justicia L., Pedicularis L., Psychotria L. nom. cons., Sesamum L., Stachytarpheta Vahl, and Veronica L. The plesiomorphic states for 16 pollen characters were inferred unambiguously, and 10 of them displayed consistent plesiomorphic states under all optimization methods. Seventy-one lineages at or above the family level are characterized by pollen character state transitions. We identified diagnostic character states for monophyletic clades and explored palynological evidence to shed light on unresolved relationships. For example, palynological evidence supports the monophyly of Garryales and Metteniusaceae, and sister relationships between Icacinaceae and Oncothecaceae, as well as between Vahliales and Solanales. The evolutionary patterns of pollen morphology found in this study reconfirm several previously postulated evolutionary trends, which include an increase in aperture number, a transition from equatorially arranged apertures to globally distributed ones, and an increase in exine ornamentation complexity. Furthermore, there is a significant correlation between pollen characters and a number of ecological factors, e.g., pollen size and pollination type, pollen ornamentation and pollination type, and shape class and plant growth form. Our results provide insight into the ecological, environmental, and evolutionary mechanisms driving pollen character state changes in the Lamiids.


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (37) ◽  
pp. 22-42
Author(s):  
Alicja Paluch ◽  
Henryk Spustek

The ever-increasing need for in-depth analysis and quantification of the national power, in particular ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ power-generating factors as well as difficulties in identifying a comprehensive and effective method for scientific determination of the national power, have given rise to research in the indicated scientific issues within this article. The presented considerations aim to define the assumptions for a descriptive sub-model that would enable a comparison of Poland’s power in the economic sphere (which is a component of the non-military sphere) with the power of selected European countries. The research hypothesis is that, among the variety of descriptive variables in the economic sphere of the national power, there is a subset of mutually independent variables, at the same time strongly correlated with the national power, which make it possible to define assumptions for the sub-model of the national power. The steps of the research procedure were carried out using the method of system analysis (multi-criteria comparative analysis) and statistical analysis. The research activities undertaken have shown that the factors that are strongly correlated with the national power in the economic area of the European countries adopted for the analysis are: dynamics of industrial production, private sector credit flows and economic freedom index. The comparative analysis carried out demonstrates that the greatest increase in the economic power in the analysed period took place in Germany (0.68). Slightly smaller growth was recorded in the Czech Republic (0.62) and Poland (0.60), while the lowest value of increase was in Romania (0.23). The conducted qualitative comparative analysis of the economic power of selected European countries allowed to conclude that the independent variables identified are crucial for the formation of the economic power of the analysed countries. At the same time, a fairly strong position of the Czech Republic and Poland in relation to the economic power of Germany was found. The performed quantification of the economic power of the European countries provides a basis for the correct determination of changes in the power distribution of political units, assessment of the power and resources held by the state.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ebadi-Nahari Mostafa ◽  
Nikzat-Siahkolaee Sedigheh ◽  
Eftekharian Rosa

Pollen morphology of nine species representing four genera: Cephalaria Schrad, Dipsacus L., Pterocephalus Vaill. and Scabiosa L. of the family Dipsacaceae in Iran has been investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that pollen grains were triporate and tricolpate. The pollen type of Scabiosa rotata Bieb. (tri- and tetraporate) is the first report in the world. The sizes of pollen grains fall into the classification group magna (pollen grain diameter 50–100 μm). Pollen shapes vary from preoblate to prolate and their polar views were triangulate and lobate. The exine ornamentation varies from gemmate in S. rotata to spinulate in the rest studied species. Species of Scabiosa have been dispersed in UPGMA tree that this confirmed the previous studies about taxonomic problems and species complexity in this genus. These results show the transfer of the some Scabisoa species to Lomelosia Raf. based on palynological characters. Pollen morphology of the family is helpful at the generic and specific level.Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 24(2): 129–136, 2017 (December)


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