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Pollen diversity and its implications to the systematics of Poecilanthe (Fabaceae, Papilionoideae, Brongniartieae)

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Abstract

The small South-American genus Poecilanthe has a striking morphological diversity in leaf type, inflorescence, seed morphology and chemical composition. Recent phylogenetic work also shows that Poecilanthe is paraphyletic. Despite the importance of palynology to better understand morphological diversity and potentially inform evolutionary analyses, the pollen morphology of Poecilanthe and most of its close relatives is unknown. This study uses light and electronic microscopy to describe the pollen morphology of eight species of Poecilanthe and the four related genera Ormosia, Harpalyce, Clathrotropis and Cyclolobium. We found pollen grains colpate only in four species of Poecilanthe and Harpalyce brasiliana and colporate pollen grains in the other four Poecilanthe species and the other related genera (Ormosia, Clathrotropis and Cyclolobium). An identification key for pollen of all species is provided. Using principal component analyses (PCA) we found that pollen grains of the Poecilanthe have considerable diversity. However, only limited correspondence between the PCA clusters and the Poecilanthe clades was found, suggesting that pollinic characters do not reflect evolutionary history in this group.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Noêmia Rodrigues Gonçalves (Instituto de Biofísica-UFRJ) who helped with the SEM. This work was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional, Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, 20940-040, Brazil

    Fabiana Carvalho de Souza, Cláudia Barbieri Ferreira Mendonça & Vania Gonçalves-Esteves

  2. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional, Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, 20940-040, Brazil

    Fabiana Carvalho de Souza

  3. Biology Department, Duke University, PO box 90338, Durham, NC, 27708, USA

    José Eduardo Meireles

Authors
  1. Fabiana Carvalho de Souza
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  2. José Eduardo Meireles
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  3. Cláudia Barbieri Ferreira Mendonça
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  4. Vania Gonçalves-Esteves
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vania Gonçalves-Esteves.

Additional information

This is the part of the thesis of the F. C. de Souza’s Master Degree in Ciências Biológicas (Botânica).

V. Gonçalves-Esteves recieved CNPq productivity scholarship.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Voucher of the specimens of species of the Poecilanthe and related genera (Fabaceae, Papilionoideae, Brongniartieae) examined:

Poecilanthe amazonica (Ducke) Ducke.—Brazil, Amazonas, Rio Abacaxis, 06/VII/1983, J.L. Zarucchi 2968 (RB); Rio Iguapó, Tupana, 23/III/1974, D.G. Campebell P20875 et al. (INPA); Entre o Rio Castanho e o Araçá, 13/VIII/1972, *M. Silva 671 (RB); Rio Guamã, V/1977, O.P. Monteiro 1407 et al. (INPA).

Poecilanthe effusa (Huber) Ducke.—Brazil, Acre, Município de Brasiléia, Seringal Poromgaba, 01/XI/1991, D.C. Daly 7087 et al. (NY);. Maranhão, Ipixuna, 06/VII/1966, A.P. Duarte 9811 (HB); Pará, Municipio de Oriximiná, Rio Cuminá-mirim. 14/IX/1980, *C.A. Cid Ferreira 2540 et al. (MG).

Poecilanthe falcata (Vell.) Heringer.—Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, município de Arraial do Cabo, Ilha de Cabo Frio, 01/IX/2004, R.D. Ribeiro 328 (RB); Município de Barra de Guaratiba, Estrada da Bica, 07/IX/1982, *H.C. de Lima 1854 (RB).

Poecilanthe grandiflora Benth.—Brazil, Bahia, Município de Iraquara, 13/IX/1956, E. Pereira 2159 (RB); Distrito Federal, Brasília, Campus da UNB, 19/VII/1989, B.A.S. Pereira 1389 (UEC); Pernambuco, Município de Venturosa, 08/X/1971, *D. Andrade-Lima 71-6541 (UEC).

Poecilanthe itapuana G. P. Lewis.—Brazil, Bahia, Município de Mata de São João, Praia do Forte, 24/I/2006, *A.M. Miranda 5414 (RB).

Poecilanthe fluminensis—Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Município de Itatiaia, Parna do Itatiaia. Rio Campo Belo, 22/I/2008, *H.C. de Lima 6854 (RB); Parna do Itatiaia, Rio Campo Belo, 22/I/2008, H.C. de Lima 6855 (RB).

Poecilanthe parviflora Benth.—Brazil, Minas Gerais, Monte Belo, Fazenda Lagoa, 11/XII/1993, *S.B. de Souza 500 (UEC); São Paulo, Município de Teodoro Sampaio, 16/XI/1987, A.L. K.M. Albernaz s/nº (SPSF11700).

Poecilanthe ulei (Harms) Arroyo & Rudd.—Brazil, Bahia, Ilhéus, CETEC, 25/II/1971, * S.P. Raimundo 1033 (RB).

Related genera

Clathrotropis nitida (Benth.) Harms—Brazil, Amazonas, Alto do Rio Negro, abaixo do Amazonas, 22/XI/1929, *A. Ducke s/n (RB 23354).

Cyclolobium clausseni Benth.—Brazil, Distrito Federal, Brasília, margem do Rio Corumbá, 09/IX/1976, E.P. Heringer 15944 (HB); Brasília, Reserva Ecológica do IBGE, 16/VII/2006, F. C.A. Oliveira 1247 (RB); Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Canteiro 32-E. 07/X/1999, *H.C. Lima 5692 (RB).

Harpalyce brasiliana Benth.—Brazil, Goiás, Município de Bom Jesus, 16/III/1984, *H. Magnago 365 (RB); Município Niquelândia. s/data., R. Marquete 2482 (RB); Piauí, Uruçú, Fazenda Tucurvi, 06/II/1975, F.B. Ramalho 370 (RFA); Minas Gerais, Uberlândia, Rodovia para Goiânia, 06/III/1981, R.C. Vieira 129 (RFA).

Ormosia arborea (Vell.) Harms.—Brazil, Bahia, Rio do Meio, Estrada para Aurelino Leal, 13/I/1971, *T.S. dos Santos 1315 (RB); Rio de Janeiro, Município de Cabo Frio, Estrada da Gargoá, 22/II/2006, R.D. Ribeiro 592 (RB).

Appendix 2

See Appendix Table 6.

Table 6 Table of pollen of species of the Poecilanthe and related genera (Fabaceae, Papilionoideae, Brongniartieae) characteristics used in the principal component analysis (PCA)
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de Souza, F.C., Meireles, J.E., Mendonça, C.B.F. et al. Pollen diversity and its implications to the systematics of Poecilanthe (Fabaceae, Papilionoideae, Brongniartieae). Plant Syst Evol 300, 1759–1770 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-014-1003-2

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