Pericarp formation in early divergent species of Arecaceae (Calamoideae, Mauritiinae) and its ecological and phylogenetic importance

Pericarp formation in early divergent species of Arecaceae (Calamoideae, Mauritiinae) and its ecological and phylogenetic importance

Lepidocaryum tenue, Mauritia flexuosa and Mauritiella armata belong to the subtribe Mauritiinae, one early divergent lineage of the Arecaceae and one of the few of Calamoideae that occur in South America. These species occur in swampy environments and have fruits that are characteristically covered...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant systematics and evolution Vol. 303; no. 5; pp. 675 - 687
Main Authors: Reis, Sarah B., Mello, Ana C. M. P., Oliveira, Denise M. T.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Vienna Springer-Verlag GmbH 01-05-2017
Springer Vienna
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Arecaceae
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Colonization
Dispersal
Divergence
Flowers
Fruits
Germination
Life Sciences
Light microscopy
Lipids
Ontogeny
Original Article
Pericarp
Phylogeny
Plant Anatomy/Development
Plant Ecology
Plant Sciences
Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Species
Pericarp
Ontogeny
Non-woody mesocarp
Baccate fruit
Papyraceous endocarp
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Summary:Lepidocaryum tenue, Mauritia flexuosa and Mauritiella armata belong to the subtribe Mauritiinae, one early divergent lineage of the Arecaceae and one of the few of Calamoideae that occur in South America. These species occur in swampy environments and have fruits that are characteristically covered with scales. The objective of this study was to describe the formation of the layers of the pericarp within this subtribe and attempt to correlate fruit structure with the environment where species typically occur. Toward this goal, flowers in pre-anthesis and anthesis and fruits throughout development were analyzed using standard methods for light microscopy. The ontogeny of the layers of the pericarp of all three species was found to be similar. The scales were formed from non-vascularized emergences composed of exocarp and mesocarp. The median mesocarp accumulates lipids only in M. flexuosa and M. armata. The inner mesocarp together with the endocarp becomes papyraceous and tenuous in all species. This internal region of pericarp showed collapsed cells due to seed growth at the end of fruit development. Fruits of Mauritiinae are baccate, and the characters of the pericarp, especially the inner mesocarp and endocarp, help to maintain moisture. On the other hand, many species close to Mauritiinae show pericarp with sclerenchyma adjacent to the seed. This variation can contribute to understand the importance of this striking character in dispersal, germination and colonization in Arecaceae.
ISSN:0378-2697
1615-6110
2199-6881
DOI:10.1007/s00606-017-1399-6