Palinologia de Frullaniaceae Lorch ( Marchantiophyta) do Brasil

Abstract

Liverworts are nonvascular and cryptogamic plants, with heteromorphic alternation of generations in their life cycle, consisting on a monophyletic lineage, the division Marchantiophyta. In these plants, establishment occurs by asexual or sexual reproduction, but the production and germination of spores enables colonization of new habitats and substrates. Marchantiophyta differ from the others divisions by leafy or thallose gametophyte, dorsi-ventral orientation, unicellular rhizoids and non chlorophyllous sporophytes. Frullaniaceae Lorch include leafy liverworts, median to robust, highly branched, with features that can be interpreted as adaptation to epiphytism, such as saccate lobes, short seta and intracapsular germination. The family includes cosmopolitan species, but it’s more diverse in the tropics. There is one genus, Frullania Raddi, with 38 species in Brazil. This study aimed to perform palynological study of Frullaniaceae species through morphological and ultrastructural studies; and to evaluate the relationship of the features of the spores to ecological strategies of species, and to follow germination and sporeling development in Frullania ericoides (Nees) Mont., under different concentrations of culture media. The spores of Frullaniaceae species have larger diameter with size ranging from medium to large (33.3 to 63.3 micrometers). Two distinct morphological types, based on the spore surface ornamentation, were observed and are not related to the taxonomic organization of the family. The thickness of sporoderm strata allowed the separation of the species into two large groups, which also did not confirm the taxonomic classification. The germination was endosporic, showing cell division and proliferation, forming a globose protonema, without spore wall break. Throughout the period of study, the spores undergo the lowest concentration treatments showed better results of development. Primordial leaves are highly concave, with entire margins and a thick cell wall. The results of this study demonstrate the taxonomic importance and the potential of tissue culture techniques for bryophyte spore studies.