They study the orchids of the Gulf of Guinea

They study the orchids of the Gulf of Guinea https://i1.wp.com/www.eresviral.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Estudian-las-orquídeas-del-Golfo-de-Guinea.jpg?fit=195%2C146&ssl=1

They study the orchids of the Gulf of Guinea







As part of the "Flora of Equatorial Guinea" project, a team of researchers from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) and the Polytechnic School of Madrid (UPM) (Spain) studied the orchid seeds that inhabit the Gulf of Mexico. Guinea (central-western tropical Africa).



The work, published in Plant Systematics and Evolution, shows the existence of variability in the micromorphological characters of the seeds, specifically between terrestrial orchids and those that grow on the branches of trees (epiphytes).



These results, obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), suggest the existence of adaptations related to the dispersion and germination capacity. This evidence, according to the authors, will be useful for the development of future work on the conservation of threatened species by habitat destruction or climate change, on epiphytism, germination and evolution of orchids.



Orchids belong to one of the most diverse families of flowering plants, with the largest number of recognized and widely distributed species on the planet. The greatest diversity is concentrated in tropical and subtropical zones, where they can develop as terrestrial or as epiphytes.



One of its most relevant structures is the seed, which has a small size and is produced in large numbers inside the fruit. Due to their diminutive size and light weight, they are dispersed by the wind, except in rare exceptions like those of the genus Vanilla (vanilla).







Seed of Bulbophyllum falcatum (Lindl.), View to the scanning electron microscope (SEM) of the Interdepartmental Research Service (SIDI) of the UAM. (Photo: UAM)



The seeds of the orchids consist of an embryo and a cover or testa that is formed by dead cells. The use of SEM allowed the researchers to analyze the topography of the testa.



"The seeds must meet two conditions, be dry and be conductive, for which they undergo a metallization process with gold. Thus, we analyzed a total of 95 species, of which 69 were studied for the first time ", explain the authors.



"The observations -continue- showed the existence of variability in the seed coat, recognizing two main patterns. In the terrestrial species, the testa is formed by cells that are arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the seed, thin and straight intercellular walls, wide cell walls and without the presence of waxes. In the epiphytes, the testa is made up of cells that rotate with respect to the longitudinal axis of the seeds, wide intercellular walls, little visible cell walls and the presence of waxes ".



These differences, according to the authors, suggest a probable relationship with ecological adaptations related to their dispersal capacity, although new studies that address a greater diversity of orchids in a wider geographic area are still necessary. New studies are also needed to relate these patterns to the dispersal capacity of the seeds (speed of fall and aerodynamic effect). (Source: UAM)

        .

  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)

  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?

  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};

  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';

  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;

  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];

  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',

  'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');

  fbq('init', '369524843414444');

  fbq('track', 'PageView');

    .


SOURCE LINK ERESVIRAL.COM 
https://www.beviral.online