Details of pollen diversity of Euphorbiaceae sensu stricto and
Phyllanthaceae native from forest fragments of Cerrado under light
microscopy and scanning electron microscopy
Abstract
The pollen morphology of 13 Euphorbiaceae species and one Phyllanthaceae
species native to forest fragments of Cerrado was investigated to
contribute to expanding the morphological knowledge and characterizing
species for the conservation of degraded areas. The pollen grains were
acetolyzed, measured, and photographed using light microscopy (LM). To
obtain more details of exine ornamentation, non-acetolyzed pollen grains
of some species were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
The qualitative data were described, a pollen key was presented, and
descriptive and multivariate statistics analyzed the quantitative data.
The pollen grains of Euphorbiaceae differ in polarity, size, amb, shape,
number, and type of apertures (inaperturate, 3-colporate, 4-porate, or
pantoporate), type of endoapertures (circular, lalongate, lolongate or
endocingulate) and exine ornamentation (psilate, microreticulate,
reticulate, or with Croton-pattern). Phyllanthus acuminatus Vahl.
(Phyllanthaceae) presents pollen grains in monads, isopolar, medium,
circular amb, oblate spheroidal, 3-diploporate, and exine pilate. The
number and type of apertures, the morphology of the endoapertures, and
the ornamentation of the exine were the essential data for
distinguishing the studied species, in addition to the diameter
measurements and the variations in the thickness of the exine layers
being quantitative characters that characterize the analyzed taxa.