A comparative analysis of pollinator type and pollen ornamentation in the Araceae and the Arecaceae, two unrelated families of the monocots.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The high diversity of ornamentation type in pollen grains of angiosperms has often been suggested to be linked to diversity in pollination systems. It is commonly stated that smooth pollen grains are associated with wind or water pollination while sculptured pollen grains are associated with biotic pollination. We tested the statistical significance of an association between pollen ornamentation and pollination system in two families of the monocotyledons, the Araceae and the Arecaceae, taking into account the phylogenetic framework.

Findings

Character optimization was carried out with the Maximum Parsimony method and two different methods of comparative analysis were used: the Concentrated-Change test and the Discrete method. The ancestral ornamentation in Aracea

SUBMITTER: Sannier J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2734846 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature