Evolutionary constraints on disparity of ericaceous pollen grains.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Flowering plants show a high diversity of pollen morphology, assumed to reflect not only variations in the underlying design, but also stress imposed by ecological conditions related to pollen survival and germination. Both components are expected to constrain the accumulation of pollen disparity. However, this assumption has rarely been tested using empirical data.

Methods

This study is designed to test this hypothesis by inferring the accumulation of pollen disparity in Ericaceae, a large eudicot family with recent, ongoing radiations, with focus on three functionally significant pollen characters using a dated phylogeny.

Key results

Multiple lines of evidence supported the hypothesis that pollen disparity in Ericaceae did not evolve steadily but

SUBMITTER: Yu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6526368 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature