| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Leite, Viviane Goncalves
;
Basso-Alves, Joao Paulo
;
Silveira Gualberto, Aline Rejane
;
Teixeira, Simone Padua
Total Authors: 4
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES; v. 181, n. 2, p. 15-pg., 2020-02-01. |
| Abstract | |
Premise of research. Moraceae, the well-known mulberry or fig family, displays small, inconspicuous, diclinous flowers that are very different from many other rosids. One remarkable condition is the gynoecium that is unilocular and uniovulate but composed of two carpels, characterizing a type of pseudomonomery. The pathways that lead to the formation of such a pseudomonomerous gynoecium are insufficiently known. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to elucidate the developmental pathways of this intriguing type of gynoecium in six species representing six of seven tribes recognized in Moraceae: Brosimum gaudichaudii, Castilla elastica, Clarisia ilicifolia, Ficus citrifolia, Maclura tinctoria, and Morus nigra. Methodology. Buds at different stages of development and flowers were processed for surface and anatomical studies. Pivotal results. The gynoecium meristem forms at first a single protuberance in the center of the flower, which then divides, originating two carpels that elongate asymmetrically, but only one initiates an ovule. After elongation of the young carpels, significant differences are found: (1) the two carpels take part in ovary, style, and stigma formation, although only one initiates an ovule in the ovary, and (2) the longer carpel contains an ovule, whereas the smaller carpel is simply a component of the ovary (M. tinctoria). The developed ovary of all species is vascularized by two dorsal traces, attesting to the participation of two carpels. All species except M. tinctoria have two stigmatic branches that, at the time of receptivity, may differ in length. Conclusions. The formation of a pseudomonomerous gynoecium in Moraceae is a condition of carpel dimorphism that manifests itself along an ontogenetic gradient. Such a gradient is evident in the stigma formation, which may involve both carpels, ovulate or not, resulting in symmetrical stigmatic branches or in asymmetrical stigmatic branches, with the shortening or complete absence of one branch. The structure of the pseudomonomerous gynoecium may be the reflection of a balance between the decrease in the number of ovules and the increase and/or maintenance of the equivalent stigmatic surface. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 14/07453-3 - Floral development of urticalean rosids |
| Grantee: | Simone de Pádua Teixeira |
| Support Opportunities: | Regular Research Grants |