| Abstract Detail
Systematics Section Ocampo, Gilberto [1], Almeda, Frank [1]. Systematic and phylogenetic significance of seed micromorphology in the tribe Miconieae (Melastomataceae): Preliminary results. The Melastomataceae are among the most diverse families of flowering plants with more than 5,000 species. Within the family, the tribe Miconieae (restricted to the Neotropics) displays the largest radiation, with over 1,800 described taxa. Previous studies have shown that the tribe is highly variable in seed micromorphology. Some of this seed diversity is of potential use in identifying synapomorphies for certain clades. The present work shows preliminary results derived from the study of seeds of more than 200 species (ca. 10% of the diversity of the tribe), sampled across the Miconieae. Seeds were examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study their micromorphological details. As a result, a series of characters to describe the seed morphological diversity in the tribe are proposed. In addition, characters were coded in a data matrix and subject to ancestral character reconstruction. An interactive identification key using SEM images and the proposed characters is under development and will be available to the public through the Planetary Biodiversity Inventory in Miconieae website (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/melastomataceae/). Broader Impacts:
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Related Links:
Botany Department, California Academy of Sciences
PBI Miconieae website
1 - California Academy of Sciences, Botany, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA, 94118, USA
Keywords:
Ancestral character reconstruction
Interactive identification key
Melastomataceae
Miconieae
Scanning electron microscopy
Seed micromorphology.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 29
Location: Lindell B/Chase Park Plaza
Date: Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
Time: 8:30 AM
Number: 29001
Abstract ID:199 |
