Seed Morphology of Three Neotropical Orchid Species of the Lycaste Genus

Author:

Alfaro Pinto Alejandra1ORCID,McGill Craig1ORCID,Nadarajan Jayanthi2ORCID,Archila Morales Fredy3,Clavijo McCormick Andrea1ORCID

Affiliation:

1. School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand

2. The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 11-600, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand

3. Experimental Orchid Station Farm of the Archila Family, Coban 16001, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

Abstract

Neotropical orchids are vulnerable to extinction due to overharvesting, habitat destruction and climate change. However, a basic understanding of orchid seed biology to support conservation efforts is still lacking for most species. Seed morphology is linked to plant adaptation and evolution, influencing seed dispersal, dormancy, longevity, and germination, which are valuable traits for conservation. In this study, we characterized and compared the morphological traits of seed capsules (size, shape, and colour) and seeds (seed and embryo shape and size and internal airspace volume) for three epiphytic Neotropical orchid species of the genus Lycaste native to Guatemala: L. cochleata, L. lasioglossa, and L. virginalis. The three species show qualitative similarities in seed capsule colour and appearance and in seed morphology (i.e., scobiform oval-shaped seeds and prolate-spheroid embryos). All species have small-sized seeds (length of L. cochleata: 210 µm, L. lasioglossa: 230 µm, and L. virginalis: 260 µm), with proportionally large embryos (length of L. cochleata: 140 µm, L. lasioglossa: 120 µm, and L. virginalis: 150 µm) and an internal air-space volume that occupies less than half of the seed (L. cochleata: 17%, L. lasioglossa: 42%, and L. virginalis: 30%). This finding is consistent with previous reports for other epiphytic orchid species, which typically have lower air volumes than terrestrial orchids. These differences are likely a result of evolutionary changes associated with different habits and may influence seed dispersal. We also found some significant differences in seed morphology between the studied species, but their taxonomic, biological, and ecological relevance remain to be elucidated. More comparative studies, including on other Lycaste species with different habits, are needed to explore relationships between seed morphology, taxonomy, biology, and ecology in this genus to support its conservation.

Funder

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand

Massey University Research Fund

Publisher

MDPI AG

Reference33 articles.

1. Orquídeas: Importancia y uso en México;Didier;Bioagrociencias,2013

2. Meisel, J.E., Kaufmann, R.S., and Pupulin, F. (2014). Orchids of Tropical America: An Introduction and Guide, Comstock Publishing Associates.

3. Cavero, M., Collantes, B., and Patroni, C. (1991). Orquídeas del Perú, Centro de datos para la Conservación del Perú.

4. Regulating wild collected orchids? The CBD, Nagoya Protocol and CITES overlaps;Lawson;Environ. Plan. Law J.,2019

5. Martija-Ochoa, M. (2019). El Gran Libro de las Orquídeas, Parkstone International.

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3