Characterization and pollen morphological comparison of ornamental plants in different environments

Resumo

There is a great variety in the shapes and sizes of pollen grains, which facilitates the morphological characterization, making the analysis of pollen morphology an effective and fundamental tool in the taxonomic systematization. However, the presence of intraspecific pollen variation exists. This study aimed to verify intraspecific palynological variations in pollen grains among three ornamental plant species growing in different locations: Antigonon leptopus (Polygonaceae), Ixora chinensis (Rubiaceae), Pleroma mutabile (Melastomataceae). Two samples of each species were collected in two different regions (Itapoa and Joinville, Santa Catarina State, Brazil). The buds of the studied species were collected during field trips, the anthers were removed, macerated and acetolyzed, before preparing slides that were analyzed by light microscopy. The grains of the species studied showed variability in size from one municipality to another, with the grains of the species located in Joinville showing larger measurements of both the equatorial diameter and the polar axis when compared to those of the grains of the species from Itapoa. These results are of great importance for expanding studies in systematics, ecology, and plant physiology, demonstrating how different environmental conditions can influence the adaptation of species.