Roots Structure and Development of Austrobaileya scandens (Austrobaileyaceae) and Implications for Their Evolution in Angiosperms

Since the resolution of the ANA grade [Amborellales, Nymphaeales, Austrobaileyales] as sister to all other flowering plants, a few comparative studies of root structure have suggested that some of their anatomical traits could be of importance to understanding root evolutionary development and angiosperm phylogeny. However, there is still a paucity of information on root structure and apical meristems (RAMs) in these lineages and especially the sister to all other Austrobaileyales, Austrobaileya scandens. We used microtome sections and bright field, epifluorescence, laser confocal, and scanning electron microscopy to study adventitious root RAMs and tissues of A. scandens. Our results indicate that root structure is relatively simple in A. scandens. The epidermis has a thick cuticle and lacks root hairs. The stele is typically diarch, or some modification thereof, and surrounded by a cortex differentiated into a uniseriate endodermis, a middle region sometimes packed with starch, some oil cells, and colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and a multiseriate exodermis. Secondary growth produced many vessel elements in the secondary xylem and scattered sclerenchymatous fibers in secondary phloem. The absence of distinct patterning within the RAM and between the RAM and derivative differentiating tissues shows that the RAM is open and characterized by common initials. Roots structure and anatomy of A. scandens are thus essentially similar to some previously described in Amborella or Illicium in the ANA grade and many magnoliids, and suggest that the first woody flowering plants likely had an open RAM with common initials. Their functional and evolutionary significance in woody early-diverging and basal lineages of flowering plants and gymnosperms remains unclear, but they are clearly ancestral traits

Re-evaluation of Cerebropollenites thiergartii Eberh.Schulz 1967 and related taxa: priority of Sciadopityspollenites and nomenclatural novelties

The important marker species for the base of the Jurassic, Cerebropollenites thiergartii, occurs contemporaneously with at least nine related taxa. However, their distinction is difficult and has been confused in the past. In addition, a long history of numerous recombinations with different genus names (e.g. Tsugaepollenites and Sciadopityspollenites), and inconsistent classifications or synonymisations, further complicate the taxonomic framework of Cerebropollenites thiergartii. A comprehensive study of these ten taxa, summarising their crucial distinctive characteristics and potential synonymy, is currently missing. This limits the stratigraphic value of Cerebropollenites thiergartii and associated taxa relevant to the Triassic–Jurassic transition. Here, we revisit relevant holotype material, related taxa and investigated new material for potential interspecific and intraspecific morphological variation. Based on an empirical analysis of name use and an extensive literature review, we identified previous sources of confusion, re-evaluated the distinctive characteristics and stratigraphic value of these taxa, and their relevance for the Triassic–Jurassic transition. Finally, we argue that the recombination as Sciadopityspollenites thiergartii is taxonomically and nomenclaturally imperative, not only due to priority, but also because it unifies previous disjunct use of Cerebropollenites for Mesozoic and Sciadopityspollenites for Cenozoic taxa, or Mesozoic species in many Russian studies. Thus, we propose a series of nomenclatural novelties: Sciadopityspollenites emend., Sciadopityspollenites thiergartii comb. nov. et emend., S. thiergartii ssp. nov. thiergartii, S. thiergartii ssp. multiverrucosus stat. nov., S. megaorbicularius sp. nov., S. carlylensis comb. nov. et emend., S. serratus emend., S. macroverrucosus emend., S. mesozoicus emend., Cryptopalynites gen. nov., Cryptopalynites pseudomassulae comb. nov. et emend

Re-evaluation of Cerebropollenites thiergartii Eberh.Schulz 1967 and related taxa: priority of Sciadopityspollenites and nomenclatural novelties

The important marker species for the base of the Jurassic, Cerebropollenites thiergartii, occurs contemporaneously with at least nine related taxa. However, their distinction is difficult and has been confused in the past. In addition, a long history of numerous recombinations with different genus names (e.g. Tsugaepollenites and Sciadopityspollenites), and inconsistent classifications or synonymisations, further complicate the taxonomic framework of Cerebropollenites thiergartii. A comprehensive study of these ten taxa, summarising their crucial distinctive characteristics and potential synonymy, is currently missing. This limits the stratigraphic value of Cerebropollenites thiergartii and associated taxa relevant to the Triassic–Jurassic transition. Here, we revisit relevant holotype material, related taxa and investigated new material for potential interspecific and intraspecific morphological variation. Based on an empirical analysis of name use and an extensive literature review, we identified previous sources of confusion, re-evaluated the distinctive characteristics and stratigraphic value of these taxa, and their relevance for the Triassic–Jurassic transition. Finally, we argue that the recombination as Sciadopityspollenites thiergartii is taxonomically and nomenclaturally imperative, not only due to priority, but also because it unifies previous disjunct use of Cerebropollenites for Mesozoic and Sciadopityspollenites for Cenozoic taxa, or Mesozoic species in many Russian studies. Thus, we propose a series of nomenclatural novelties: Sciadopityspollenites emend., Sciadopityspollenites thiergartii comb. nov. et emend., S. thiergartii ssp. nov. thiergartii, S. thiergartii ssp. multiverrucosus stat. nov., S. megaorbicularius sp. nov., S. carlylensis comb. nov. et emend., S. serratus emend., S. macroverrucosus emend., S. mesozoicus emend., Cryptopalynites gen. nov., Cryptopalynites pseudomassulae comb. nov. et emend

Host and abiotic constraints on the distribution of the pine fungal pathogen Sphaeropsis sapinea (= Diplodia sapinea)

Plant fungal pathogens are an increasing emerging threat as climate change progresses. Sphaeropsis sapinea (syn. Diplodia sapinea), the causal fungal agent of Diplodia tip blight, is a major pathogen of pines of forestry and ornamental relevance in Europe and worldwide. Here, we combined molecular-based field surveys in a common-garden setting and across an elevation gradient with historical records, cultivation-based growth experiments and microscopy to report on host and abiotic constraints on the distribution of S. sapinea. Using the arboretum at the Botanical Garden Berlin, Germany, to control for environmental variability, S. sapinea was detected on all seven host Pinus species we studied. However, P. sylvestris is the only species in which the fungus was detected in symptomless needles at the arboretum, and the most frequently recorded host for over a century, suggesting that it is the main, and perhaps, potential original host. In addition, sampling symptomatic needles in four out of the seven same species across a gradient from 200 to 2,100 m of elevation in the French Alps, S. sapinea was not detected at elevation higher than 800 m. Abiotic constraints were also supported by reduced growth of isolates of S. sapinea at low temperature under controlled conditions, but a 35°C prior stress exposure increased the subsequent growth of S. sapinea within its optimal temperature range (20-30°C). Altogether, our study thus not only suggests that S. sapinea is more likely to cause tip blight in P. sylvestris compared to the other species we studied, but also that in the current context of global climate change with predicted temperature increases, the fungus could infect a wider range of pine hosts and locations worldwide

First evidence of ranunculids in Early Cretaceous tropics

Early Cretaceous floras containing angiosperms were described from several geographic areas, nearly from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and are crucial to understand their evolution and radiation. However, most of these records come from northern mid-latitudes whereas those of lower paleolatitude areas, such as the Crato Fossil Lagerstätte in NE Brazil, are less studied. Here, we describe from this region of northern Gondwanan origin, two fossil-species of eudicots belonging to a new extinct genus Santaniella gen. nov. Together with several vegetative axes and leaves, anatomically well-preserved fruits with seeds and persistent perianth-like organs allowed us to reconstruct its potential affinities with ranunculids, and presumably Ranunculaceae. Previous records putatively assigned to Ranunculales are all from mid-latitudes, and their first unequivocal occurrence in a low-latitude area supports further the hypothesis of a widespread radiation of the earliest diverging eudicot lineage by this early age

Osmophores and floral fragrance in Anacardium humile and Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae): an overlooked secretory structure in Sapindales

Background and aims: Flowers of Anacardiaceae and other Sapindales typically produce nectar, but scent, often associated with a reward for pollinators, has surprisingly been mentioned only rarely for members of the family and order. However, flowers of Anacardium humile and Mangifera indica produce a strong sweet scent. The origin and composition of these floral scents is the subject of this study. Methods: Screening of potential osmophores on the petals and investigations of their anatomy were carried out by light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The composition of the floral fragrance was characterized by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Key results: In both species, the base of the adaxial side of each petal revealed specialized secretory epidermal cells which are essentially similar in structure and distinct from all other neighbouring cells. These cells also showed evidence of granulocrine secretory mechanisms and slight specific variations in their subcellular apparatus coinciding with the respective composition of the floral fragrance, predominantly composed of sesquiterpenes in Anacardium humile and monoterpenes in Mangifera indica. Conclusions: This study reports the presence of osmophores for the first time in flowers of Anacardiaceae and confirms the link between the ultrastructural features of their secretory cells and the volatiles produced by the flowers. The flowers of most Sapindales, including Anacardiaceae, are nectariferous. However, the presence of osmophores has only been described for very few genera of Rutaceae and Sapindaceae. Both the occurrence of osmophores and fragrance may have largely been overlooked in Anacardiaceae and Sapindales until now. Further studies are needed to better understand the nature and diversity of the interactions of their nectariferous flowers with their pollinators

Neotropical Anacardiaceae (cashew family)

Anacardiaceae is an ecologically and economically important plant family of about 200 species in 32 genera in the Neotropics. The family is particularly diverse in leaf architecture and fruit morphology, making it a model family to study the evolution of structural diversity as it correlates with lineage diversification. This fruit diversity is the primary reason 11 of the Neotropical genera are monotypic and that so many genera are recognized in the Anacardiaceae. The economic value of the family is driven by the global markets for cashews, mangoes, and pistachios, but there is great potential value in its medicinal properties. At least 10 Neotropical genera cause contact dermatitis, which is a rich area for research in the family. Here presented is a review of the systematics and structural diversity of the family. Particular attention is given to the morphology, economic botany, paleobotany, ecology, and taxonomy of native and naturalized genera. Keys to Neotropical Anacardiaceae subfamilies and genera are provided along with descriptions of native genera

Taxonomy and nomenclature in palaeopalynology: basic principles, current challenges and future perspectives

Effective communication of taxonomic concepts is crucial to meaningful application in all biological sciences, and thus the development and following of best practices in taxonomy and the formulation of clear and practical rules of nomenclature underpin a wide range of scientific studies. The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants (the Code), currently the Shenzhen Code of 2018, provides these rules. Although early versions of the Code were designed mainly with extant plants in mind, the Code has been increasingly used for fossil plants and, in recent decades, for organic-walled microfossils, the study of which is called palaeopalynology, or simply palynology. However, rules embodied in the Code do not fully reflect the needs and practices of this discipline; and taxonomic practices between fossil applications, especially in palynology, have tended to diverge from practices for extant plants. Differences in these rules and practices present specific challenges. We therefore review the Shenzhen Code as it applies to palynology, clarifying procedures and recommending approaches based on best practices, for example, in the designation and use of nomenclatural types. The application of nomenclatural types leads to taxonomic stability and precise communication, and lost or degraded types are therefore problematic because they remove the basis for understanding a taxon. Such problems are addressed using examples from the older European literature in which type specimens are missing or degraded. A review of the three most important conventions for presenting palynological taxonomic information, synonymies, diagnoses/descriptions and illustrations, concludes with recommendations of best practices. Palynology continues to play an important role in biostratigraphy, palaeoenvironmental analyses, and evolutionary studies, and is contributing increasingly to our understanding of past climates and ocean systems. To contribute with full potential to such applied studies, consistent communication of taxonomic concepts, founded upon clear rules of nomenclature, is essential

A new remarkable Early Cretaceous nelumbonaceous fossil bridges the gap between herbaceous aquatic and woody protealeans

Dating back to the late Early Cretaceous, the macrofossil record of the iconic lotus family (Nelumbonaceae) is one of the oldest of flowering plants and suggests that their unmistakable leaves and nutlets embedded in large pitted receptacular fruits evolved relatively little in the 100 million years since their first known appearance. Here we describe a new fossil from the late Barremian/Aptian Crato Formation flora (NE Brazil) with both vegetative and reproductive structures, Notocyamus hydrophobus gen. nov. et sp. nov., which is now the oldest and most complete fossil record of Nelumbonaceae. In addition, it displays a unique mosaic of ancestral and derived macro- and micromorphological traits that has never been documented before in this family. This new Brazilian fossil-species also provides a rare illustration of the potential morphological and anatomical transitions experienced by Nelumbonaceae prior to a long period of relative stasis. Its potential plesiomorphic and apomorphic features shared with Proteaceae and Platanaceae not only fill a major morphological gap within Proteales but also provide new support for their unexpected relationships first suggested by molecular phylogenies

Comparative study of the floral morphology and anatomy in Anacardiaceae, Burseraceae, and Kirkiaceae (Sapindales)

Amphipterygium was originally placed in its own family, Julianiaceae, mainly because of its unique infructescences, which form samaroid dispersal units containing a single fertile, one-seeded fruit and three or more sterile fruits enclosed in a cupulelike structure. Its position in Anacardiaceae-Anacardioideae and a close relationship with Pistacia were suggested by structural and chemical features, and the position of both genera in Anacardioideae was recently supported by molecular phylogenetic studies. However, the development and structure of these infructescences and flowers have never been analyzed and comparatively studied. This study shows that each samaroid structure in Amphipterygium is a few-flowered cyme and that the teeth at the entrance of the cupule are the subtending bracts of the flowers. A comparison of Amphipterygium with Pistacia also shows that both genera share with Rhus and other genera of Anacardioideae a tricarpellate, pseudomonomerous gynoecium with a unilocular ovary and a single crassinucellar and (hemi)anatropous ovule with a ponticulus. However, the ovules in both Amphipterygium and Pistacia are outstanding in being unitegmic (though sometimes with traces of a second integument on the convex side) and having a massive funicle with unique lateral and median outgrowths, which becomes much larger than the ovule after anthesis. The funicle is also proportionally much larger and more complicated in shape than that of all other Anacardiaceae studied. In addition, both genera are wind pollinated and thus exhibit similar evolutionary trends, such as dioecy, reduction of perianth (lack of petals and, at least in part, also of sepals), large (bilobed) stigmas with multicellular papillae, and similar pollen. It is not yet clear whether wind pollination evolved separately in each genus or only once in their common ancestor. However, the inclusion of Amphipterygium within Anacardioideae is strongly supported by floral reproductive structures