Silica bodies and their systematic implications at the subfamily level in Podostemaceae

Costa, Filipe Gomes Cardoso Machado da; Bove, Claudia Petean; Arruda, Rosani do Carmo Oliveira; Philbrick, C. Thomas

doi:10.1590/S2175-78602011000400019

Abstract

Podostemaceae is a family of eudicotyledonous rheophytes with unique morphology, sometimes resembling algae, lichens or bryophytes. This study evaluates the taxonomic value of silica-body morphology (presence, location, size, shape, ornamentation) in species representing the three subfamilies: Tristicha trifaria (Bory ex Willd.) Spreng. (Tristichoideae), Weddellina squamulosa Tul. (Weddellinoideae) and Diamantina lombardii Novelo, C.T. Philbrick & Irgang (Podostemoideae). T. trifaria and D. lombardii have silica bodies in stems and leaves. In contrast, W. squamulosa exhibits silica bodies only in the scale-like leaves. The morphology of these bodies is unique to each species. The results denote the taxonomic usefulness of silica characteristics and a need for a more complete study of silica bodies throughout the family.

Key words:
aquatic plants; Podostemaceae; silica bodies

Resumo

Podostemaceae é uma família eudicotiledônea reófita de morfologia peculiar, lembrando por vezes algas, liquens ou briófitas. O presente estudo avalia o valor taxonômico da morfologia dos corpos silicosos (presença, localização, tamanho, forma e ornamentação) em espécies representantes das três subfamílias: Tristicha trifaria (Bory ex Willd.) Spreng. (Tristichoideae), Weddellina squamulosa Tul. (Weddellinoideae) e Diamantina lombardii Novelo, C.T.Philbrick & Irgang (Podostemoideae). T. trifaria e D. lombardii apresentam corpos silicosos nos caules e nas folhas, enquanto W. squamulosa possui estas estruturas restritas às folhas escamiformes. A diversidade morfológica dos corpos silicosos, específica para cada espécie aqui estudada, comprova o potencial taxonômico deste caráter, até então negligenciado, e aponta para a necessidade de estudos mais abrangentes para essas estruturas em Podostemaceae.

Palavras-chave:
corpos silicosos; plantas aquáticas; Podostemaceae

Full text available only in PDF format.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

References

Alexandre, A.; Meunier, J.D.; Lézine, A.M.; Vincens, A. & Schwartz, D. 1997. Phytoliths: indicators of grassland dynamics during the late Holocene in intertropical Africa. Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology 136: 213-229.
Cook, C.D.K. & Rutishauser, R. 2007. Podostemaceae. In: Kubitzki, K. (ed.). The families and genera of vascular plants. Vol. 9. Springer, Berlin. Pp. 304-344.
Cooke, J. & Leishman, M.R. 2011. Is plant ecology more silicious than we realize? Trends in Plant Science 16: 61-68.
Currie, H.A. & Perry, C.C. 2007. Silica in plants : biological, biochemical and chemical studies. Annals of Botany 100: 1383-1389.
Cusset, G. & Cusset, C. 1988. Étude sur les Podostemales: 10. Structures florales et vegetatives des Tristichaceae. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Historie Naturalle, Adansonia 10: 179-218.
Engler, A. 1930. Reihe Podostemales. In: Engler, A. & Prantl, K. (eds.). Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, 2nd ed. Vol. 18a. Engelmann, Leipzig. Pp. 1-68.
Franklin, G.L. 1945. Preparation of thin sections of synthetic resins and wood-resin composites, and a new macerating method for wood. Nature 155: 51.
Jäger-Zürn, I. 2011. Neglected features of probable taxonomic value in Podostemaceae: the case of Polypleurum Flora 206: 38-46.
Johansen, D. A. 1940. Plant microtechnique. McGraw-Hill, New York, 523p.
Kealhofer, L. & Piperno, D.R. 1998. Opal phytoliths in Southeast Asian flora. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 88: 1-39.
Kita, Y. & Kato, M. 2001. Infrafamilial phylogeny of the aquatic angiosperm Podostemaceae inferred from the nucleotide sequences of the matK gene. Plant Biology 3: 156-163.
Koi, S. & Kato, M. 2007. Developmental morphology of the shoot in Weddellina squamulosa and implications for shoot evolution in the Podostemaceae. Annals of Botany 99: 1121-1130.
Luque, R.; Sousa, H.C. & Kraus, J.E. 1996. Métodos de coloração de azul de Roeser (1972) visando a substituição do azul de Astra por azul de alcião 8GS ou 8GX. Acta Botanica Brasilica 10: 199-212.
Metcalfe, C.R. & Chalk, L. 1979. Anatomy of the Dicotyledons: systematic anatomy of the leaf and stem. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press, New York. 276p.
Neethirajan, S.; Gordon, R. & Wang, L. 2009. Potential of silica bodies (phytoliths) for nanotechnology. Trends in Biotechnology 27: 461-467.
O'Brien, T.P; Feder, N. & McCully, M.E. 1965. Polychromatic staining of plant cell walls by toluidine blue O. Protoplasma 49: 367-373.
Pfeifer, E.; Grob, V.; Thiv, M. & Rutishauser, R. 2009. Stonesia ghoguei, peculiar morphology of a new Cameroonian species (Podostemaceae, Podostemoideae). Novon 19: 102-116.
Prychid, C.J.; Rudall, P.J. & Gregory, M. 2003. Systematics and biology of silica bodies in Monocotyledons. The Botanical Review 69: 377-440.
Ruhfel, B.R.; Bittrich, V.; Bove, C.P.; Gustafsson, M.H.G.; Philbrick, C.T.; Rutishauser, R.; Xi, Z. & Davis, C.C. 2011. Phylogeny of the clusoid clade (Malpighiales): evidence from the plastid and mitochondrial genomes. American Journal of Botany 98: 306-325.
Rutishauser, R. 1997. Structural and developmental diversity in Podostemaceae (river-weeds). Aquatic Botany 57: 29-70.
Rutishauser, R.; Grob, V. & Pfeifer, E. 2008. Plants are used to having identity crises. In: Minelli, A. & Fusco, G. (eds.). Key themes in evolutionary developmental biology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Pp. 194 -213.
Rutishauser, R.; Pfeifer, E.; Novelo, A. & Philbrick, C.T. 2005. Diamantina lombardii - an odd Brazilian member of the Podostemaceae. Flora 200: 245-255.
Schnell, R. 1967. Études sur l'anatomie et la morphologie des Podostemacees. Candollea 22: 157-225.
Sundae, M. 2009. Silica bodies and their systematic implications in Pteridaceae (Pteridophyta). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161: 422-435.
Tippery, N.P.; Philbrick, C.T.; Bove, C.P. & Les, D.H. 2011. Systematics and phylogeny of neotropical riverweeds (Podostemaceae: Podostemoideae). Systematic Botany 36: 105-118.
Vilella, F.S.; Becker, F.G. & Hartz, S.M. 2002. Diet of Astyanax species (Teleostei, Characidae) in an Atlantic forest river in Southern Brazil. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 45: 223-232.
Wattiez, N. & Sternon, F. 1942. Elements de chemie vegetable. 2 ed. Masson et Cie Editeurs, Paris. 844p.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
Oct-Dec 2011

History

Received
25 Apr 2011
Accepted
24 Aug 2011

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

[1] Alexandre, A.; Meunier, J.D.; Lézine, A.M.; Vincens, A. & Schwartz, D. 1997. Phytoliths: indicators of grassland dynamics during the late Holocene in intertropical Africa. Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology 136: 213-229.

[2] Cook, C.D.K. & Rutishauser, R. 2007. Podostemaceae. In: Kubitzki, K. (ed.). The families and genera of vascular plants. Vol. 9. Springer, Berlin. Pp. 304-344.

[3] Cooke, J. & Leishman, M.R. 2011. Is plant ecology more silicious than we realize? Trends in Plant Science 16: 61-68.

[4] Currie, H.A. & Perry, C.C. 2007. Silica in plants : biological, biochemical and chemical studies. Annals of Botany 100: 1383-1389.

[5] Cusset, G. & Cusset, C. 1988. Étude sur les Podostemales: 10. Structures florales et vegetatives des Tristichaceae. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Historie Naturalle, Adansonia 10: 179-218.

[6] Engler, A. 1930. Reihe Podostemales. In: Engler, A. & Prantl, K. (eds.). Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, 2nd ed. Vol. 18a. Engelmann, Leipzig. Pp. 1-68.

[7] Franklin, G.L. 1945. Preparation of thin sections of synthetic resins and wood-resin composites, and a new macerating method for wood. Nature 155: 51.

[8] Jäger-Zürn, I. 2011. Neglected features of probable taxonomic value in Podostemaceae: the case of Polypleurum Flora 206: 38-46.

[9] Johansen, D. A. 1940. Plant microtechnique. McGraw-Hill, New York, 523p.

[10] Kealhofer, L. & Piperno, D.R. 1998. Opal phytoliths in Southeast Asian flora. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 88: 1-39.

[11] Kita, Y. & Kato, M. 2001. Infrafamilial phylogeny of the aquatic angiosperm Podostemaceae inferred from the nucleotide sequences of the matK gene. Plant Biology 3: 156-163.

[12] Koi, S. & Kato, M. 2007. Developmental morphology of the shoot in Weddellina squamulosa and implications for shoot evolution in the Podostemaceae. Annals of Botany 99: 1121-1130.

[13] Luque, R.; Sousa, H.C. & Kraus, J.E. 1996. Métodos de coloração de azul de Roeser (1972) visando a substituição do azul de Astra por azul de alcião 8GS ou 8GX. Acta Botanica Brasilica 10: 199-212.

[14] Metcalfe, C.R. & Chalk, L. 1979. Anatomy of the Dicotyledons: systematic anatomy of the leaf and stem. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press, New York. 276p.

[15] Neethirajan, S.; Gordon, R. & Wang, L. 2009. Potential of silica bodies (phytoliths) for nanotechnology. Trends in Biotechnology 27: 461-467.

[16] O'Brien, T.P; Feder, N. & McCully, M.E. 1965. Polychromatic staining of plant cell walls by toluidine blue O. Protoplasma 49: 367-373.

[17] Pfeifer, E.; Grob, V.; Thiv, M. & Rutishauser, R. 2009. Stonesia ghoguei, peculiar morphology of a new Cameroonian species (Podostemaceae, Podostemoideae). Novon 19: 102-116.

[18] Prychid, C.J.; Rudall, P.J. & Gregory, M. 2003. Systematics and biology of silica bodies in Monocotyledons. The Botanical Review 69: 377-440.

[19] Ruhfel, B.R.; Bittrich, V.; Bove, C.P.; Gustafsson, M.H.G.; Philbrick, C.T.; Rutishauser, R.; Xi, Z. & Davis, C.C. 2011. Phylogeny of the clusoid clade (Malpighiales): evidence from the plastid and mitochondrial genomes. American Journal of Botany 98: 306-325.

[20] Rutishauser, R. 1997. Structural and developmental diversity in Podostemaceae (river-weeds). Aquatic Botany 57: 29-70.

[21] Rutishauser, R.; Grob, V. & Pfeifer, E. 2008. Plants are used to having identity crises. In: Minelli, A. & Fusco, G. (eds.). Key themes in evolutionary developmental biology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Pp. 194 -213.

[22] Rutishauser, R.; Pfeifer, E.; Novelo, A. & Philbrick, C.T. 2005. Diamantina lombardii - an odd Brazilian member of the Podostemaceae. Flora 200: 245-255.

[23] Schnell, R. 1967. Études sur l'anatomie et la morphologie des Podostemacees. Candollea 22: 157-225.

[24] Sundae, M. 2009. Silica bodies and their systematic implications in Pteridaceae (Pteridophyta). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161: 422-435.

[25] Tippery, N.P.; Philbrick, C.T.; Bove, C.P. & Les, D.H. 2011. Systematics and phylogeny of neotropical riverweeds (Podostemaceae: Podostemoideae). Systematic Botany 36: 105-118.

[26] Vilella, F.S.; Becker, F.G. & Hartz, S.M. 2002. Diet of Astyanax species (Teleostei, Characidae) in an Atlantic forest river in Southern Brazil. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 45: 223-232.

[27] Wattiez, N. & Sternon, F. 1942. Elements de chemie vegetable. 2 ed. Masson et Cie Editeurs, Paris. 844p.

Brasil