Spines, microspines and electric fields: a new look at the possible significance of sculpture in pollen of basal and derived Asteraceae

INCHAUSSANDAGUE, M.; SKIRING, D.; DOLINKO, A.; TELLERÍA, M.C.; BARREDA, V. D.; PALAZZESI, L

BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2018 vol. 125 p. 794 - 801

0024-4066

Effective adherence of pollen grains on the surface of the stigma is a crucial condition for tube germination and subsequentfertilization of ovules. We provide evidence, through computer simulations, that echinate and microechinatesculpture of pollen in Asteraceae could play an important role in that process. We show that electrostatic interactionincreases in grains with few ornamental elements (echinate pollen typical of derived lineages) when compared withgrains that have a large number of ornamental elements (microechinate pollen typical of basal lineages). We alsoshow that grains of smaller size are more significantly affected by the electrostatic force. Although experimentalstudies are necessary to ascertain the real effect of electrostatic forces on pollen capture by the stigma in Asteraceae,our contribution suggests that these forces might have great biophysical significance in the evolution of the family