The pinna of Cycasferruginea F.N. Wei （Cycadaceae）, pinnas or rachises ofStangeria eriopus （Kune） Baill. （Stangeriaceae）, Dioon holmgrenii De Luca, Sabato ＆ Vazq. Torres, Macrozamia moorei F. Muell. ex C. Moore...The pinna of Cycasferruginea F.N. Wei （Cycadaceae）, pinnas or rachises ofStangeria eriopus （Kune） Baill. （Stangeriaceae）, Dioon holmgrenii De Luca, Sabato ＆ Vazq. Torres, Macrozamia moorei F. Muell. ex C. Moore （Zamiaceae） were macerated and dissociated by Jeffrey＇s technique, rinsed with water, dehydrated and gold-plated for observation with scanning electron microscopes. The results showed that the pinna and rachis of the leaf tissues of the four cycad species possess many vessel elements and a few tracheid elements in the conducting tissue of the xylem. Annular, spiral, scalariform, pitted and reticulate vessels and some transitional types, including scalariform-pitted, scalariform-reticulate and reticulate-pitted vessels, were observed in the conducting tissues. The characteristics of the vessels of each species, and the evolutionary relation of four genera of cycads were analyzed. Compared with those of angiosperms, the structural characters of vessels of cycad are at the moderate level of evolution and more advanced than some primitive taxa of angiosperms and ferns. Vessels have been discovered in many genera of ferns, which are even more primitive than cycads. In many ferns, only vessel elements, but no tracheids are found in vascular tissue. In the present study, the authors discovered vessels in different genera of three families ofcycads which showed that the existence of vessels in primitive plant taxa is a widespread phenomenon. Vessel elements in vascular tissues of cycads have probably allowed cycads to adapt to various environmental stresses and enabled their persistence over their long evolutionary history. Cycads are the most primitive of the extant seed plants and the widespread existence of vessels in the group has broad implications for plant systematics, evolution and comparative morphology.展开更多
基金There are 8 projects supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China which Dr. Y.Y. Huang have taken charge of and/or taken part in Dr. Y.Y. Huang have published 5 bookmakings and more than 100 papers.
文摘The pinna of Cycasferruginea F.N. Wei （Cycadaceae）, pinnas or rachises ofStangeria eriopus （Kune） Baill. （Stangeriaceae）, Dioon holmgrenii De Luca, Sabato ＆ Vazq. Torres, Macrozamia moorei F. Muell. ex C. Moore （Zamiaceae） were macerated and dissociated by Jeffrey＇s technique, rinsed with water, dehydrated and gold-plated for observation with scanning electron microscopes. The results showed that the pinna and rachis of the leaf tissues of the four cycad species possess many vessel elements and a few tracheid elements in the conducting tissue of the xylem. Annular, spiral, scalariform, pitted and reticulate vessels and some transitional types, including scalariform-pitted, scalariform-reticulate and reticulate-pitted vessels, were observed in the conducting tissues. The characteristics of the vessels of each species, and the evolutionary relation of four genera of cycads were analyzed. Compared with those of angiosperms, the structural characters of vessels of cycad are at the moderate level of evolution and more advanced than some primitive taxa of angiosperms and ferns. Vessels have been discovered in many genera of ferns, which are even more primitive than cycads. In many ferns, only vessel elements, but no tracheids are found in vascular tissue. In the present study, the authors discovered vessels in different genera of three families ofcycads which showed that the existence of vessels in primitive plant taxa is a widespread phenomenon. Vessel elements in vascular tissues of cycads have probably allowed cycads to adapt to various environmental stresses and enabled their persistence over their long evolutionary history. Cycads are the most primitive of the extant seed plants and the widespread existence of vessels in the group has broad implications for plant systematics, evolution and comparative morphology.
