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The Coexistence of Bicellular and Tricellular Pollen Might Be the Third Type of Pollen Cell Number: Evidence from Annonaceae
1
Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China
2
The Agro-Biological Gene Research Center, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
3
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna 666303, China
4
College of Life Sciences, Sun Yet-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Biology 2025, 14(5), 562; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14050562
Submission received: 7 April 2025
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Revised: 10 May 2025
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Accepted: 12 May 2025
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Published: 17 May 2025
Simple Summary
Anther is thought to release either bicellular or tricellular pollen when mature. In the present work, we found that 16 species from 10 genera of Annonaceae shed both bicellular and tricellular pollen. This is the first time that so many species with both types of pollen has been observed in the same family. Combined with reports from other families, the plants that were known to shed both types of pollen included 15 families, 40 genera, and 52 species. Our results indicate that the coexistence of bicellular and tricellular pollen might be the third type of pollen cell number. And the systematic relationship among them is needed to be reanalyzed.
Abstract
Anther is thought to release either bicellular or tricellular pollen when mature. Though a few species had been found to shed both bicellular and tricellular pollen, due to their low frequency, they had been overlooked as special cases of bicellular or tricellular pollen in previous phylogenetic studies. In the present work, the pollen cytologies of 89 species from 26 genera of Annonaceae were observed using the overall transparency method and paraffin sectioning method. The results show that 73 species from 25 genera distribute bicellular pollen, while 16 species from 10 genera shed both bicellular and tricellular pollen. This is the first time that so many species with both types of pollen has been observed in the same family. Combined with reports from other families, the plants that were known to shed both types of pollen included 15 families, 40 genera, and 52 species. Our results indicate that the coexistence of bicellular and tricellular pollen might be the third type of pollen cell number. And the systematic relationship among them is needed to be reanalyzed.
Keywords:
Annonaceae; pollen cell number; bicellular pollen; tricellular pollen
