Pollen morphology of Acanthoideae species from the Shivalik Foothills in Rajaji National Park (Uttarakhand, India).

Abstract

Apart from its role in plant taxonomy, the understanding of pollen morphology is considered an essential interdisciplinary tool in diverse applied fields, including plant systematics, melissopalynology, aeropalynology, forensic palynology, paleopalynology, and copropalynology. In palynotaxonomy, it is frequently employed to classify and validate natural groups across a range of hierarchical levels, from higher categories down to the infrageneric level. The subfamily Acanthoideae, within the Acanthaceae family, consists of a diverse group of flowering plants that are distributed globally. The present study attempted a comprehensive analysis of the pollen morphology, employing both light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), for a total of 13 Acanthoideae species from the Shivalik Foothills in Rajaji National Park (located in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya). The findings indicated that the Acanthoideae is characterized by eurypalynous features, and the studied species exhibited pollen grains that were monads, radially symmetrical, and varied in size from small to large. The pollen grains were predominantly tricolporate or heteroaperturate, with porate occurrences being rare. The significant variation in exine sculpturing, including reticulate, coarsely reticulate, and bireticulate patterns, holds substantial taxonomic significance. The detailed presentation encompasses pollen morphological characters described with LM and SEM micrographs, along with a species-level identification key. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: This article provides a thorough analysis of the pollen morphology of Acanthoideae taxa using both light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, covering 13 species across 10 genera and revealing a broad spectrum of pollen characteristics, including size, shape, aperture type, and exine sculpturing. The microscopic investigation of these Acanthoideae species not only enhances our understanding of their pollen morphology but also aids in species identification through the development of a pollen-based key.