Structural Features of Carnivorous Plant (<i>Genlisea</i>, <i>Utricularia</i>) Tubers as Abiotic Stress Resistance Organs
Carnivorous plants from the Lentibulariaceae form a variety of standard and novel vegetative organs and survive unfavorable environmental conditions. Within <i>Genlisea</i>, only <i>G. tuberosa</i>, from the Brazilian <i>Cerrado</i>, formed tubers, while <i>...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-07-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/14/5143 |
| Summary: | Carnivorous plants from the Lentibulariaceae form a variety of standard and novel vegetative organs and survive unfavorable environmental conditions. Within <i>Genlisea</i>, only <i>G. tuberosa</i>, from the Brazilian <i>Cerrado</i>, formed tubers, while <i>Utricularia menziesii</i> is the only member of the genus to form seasonally dormant tubers. We aimed to examine and compare the tuber structure of two taxonomically and phylogenetically divergent terrestrial carnivorous plants: <i>Genlisea tuberosa</i> and <i>Utricularia</i> <i>menziesii</i>. Additionally, we analyzed tubers of <i>U. mannii</i>. We constructed phylogenetic trees using chloroplast genes <i>mat</i>K/<i>trn</i>K and <i>rbc</i>L and used studied characters for ancestral state reconstruction. All examined species contained mainly starch as histologically observable reserves. The ancestral state reconstruction showed that specialized organs such as turions evolved once and tubers at least 12 times from stolons in Lentibulariaceae. Different from other clades, tubers probably evolved from thick stolons for sect. <i>Orchidioides</i> and both structures are primarily water storage structures. In contrast to species from section <i>Orchidioides</i>, <i>G. tuberosa</i>, <i>U.</i> <i>menziesii</i> and <i>U. mannii</i> form starchy tubers. In <i>G. tuberosa</i> and <i>U. menziesii</i>, underground tubers provide a perennating bud bank that protects the species in their fire-prone and seasonally desiccating environments. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |