SECONDARY POLLEN PRESENTATION, PSYCHOPHILY AND ANEMOCHORY IN Lagascea mollis Cav. (ASTERACEAE)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11598/btb.2017.24.3.696

Keywords:

Anemochory, anthropochory, brush mechanism, Lagascea mollis, psychophily, secondary pollen presentation

Abstract

Information on pollination ecology and seed dispersal aspects is essential to understand sexual reproduction in Lagascea mollis Cav. The study was aimed at providing details of pollen presentation system, pollination syndrome, pollinators and seed dispersal mode for L. mollis based mostly on field study. Paper chromatography technique was used for recording sugar and amino acid types in the nectar, since they are important to evaluate the pollination syndrome. The study indicated that L. mollis flowers during August-November. The plant produces synflorescences consisting of several capitula. Each capitulum produces a single disc floret. The plant is protandrous, temporally dioecious and exhibits secondary pollen presentation using brush mechanism to prevent autonomous selfing. The floral characteristics such as having synflorescence, narrow tubular corolla, production of sucrose-rich nectar with essential and non-essential amino acids and pollen charactersistics such as having spherical shape, tri-colpate apertures and strongly spinulose exine suggested that the plant is adapted for insect pollination. The plant is principally psychophilous. Other insects also visited the florets opportunistically and acted as supplementary pollinators. Further, thrips used this plant as breeding and feeding sites; their effect mostly geitonogamy. The fruit is an achene, anemochorous and also anthropochorous. Regeneration occurred from seeds and perennial root stock during rainy season.

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Author Biography

Aluri Jacob Solomon Raju, Department of Environmental Sciences Andhra University Visakhapatnam 530 003 India

Dr. Aluri Jacob Solomon Raju is a Professor of Environmental Sciences in Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India. He was the Head of the Department during 2009-2012. He is currently the Chairman, Board of Studies of the Department. Further, he is a member of Academic Senate of the Andhra University. He was the Visiting Professor of University of Colima, Mexico. He was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Akron, USA for a period of two years. He has published more than 300 research papers, participated and presented scores of research papers at more than 75 national and more than 50 International conferences held in India and abroad.  He visited USA, Canada, UK, Brazil, Paraguay, Italy, Mexico, France, Germany, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Ethiopia and Tanzania. In recognition of his superior record of scholarship, he was awarded Distinguished Achievement Award by the University of Akron, USA. He is also the recipient of Best Research Award and Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Best Academician Award of Andhra University, Loyola Environmental Award from Loyola College, Chennai and Andhra Pradesh Scientist Award from Andhra Pradesh Council of Science & Technology, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. He successfully completed a number of major research projects on the Eastern Ghats Forests funded by ICAR, UGC, DST, CSIR, DBT and MoEF. He has been awarded UGC-BSR Grant for distinguished achievements in his research field. He has also worked on biodiesel plants such as Pongamia and Jatropha and work on these plants laid foundation for others to initiate work in commercial lines.  He has also published ten books on various subjects published by national and international publishers. Twenty five Ph.Ds and 10 M.Phils were awarded under his guidance. Further, he is currently serving as a resource person for All India Radio, TV Channels, Consultant for issues relating to environment. Further, he is currently operating a DST Project on the reproductive biology keystone plant species. He is an expert-cum-reviewer for scores of scientific journals published by Elsevier, Springer publishers, Indian Publishers, US Publishers and African Publishers. He is the Chief Editor of Advances in Pollen-Spore Research and Journal of Palynology. He is the Expert member of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India in sanctioning the research projects.  

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Published

2017-12-31

How to Cite

Rao, M. M., & Raju, A. J. S. (2017). SECONDARY POLLEN PRESENTATION, PSYCHOPHILY AND ANEMOCHORY IN Lagascea mollis Cav. (ASTERACEAE). BIOTROPIA, 24(3), 202–211. https://doi.org/10.11598/btb.2017.24.3.696

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 3 (2017)

Section

Research Paper

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