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The fruit of Bursera: structure, maturation and parthenocarpy

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The deterioration of seasonally tropical dry forests will stop with the implementation of management plans for this ecosystem. To develop these plans, we require information regarding aspects such as germination and the presence of ‘empty seeds’ of representative species—like, f...

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Autores principales: Ramos-Ordoñez, María F., Arizmendi, M. del Coro, Márquez-Guzmán, Judith
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Oxford University Press 2012
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3484315/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23115709
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/pls027
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author Ramos-Ordoñez, María F.
Arizmendi, M. del Coro
Márquez-Guzmán, Judith
author_facet Ramos-Ordoñez, María F.
Arizmendi, M. del Coro
Márquez-Guzmán, Judith
author_sort Ramos-Ordoñez, María F.
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The deterioration of seasonally tropical dry forests will stop with the implementation of management plans for this ecosystem. To develop these plans, we require information regarding aspects such as germination and the presence of ‘empty seeds’ of representative species—like, for example, Bursera, a genus with a high number of endemic species of the Mesoamerican Hotspot—that would enable us to propagate its species. The main purpose of this study is to describe the phenological and structural characteristics of fruits of 12 Bursera species and provide useful data for future studies on germination and seed dispersal, and to acquire new and useful information to understand the phylogenetic relationships of the Burseraceae family. METHODOLOGY: We described the phenology of fruit ripening in 12 species of Bursera. Fruits were collected from the study sites in three different stages of development. The histochemical and anatomical characteristics of fruits of all species were described with the use of inclusion techniques and scanning microscopy. PRINCIPAL RESULTS: There is a time gap between the development of the ovary and the development of the ovule in the 12 studied species. The exposed pseudoaril during the dispersion stage is an indicator of the seed's maturity and the fruit's viability. The Bursera fruit shows the same structural pattern as that of Commiphora, as well as many similarities with species of the Anacardiaceae family. All species develop parthenocarpic fruits that retain the structural characteristics of the immature fruits: soft tissues rich in nitrogen compounds and few chemical and physical defences. Insects were found mainly inside the parthenocarpic fruits in eight species of Bursera. CONCLUSIONS: The dispersion unit in Bursera consists of a seed, a lignified endocarp that protects the seed, and a pseudoaril that helps attract seed dispersers. The production of parthenocarpic fruits is energy saving; however, it is necessary to evaluate the potential benefits of this phenomenon.
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spelling pubmed-34843152012-10-31 The fruit of Bursera: structure, maturation and parthenocarpy Ramos-Ordoñez, María F. Arizmendi, M. del Coro Márquez-Guzmán, Judith AoB Plants Research Articles BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The deterioration of seasonally tropical dry forests will stop with the implementation of management plans for this ecosystem. To develop these plans, we require information regarding aspects such as germination and the presence of ‘empty seeds’ of representative species—like, for example, Bursera, a genus with a high number of endemic species of the Mesoamerican Hotspot—that would enable us to propagate its species. The main purpose of this study is to describe the phenological and structural characteristics of fruits of 12 Bursera species and provide useful data for future studies on germination and seed dispersal, and to acquire new and useful information to understand the phylogenetic relationships of the Burseraceae family. METHODOLOGY: We described the phenology of fruit ripening in 12 species of Bursera. Fruits were collected from the study sites in three different stages of development. The histochemical and anatomical characteristics of fruits of all species were described with the use of inclusion techniques and scanning microscopy. PRINCIPAL RESULTS: There is a time gap between the development of the ovary and the development of the ovule in the 12 studied species. The exposed pseudoaril during the dispersion stage is an indicator of the seed's maturity and the fruit's viability. The Bursera fruit shows the same structural pattern as that of Commiphora, as well as many similarities with species of the Anacardiaceae family. All species develop parthenocarpic fruits that retain the structural characteristics of the immature fruits: soft tissues rich in nitrogen compounds and few chemical and physical defences. Insects were found mainly inside the parthenocarpic fruits in eight species of Bursera. CONCLUSIONS: The dispersion unit in Bursera consists of a seed, a lignified endocarp that protects the seed, and a pseudoaril that helps attract seed dispersers. The production of parthenocarpic fruits is energy saving; however, it is necessary to evaluate the potential benefits of this phenomenon. Oxford University Press 2012 2012-10-30 /pmc/articles/PMC3484315/ /pubmed/23115709 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/pls027 Text en Published by Oxford University Press http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Research Articles
Ramos-Ordoñez, María F.
Arizmendi, M. del Coro
Márquez-Guzmán, Judith
The fruit of Bursera: structure, maturation and parthenocarpy
title The fruit of Bursera: structure, maturation and parthenocarpy
title_full The fruit of Bursera: structure, maturation and parthenocarpy
title_fullStr The fruit of Bursera: structure, maturation and parthenocarpy
title_full_unstemmed The fruit of Bursera: structure, maturation and parthenocarpy
title_short The fruit of Bursera: structure, maturation and parthenocarpy
title_sort fruit of bursera: structure, maturation and parthenocarpy
topic Research Articles
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3484315/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23115709
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/pls027
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