Fossilized pollination droplet in a new seed genus from the Middle Triassic of Nidpur, India

• Autorzy: Bhowmik N. , Parveen S.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

The present article reports a fossilized pollination droplet at the micropylar orifice in a compressed seed Gopadispermum papillatus gen. et sp. nov. from the Middle Triassic beds of Nidpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. The shapeless droplet forming a convexity above the micropylar orifice is comprised of a resinous crystalline substance. Entrapped within the droplet are a few saccate pollen grains. The seeds are small, oblong to widely elliptical in shape, about 3 mm long and generally 2 mm broad. The micropylar end shows a short straight beak-like micropyle often extended beyond a persistently adhering wrinkled tissue lying outside the seed coat. The seed is composed of four membranes excluding the adherent tissue. They are the outer and inner cuticles of integument, the nucellar cuticle distally modified to form a dark collar-like pollen chamber and the innermost megaspore membrane. Cuticles of the tissue adhering to seed coat are different from seed coat cuticles. The pollen grains inside the pollen chamber are frequently clumped together forming a pollen mass. Individual pollen grains appear spheroidal to ellipsoidal in shape and are saccate. This is the first report of the preservation of a pollination droplet in a compressed seed specimen from the Nidpur Triassic beds. Preservation of the droplet can be attributed to its supposed resinous constitution and the entrapped organic contents (pollen grains). Occurrence of clumped pollen grains inside the pollen chamber also indicated possibility of fluid feeding, pollinivory and insect pollination in the seeds.

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Acta Palaeontologica Polonica
• Rocznik: 2014
• Tom: 59
• Numer: 2
• Opis fizyczny: p.491-503,fig.,ref.

Twórcy

autor

Bhowmik N.

• Department of Botany, University of Allahabad, Allahabad 211002, Uttar Pradesh, India

autor

Parveen S.

• Department of Botany, University of Allahabad, Allahabad 211002, Uttar Pradesh, India

Bibliografia

• Anderson, J.M. and Anderson, H.M. 2003. Heyday of the gymnosperms: Systematics and biodiversity of the Late Triassic Molteno fructifications. Strelitzia 15: 1–398.
• Bharadwaj, D.C. 1962. The miospore genera in the coals of Raniganj Stage (Upper Permian), India. Palaeobotanist 9: 68–106.
• Bharadwaj, D.C. and Srivastava, S.C. 1969. A Triassic mioflora from India. Palaeontographica 125: 119–149.
• Bhowmik, N. and Das, N. 2011. Further report on megaspores from the Triassic of Nidpur, M. P., India. Acta Palaeobotanica 51: 107–125.
• Bhowmik, N. and Das, N. 2012. On three new species of Pteruchus Thomas from the Triassic of Nidpur, M.P., India. Palaeontographica B 288: 5–39.
• Bhowmik, N. and Parveen, S. 2008. Nidianthus gen. nov.—a Caytonanthus-like Pollen organ from the Triassic of Nidpur, M.P., India. Palaeobotanist 57: 389–398.
• Bhowmik, N. and Parveen, S. 2009. Nidistrobus indicus—a new species of the male cone from Triassic of Nidpur M.P., India. Proceedings of the National Academy of Scences, India, Sec. B 79: 289–306.
• Bhowmik, N. and Parveen, S. 2012a. Rugaspermum minuta—a new species of the seed genus Rugaspermum from the Triassic of Nidpur, India. Turkish Journal of Botany 36: 141–150.
• Bhowmik, N. and Parveen, S. 2012b. On Vertebraria Royle from Triassic of Nidpur, Madhya Pradesh. Journal Geological Society of India 79: 618–626.
• Bose, M.N. and Srivastava, S.C. 1970. Glottolepis rugosa gen. et sp. nov. from Triassic beds of Nidpur. Palaeobotanist 18: 215–217.
• Bose, M.N. and Srivastava, S.C. 1971. The genus Dicroidium from the Triassic of Nidpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. Palaeobotanist 19: 41–51.
• Bose, M.N. and Srivastava, S.C. 1972. Lepidopteris indica sp. nov. from the Lower Triassic of Nidpur, M.P., India. Journal of Palaeontological Society of India 15: 64–68.
• Bose, M.N. and Srivastava, S.C. 1973a. Nidistrobus gen. nov. a pollen bearing fructification from the Lower Triassic of Gopad River Valley, Nidpur. Geophytology 2: 211–212.
• Bose, M.N. and Srivastava, S.C. 1973b. Some micro and megastrobili from the Lower Triassic of Gopad river valley, Nidpur. Geophytology 3: 69–80.
• Doyle, J.A. 1945. Developmental lines in pollination mechanisms in the Coniferales. Scientific Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society 24: 44–62.
• Eggert, D.A. and Delevoryas, T. 1960. Callospermarion—a new seed genus from the Upper Pennsylvanian of Illinois. Phytomorphology 10: 131–138.
• Faegri, K. and Van Der Pijl, L. 1966. The Principles of Pollination Ecology. 248 pp. Pergamon Press, Oxford.
• Ghosh, A.K. and Banerji, J. 2007. Biostratigraphic significance of megaspores from the Triassic sequence of Peninsular India. In: D.K. Sinha (ed.), Application in Stratigraphy and Paleoceanography, 81–89. Narosa Publication House Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
• Grimaldi, D.A. and Engel, M.S. 2005. Evolution of the Insects. 755 pp. Cambridge University Press, New York.
• Harris, T.M. 1937. The fossil flora of Scoresby Sound East Greenland. Part 5: Stratigraphic relations of the plant beds. Meddelelser om Grønland 112 (2): 1–114.
• Kovach, W.L. and Batten, D.J. 1989. Worldwide stratigraphic occurrences of Mesozoic and Tertiary megaspores. Palynology 13: 247–277.
• Krassilov, V.A. 1977. Contributions to the knowledge of the Caytoniales. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 24: 155–178.
• Krassilov, V.A., Rasnitsyn, A.P., and Afonin, S.A. 2007. Pollen eaters and pollen morphology: co-evolution through the Permian and Mesozoic. African Invertebrates 48: 3–11.
• Labandeira, C.C. 2010. The pollination of mid Mesozoic seed plants and the early history of long proboscid insects. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 97: 469–513.
• Labandeira, C.C., Kvaček, J., and Mostovski, M. B. 2007. Pollination drops, pollen and insect pollination of Mesozoic gymnosperms. Taxon 56: 663–695.
• Luber, E.L. 1938. Spores and pollen from coals of the Permian of U.S.S.R. [in Russian]. Problemy Sovetskoj Geologii 8: 152–160.
• Majumdar, M. 1981. Geology of Bhadoura-Tansar area; north-western part of Singrauli Coalfield, Sidhi District, Madhya Pradesh. Geological Survey of India Progress Report 1: 1–15.
• Manik, S.R. 1987. Some new genera of Triassic seeds. Palaeobotanist 36: 197–200.
• Millay, M.A. and Taylor, T.N. 1974. Morphological studies of Paleozoic saccate pollen. Palaeontographica B 147: 75–99.
• Pant, D.D. and Basu, N. 1973. Pteruchus indicus sp. nov. from the Triassic of Nidpur, India. Palaeontographica B 144: 11–24.
• Pant, D.D. and Basu, N. 1977. On some seeds, synangia and scales from the Triassic of Nidpur, India. Palaeontographica B 163: 162–178.
• Pant, D.D. and Basu, N. 1979. Some further remains of fructifications from the Triassic of Nidpur, India. Palaeontographica B 168: 129–146.
• Pflug, H.P. 1953. Zur Entstchung and Entwicklung des angiospermiden pollens in der Erdgeschichte. Palaeontographica B 95: 60–171.
• Raja Rao, C.S. 1983. Coalfields of India, III. Coal resources of Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir. Geological Survey of India Bulletin A 45: 119–129.
• Rasnitsyn, A.P. 1964. New Triassic Hymenoptera from Central Asia [in Russian]. Paleontologičeskij žurnal 1: 88–96.
• Retallack, G.J. and Dilcher, D.L. 1988. Reconstructions of selected seed Ferns. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 75: 1010–1057.
• Rothwell, G.W. 1977. Evidence for a pollination drop mechanism in Palaeozoic Pteridosperms. Science 198: 1251–1252.
• Satsangi, P.P. 1964. On the occurrence of Dicroidium flora in Sidhi District, Madhya Pradesh. Current Science 33: 556.
• Srivastava, S.C. 1969. Two new species of Glossopteris from the Triassic of Nidpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. In: H. Santapau and J. Sen (eds.), J. Sen Memorial Volume, Botanical Society of Bengal, 229–303. J. Sen Memorial Committee and Botanical Society of Bengal, Calcutta.
• Srivastava, S.C. 1974. Pteridospermic remains from the Triassic of Nidhpur, Madhya Pradesh. Geophytology 4: 54–59.
• Srivastava, S.C. 1975. A new microsporangiate fructification from the Triassic of Nidhpur, India, Palaeobotanist 22: 19–22.
• Srivastava, S.C. 1984. Lelestrobus: A new microsporangiate organ from the Triassic of Nidpur, India. Palaeobotanist 32: 86–90.
• Srivastava, S.C. and Manik, S.R. 1990. Rostrumaspermum venkatachali gen. et sp. nov., an archegoniate seed from Triassic of Nidpur, India. Palaeobotanist 38: 98–104.
• Srivastava, S.C. and Manik, S.R. 1993. Taxonomic diversity of Triassic seeds from India. In: R.H. Findlay, R. Unrag, M.R. Banks, J.J. Veevers (eds.), Proceedings of the Eight Gondwana Symposium, Hobart, Australia, Evolution & Dispersal, 265–275. Taylor and Francis, Hobart.
• Srivastava, S.C. and Manik, S.R. 1996. Reconsideration of Savitrispermum from Triassic of Gondwanas. Geophytology 26: 1–11.
• Stewart, W.N. 1951. A new Pachytesta from the Berryville locality of Southeastern Illinois. American Midland Naturalist 46: 717–742.
• Taylor, T.N. 1978. The ultrastructure and reproductive significance of Monoletes (Pteridospermales) pollen. Canadian Journal of Botany 56: 3105–3118.
• Taylor, T.N. Taylor, E.L., and Krings, M. 2009. Palaeobotany: The Biology and Evolution of Fossil Plants. 1230 pp. Elsevier Academic Press, Burlington.
• Thomas, H.H. 1933. On some pteridospermous plants from the Mesozoic rocks of South Africa. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 22: 193–265.
• Tiwari, R.S. and Ram-Awatar 1989. Palynodating of Nidpur beds, Son Graben, Madhya Pradesh. Palaeobotanist 38: 105–120.
• Townrow, J.A. 1960. The Peltaspermaceae, a pteridosperm family of Permian and Triassic age. Palaeontology 3: 333–361.
• Townrow, J.A. 1962. On some disaccate pollen grains of Permian to Middle Jurassic age. Grana 3: 13–46.

Identyfikatory

DOI

2012.0026