Seed morphology of modern and fossilAmpelocissus(Vitaceae) and implications for phytogeography

Abstract

Seeds are useful in distinguishing among extant genera of Vitaceae and provide a good basis for interpretation of fossil remains in reconstructing the evolutionary and phytogeographic history of this putatively basal Rosid family. Seeds of Ampelocissus s.l. including Pterisanthes and Nothocissus are distinguished from those of all other vitaceous genera by long, parallel ventral infolds and a centrally positioned oval chalazal scar. Principal component analysis facilitates recognition of four Ampelocissus s.l. seed morphotypes differentiated by dorsiventral thickness, width of ventral infolds, chalazal depth, and degree of dorsal surface rugosity. While these intergrade, their end-member morphologies are distinctive and coincide well with inflorescence morphology, extant geographic distribution, and ecology. Seven fossil morphospecies are recognized. Ampelocissus parvisemina sp. n. (Paleocene of North Dakota; Eocene of Oregon) and A. auriforma Manchester (Eocene of Oregon) resemble extant Central American species; A. bravoi Berry (Eocene of Peru) is similar to one group of Old World extant species; and A. parachandleri sp. n. (Eocene of Oregon) and the three European fossil species A. chandleri (Kirchheimer) comb. n., A. lobatum (Chandler) comb. n., and A. wildei sp. n. (Eocene to Miocene) resemble another group of extant Old World Ampelocissus. All these fossils occur outside the present geographic range of the genus, reflecting warmer climates and former intercontinental links.

A review of the plants of the Princeton chert (Eocene, British Columbia, Canada)

“…The family Vitaceae is generally well represented in the fossil record, both from reproductive and woody stem remains. Vitaceous fossil wood has been reviewed by Wheeler and LaPasha (1994), and seeds by Chen and Manchester (2007) and Manchester et al (2013). Lui et al (2016) provided a recent study of extant inflorescence and fruits, along with a phylogenetic perspective on the family.…”

X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) of pyrite-permineralized fruits and seeds from the London Clay Formation (Ypresian) conserved in silicone oil: a critical evaluation

“…Mai (1995) used the flora from the London Clay Formation on the Isle of Sheppey as the basis for the definition of an early Eocene "Florenkomplex Belleu-Sheppey" in Europe. Records of genera from the London Clay Formation are being used in current research, including for the calibration of phylogenies, understanding phytogeography and dispersal patterns, and for comparison with modern plants and other fossil floras (e.g., Chen and Manchester 2007;Jacques et al 2007;Collinson et al 2012a;Sarkinen et al 2013 and unpublished data;Eriksson 2014;Weeks et al 2014). There is no other flora with comparable diversity in the Ypresian of Europe and possibly the world.…”

Digital seed morphometry for genotype identification – Case study of seeds of excavated (15th century Hungary) and current vinegrape (Vitis v. vinifera) varieties

“…Morphologically, it is easy to discriminate seeds of wild grape (V. v. sylvestris) from those of cultivated grapevine (V. v. vinifera) due to the lack of "seed stalk" of wild grape seeds. However, it is very difficult to discriminate seeds of vinegrape varieties based on further seed morphological characters of the pair of ventral infolds, the apical notch with raphe, and raphal ridge; and the dorsal chalazal scar, chalaza-base groove, and chalaza-apex groove (Chen and Manchester 2007) of the seeds (Hardie et al 1996, Jacquat and Martinoli 1999, Rivera et al 2007.…”

“…Species of Vitaceae plant family are woody climbers comprising of 17 genera (Acareosperma, Ampelocissus, Ampelopsis, Cayratia, Cissus, Clematicissus, Cyphostemma, Leea, Muscadinia, Nothocissus, Parthenocissus, Pterisanthes, Pterocissus, Rhoicissus, Tetrastigma, Yua and Vitis), with a total species number of 700 (Arnold et al 2002, Chen andManchester 2007). Most genera of Vitaceae have 2n = 38 chromosomes (n = 19), however species of Ampelocissus, Ampelopsis, Muscadinia and Parthenocissus have 2n = 40 chromosomes (n = 20), and species of the genus Cissus have 2n = 24 chromosomes (n = 12).…”

“…Fovea Pro 4.0 (Russ 2005(Russ , 2007, ImageJ (Chen and Manchester 2007, Rasband 1997-2006, and KS-400V.3.0 (Carl Zeiss, Germany) (Orrù et al 2013), which methods allowed to measure hundreds of seed populations at a time. The computer assisted digital seed morphometry have already provided several important and basic knowledge in plant evolution and domestication (Rovner 2011, Rovner andGyulai 2007), plant taxonomy (Brinkkemper et al 2011), and arhaeobotany (Gyulai 2012a, b, Orrù et al 2013, Rovner et al 2013).…”