Classification of pollen and spores
- 2. BS Botany 5th semester Rll No,02
- 3. SPORES Spores are reproductive haploid structures that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, fungi and some protozoans. A chief difference between spores and seeds as dispersal units is that spores have very little stored food resources compared with seeds.
- 4. Spores are usually haploid and unicellular and are produced by meiosis in the sporophyte. Once conditions are favorable, the spore can develop into a new organism using mitotic division, producing a multicellular gametophyte, which eventually goes on to produce gametes.
- 5. POLLEN Pollens are produced from the microspore mother cells, but female spores are produced by the megaspore mother cells Pollen grains have two outer coats extine and intine and female spores do not have the extine or intine. Pollens are dispersed by various mechanisms, but female spores are retained within the ovary.
- 6. Pollens are found inside the pollen sac, and female spores are found inside the ovule. In other words, all pollens are spores, but not all spores are pollens.
- 7. NPC Classification NPC is an artificial system of classification of pollen and spore based on the three features of aperture only, i.e. number, position and character. Erdtman and Straka (1961) proposed NPC classification and palynologists all over the world accepted it. According to NPC system each pollen grain has an arithmetic cardinal number consisting of three digits
- 8. The first digit reveals the absence or presence of aperture, and when present it mentions the total number of aperture(s) present in a pollen grain The second digit illustrates the position of aperture(s), i.e. distal, proximal, and latitudinal, meridonial, equatorial etc. The microspores reveal the position of aperture(s) with full clarity when they are in tetrad.
- 9. The third digit explains the character of an aperture, i.e. circular/oval or elongated, simple or compound etc. ‘N’ from number, ‘P’ form position and ‘C’ from character of aperture compose the NPC-classification.
- 10. Classification of Aperture Based on Number In NPC system ‘N’ denotes the number of aperture(s) present in a pollen grain. Aperturate pollen, i.e. pollen having apertures are divided into seven groups. The groups are mentioned as N1 to N7. Each group has characteristic number of aperture, i.e. N1 has one aperture and N2 has two apertures and so on. The N7 group has seven or more apertures
- 11. N1 to N7 groups are also referred to respectively as monotreme, ditreme, tritreme, tetratreme, pentatreme, hexatreme, and polytreme (Greek trema means hole, opening, aperture; pl. tremata). There are pollen grains where apertures are absent. Such pollen grains are termed as inaperturate or atreme and they are placed in N0group.
- 12. Another special group N8—termed anomotreme is created where the pollen grains and spores have one or several irregular or irregularly spaced apertures
- 13. Classification of Aperture Based on Position In NPC system ‘P’ denotes the position of aperture in a pollen grain and spore. The position may be proximal, distal and equatorial. There are seven groups of aperture based on position namely –P0 to P6. Pollen grains having P0 group have uncertain or unknown position of aperture).
- 14. . P1 groups of pollen and spores are catatreme Catatreme pollen grains have one aperture that occurs on the proximal part of a grain. The proximal part is the face of a pollen grain or spore that faces inward/nearest or toward the centre of tetrad .
- 15. P2 groups of pollen and spores are anacatatreme Anacatatreme pollen and spores have two apertures. One aperture with its centre occurs at the proximal pole. The other aperture with its centre occurs on the distal pole The distal part is the face of a pollen grain and spore that faces outward, i.e. away from the centre of tetrad and opposite the proximal part
- 16. P3 groups of pollen and spores are anatreme, i.e. the aperture is distal in position. P4 groups of pollen and spore are zonotreme. A zonotreme pollen grain is characterized in having apertures on equator or sub-equator
- 17. The equator is the part of a pollen grain or spore that runs midway between the proximal and distal poles and perpendicular to polar axis. P5 groups of pollen and spore are dizonotreme Dizonotreme pollen grains have apertures arranged in two or more zones. The apertures occur parallel to equator. P6 groups of pollen and spore are pantotreme
- 18. Pantotreme pollen grains have apertures scattered over the whole surface uniformly. As a rule, pantotreme pollen grains are spheroidal.
- 19. Classification of Apertures Based on Character In NPC-system ‘C’ denotes the character of an aperture in a pollen grain and spore. The character groups of pollen and spore are seven and they are mentioned as C0 toC6. C0 groups have apertures whose character cannot be established with certainty. C1 groups of pollen and spore have leptoma (Greek leptoma means thin place).
- 20. Leptoma is a thin area, aperture like and functions like an aperture. Pollen grains having one leptoma are termed as monlept. The leptoma may occur on either proximal-or distal face of a pollen grain and spore and accordingly termed as catalept and analept
- 21. . C2 groups are trichotomocolpate (Gr. Tricha, in three parts; tome, cut; kolpos, depression, furrow). Trichotomocolpate is a three- branched aperture, the branches of which are more than two times longer than breadth. Trichotomocolpate pollen and spores having aperture on porximal face are termed as trilete
- 22. The group C3 has colpate grains. The group C4 comprises porate pollen grains. The group C5 comprises colporate pollen. The group C6comprises pororate pollen. C3, C4, C5 and C6 groups of aperture are previously discussed under aperture
- 24. Merits of NPC classification: It is a simple system of classification and illustrates the apertures of a pollen grain and spore. With the aid of NPC pollen grains and spores of pteridophyta, monocotyledon and dicotyledon, to some extent, can be differentiated. Most of the spores of pteridophyta are monolete or trilete.
- 25. Monocots are characterized by inaperturate, monosulcate and monoporate pollen grains. Dicots, with a few exceptions, have pollen grains that are mostly with three meridonial furrows and polyaperturate. Thus NPC narrows the search list of identification of unknown sporomorphs NPC makes the description of apertures precise.
- 26. NPC is supposed to be of primary classificatory character because apertures are most conservative. It is supplemented by surface ornamentation, size and shape etc. of a pollen grain. Sometimes it becomes possible to identify the family or genus or even species of a pollen grain with the aid of NPC in combination with other morphological characters.
- 27. Palynologists all over the world accepted NPC- classification as it is basically simple and consistent where pollen grains and spores could be arranged easily. This helps to identify unknown sporomorphs NPC, sporoderm stratifications, exine patterns, size and shape etc. of a pollen grain are genetically stable.
- 28. This property is utilized for various purposes and the followings are a few illustrations. With the aid of NPC and other characters a key can be formulated that helps to identify unknown pollen and spores NPC and the various types of exine patterns and ornamentation provide characters of taxonomic significance and thus become one of the sources of alpha taxonomy
- 29. Demerits of NPC classification: It is an artificial system of classification. Syncolpate and parasyncolpate pollen grains do not fit neatly in NPC system Pollen grains that are characteristically present as aggregates in tetrads, e.g. Ericaceae, Typhaceae and polyads, e.g. Orchidaceae, Mimosa etc. are not grouped in NPC system
- 30. NPC-system of classification is always compared with Linnaeus’s system of classification, because the latter is also an artificial system of classification. The characters of stamen were the basis of classification. ‘Linnaeus accepted the weakness of his classification but claimed that it was propounded mainly as an aid to identification’.
- 31. This is also applicable to Professor Erdtman. Palynologists from every discipline of palynology utilize Erdtman’s NPC classification Other characters related to pollen morphology as an aid to the identification of unknown sporomorphs.