Pollen Morphology of Convolvulaceae from Southeastern Amazonian Cangas and Its Relevance for Interaction Networks and Paleoenvironmental Studies

Abstract

Serra dos Carajás harbors a unique open plant community in Amazonia, known as canga vegetation, with several endemic species coexisting with the potential threat of large-scale iron ore mining. In this sense, Convolvulaceae occur in a wide variety of canga geoenvironments with multiple flower visitors, but the scarcity of data on its pollen morphology prevents the correct association between Convolvulaceae species with floral visitors, as well as the precise identification of their habitats throughout the Quaternary. Therefore, this study aims to contribute to the taxonomic knowledge and refinement of the identification of insect-plant networks of endangered plants, including Ipomoea cavalcantei. Pollen grains were examined by light and scanning electron microscopy (LM and SEM, respectively), and the morphological parameters obtained were statistically analyzed using principal component analysis. Therefore, all species were differentiated based on aperture types and exine ornamentation. The set of morphological characters indicated that echinae morphology, easily identified under LM, was effective for the identification of Ipomoea species. This work represents the first robust pollen database for a precise identification at the species level of Convolvulaceae from southeastern Amazonian cangas.