Ann. Bot. Fennici 32: 107-1 15 ISSN 0003-3847 Helsinki 12 July 1995 O Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing Board 1995

A comparative study of gametophyte morphology, garnetangial ontogeny and sex expression in the Asplenium adiantum-nigrum complex (Aspleniaceae, Pteridophyta)

Carmen Prada, Ernilia Pangua, Santiago Pajarón, Alberto Herrero, Adrián Escudero and Agustín Rubio

Carmen Prada, Emilia Pangua, Santiago Pajarón, Alberto Herrero & Adrián Escudero, Departamento de Biología Vegetal 1, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, E-28040 Madrid, Spain Agustín Rubio, Laboratorio de Edafología, Departmna~ de Silvopascicultura, E. T.S.I. Montes, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, E-2WO Madrid, Spain

Received 23 January 1995, accepted 21 March 1995

Spores from two diploid taxa, Asplenium onopteris L. and A. cuneifolium Viv., and two allotetraploid taxa, A. adiantum-nigrum L. var. adiantum-nigrum and A. adiantum- nigrum var. silesiacum (Milde) Viane & Reichstein, were cultured in three different types of soil. Except for A. cuneifolium, the spores germinated after ten days. The general pattern of development for the gametophytes was similar in all four taxa, following the Aspidium-type. We found that the length and density of marginal hairs differ at the specific level. The formation sequence of the gametangia studied in the three Iberian taxa was the same, and is independent of the soil type. Our results indicate that the spores in this group of taxa are able to germinate and develop mature gametophytes in different kinds of soil, and that they can produce sporophytes.

Keywords: Asplenium, gametophytes, morphology, reproductive biology

INTRODUCTION northwards in Europe, and is also present in the Mamnesian Islands; the sporophyte does not show

The European Asplenium adiantwn-nignun com- any preferente for a specific substratum. Asplenium plex consists of four related taxa. Two of them, A. cuneifolium occurs in ceneal and eastern Europe ompteris L. and A. cuneifolium Viv., are diploid and sporophytes of this species are found exclu- species. Asplenium ompteris is widely distributed sively on serpentine rocks. Allopolyploid speciation in the Mediterranean region, penetrating somewhat involving these diploids resulted in the

108 Prada et al. ANN. BOT. FENNICI 32 (1995)

allotetraploid A. adiantum-nigrum L. (Shivas 1969), in which two subspecies have been recog- nized (Reichstein et al. 1994): subsp. yuanum (Ching) Viane, Rasbach, Reichstein & Schneller, mainly from Asia and East Africa, and subsp. adiantum-nigrum. The latter subspecies exists in Europe as two morphologically distinctive enti- ties that we treat as varieties; var. adiantum- nigrum is a widespread taxon that is cornmon in temperate regions of North America, Europe and Asia, and is scattered elsewhere, living in a wide range of habitats. The second, var. silesiacum (Milde) Viane & Reichstein, is known to occur in northern and western Europe, living only on serpentine rocks. Al1 the taxa, excepting A. cuneifolium, are found in the Iberian Peninsula. The sporophytic generation of this group has been extensively studied regarding its morphol- ogy (Femandes 1984), palynology (Bennert et al. 1982, Pangua & Prada 1987) and cytogenetics (Shivas 1969, Sleep 1980, 1983).

This study was undertaken in order to compare the morphology, gametangial ontogeny and sex expression in d three taxa representid in the Ibe- rian Peninsula. In a late stage of this investigation we were able to study the gametophyte develop- ment of Asplenium cuneifolium; data concerning its gametophyte morphology are also presented here.

Analysis of gametophytes can be critical for understanding both the systematics and the popu- lation biology of pteridophytes. For this group of taxa, the gametophyte generation has been the object of only a few morphological studies (Nayar et al. 1968, Momose 1969, Henriet 1970, Nayar & Kaur 1971), but at present there are no data available on the reproductive biological aspects of these taxa, such as gametangial ontogeny and sex expression. Even the morphological data are not complete since gametophyte development of Asplenium cuneifolium and A. adiantum-nigrum var. silesiacum has not been investigated.

In addition, because of the special ecological preferentes of Asplenium adiantum-nigrum var. silesiacum sporophytes, part of our study attempted to show, by using different soils, whether or not the gametophytes and the sporophytes have the same edaphic requirements for growth and reproduction, which could explain the restricteú habitat of that taxon, and whether or not those types of soils can

influence the processes and characters mentioned above.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Spores for the gametophyte cultures (O, O', etc.) were obtained from the following collections of plants that had been kept dried at room temperature since they were col- lected. Each collection was from a single sporophyte. The voucher specimens are deposited in MACB.

Asplenium onopteris O: Spain. Orense, Córgomo, San Vicente, slope on schistous slate, 24.XI.1990, Prada, Pangua &Barrera (germination 56%). Soil type 3 was sampled there. 0': Spain. Pontevedra, Bayona, on the wall (siliceous stones) of the Parador, 15.VI1I.1988, Pangua (germi- nation 84%).

Asplenium adiantum-nigrum var. adiantum-nigrwn A: Spain. Madrid, La Pedriza, under a granitic block, 22.IV. 1991, Pangua & Prada (germination 89%). Soil type 2 was sampled there. A': Spain. Asturias, Niembro de Llanes, holm oak wood on lime soil on sea cliff, 10.IX. 1988, Costa (germination 94%).

Aspleniwn adiantm-nigrum var. silesiacum S: Spain. La Comña, Moeche, Pena dos Corvos, in soil under serpentine rocks, 23.XI. 1990, Prada, Pangua & Barrera, CE115 (germination 64%). Soil type 1 was sampled there. S': idem, CE114 (germination 78%).

Asplenium cuneifolium Cu: France. Ardiche, Suc de Clava, close to Eveize, 15.X. 1987, Berthet.

The spores were carefully separated from the plants by shaking the fronds onto weighting paper and then they were sown on mineral agar (Dyer 1979) in plastic petri dishes for the study of germination rate and early stages of gametophyte development, making two replicates of each sample. Spores were also sown on the three different soil types (Table 1) that were collected together with one of the samples of the taxa present in Spain. Soil was analysed using the following methods: % organic rnatter, using the Walkley and Black method (Walkley 1946); % total nitro- gen, using the Kjeldahl method (Adams & Alexmder 1965); K (p.p.m.) following the proposal of U.S. Salinity Labora- tory Staff (Richards 1954); P (p.p.m.), using the Burriel and Hernando (1950) method; and the texture was deter- mined using the limits established by Soil Suwey Staff U.S.D.A. (1975).

Sieved soils were maintained for two hours in a stove at 120'C, to prevent germination of spores from the natural spore bank, and rehydrated in the petri dishes.

Five replicates were made for each spore collection in each soil type in order to guarantee obtainment of an adequate number of prothalli for sampling. Al1 cultures

ANN. BOT. FENNICI 32 (1995) Aspleniwn adiantum-nigrum complex

were kept under constant environmental conditions in a growth chamber at 20 f 2°C and continuous illumination using cool white fluorescent tubes for 16 weeks in order to minimize the effects of light changes on the development. The cultures were watered every two weeks.

We attempted to grow Asplenium cuneijolium several times on agar and aU three soil types. The spores produced gametophytes oniy once in agar. After transplanting young filamentous gametophytes to the three types of soil, oniy those in soil 3 continued to grow whereas those in soils 1 and 2 died. Due to these culture problems, data for this taxon have been used only for morphological analysis.

Random samples of about 50 gametophytes were col- lected from each soil culture, using one of the five replicates altemately. Samples were taken at intewals of one week during the first two months, and subsequently every two weeks, endiig when the gametophytes were 112 days old. The gametophytes were stained with chloral hydrate aceto- camine and mounted in water. Observations were made under a cornpound microscope; when sex organs were present, the different kinds of gametophytes were scored (sterile, male, female or bisexual) and their frequency calculated. At the same time, the widths of ten gametophytes of each sex were measured using an iaage-analysing computer.

For morphological characterization, the length and den- sity of marginal hairs were measured on mature female or bisexual gametophytes (4-5 mm wide). The length was cal- culated by measuring three hairs from ten different gametophytes (30 measurements) from each culture. The density (number of hairsíprimeter) was obtained by exam- ining 30 gametophytes from each culture.

RESULTS

three years), except for cultures of Asplenium cuneifolium. These required seven weeks and only the spores that remained in the sporangia germinated. The maximum germination percent- ages are shown in the list of material.

The general pattern of development obsemed for all four taxa was similar (Fig. 1). The spore becomes swollen and the lesure opens; the spore cell containing many plastids emerges. The first division is by a wail parallel to the equatorial axis of the spore; then a small hemispheric cell is pro- duced, from which the first rhizoid is formed. The rhizoids initially contain many plastids which de- generate as the rhizoids elongate. In some cases, the first rhizoid is not produced by division of the basa1 cell but from other cells of the filament (Fig. lb, c').

Development of the prothalli follows the Aspi- dium-type (Nayar & Kaur 1971), where m l y hair formation takes place in the young prothalli (Fig. lc). in Asplenium onopteris, the bidimensional stage is initiated after a slightly oblique division of the terminal cell of the filament (Fig. lc'), whereas in both varieties of A. adiantum-nigrzun it is more common that &e íemhd mil of the filament pro- duces a unicellular papillate hair and the cells be- hind it divide longitudinally to start the bidirnensional stage (Fig. lc, d). in A. onopteris and A. cuneifolium, the formation of hairs is de- layed. In these taxa the obconical meristematic celi

Spore germination, development and game- is- formed before the fmt hair is produced. The meristematic cell is placed lateraily in the young tophyte morphology plate; fuaher divisions give rise to a group of small

The spores germinated 10 days after sowing, rectangular cells, the apical meristem, that reaches regardless of the age of the sample (one month to a central position as the thaiius grows. At the same

Table 1. Characteristics of the three different soils used. Soil 1 is native to Asplenium adiantum-nigrum L. var. silesiacum (Milde) Viane & Reichstein, soil2 to A. adiantum nigrum var. adiantum-nigrum, and soil3 to A. onopteris L.

Soil 1 Soil2 Soil3 Pena dos Corvos La Pedriza Córgomo

PH H20 6.1 7.5 6.2 % organic matter 8.22 1.17 4.43 % total N 0.89 0.04 0.20 K P. P.^.) 97.32 37.94 145.03 P P. P.^.) 14 21 20 CIN 5.32 13.68 12.44 Texture clay-sandy sandy sandy-silty

Prada et al. ANN. BOT. FENNICi 32 0995)

Fig. la-e. Early stages of prothalllal development. - a: Spore cell after the first division. b-e: Asplenium adiantum-nigrum L. var. adiantumnigrum, showing the hair fonnation before the bidimensional stage is reached. cl-e': A. onopteris L. f ': A. cuneifolium Viv.; bidimensional stage reached before the first hair is formed. Scale bar = 0,2 mm.

time, new uniceilular hairs are produced regularly from the meristem and from some ceils of the plate rnargin, and later on the surface, so that the adult prothalli are profusely haky (Fig. 2a-d). Superfi- cial trichomes are frequently bicellular in A. onopteris and in both varieties of A. adiantum nigrum (Fig. 20; occasionally they branch (Fig. 2g). In contrast, in A. cuneifolium there are only unicellular hairs. The hairs are almost cyiindrical in A. onopteris (Fig. 3a), swollen in the basa1 half in A. cuneifolium (Fig. 3d), and intermediate in shape in both varieties of A. a d i a n t m n i g m (Fig. 3b, c).

Table 2 shows the means and standard devia- tions for the length and density of marginal hairs in al1 cultures. For the length, both samples of Asplenium onopteris had the highest variation of means when growing on the three different soils.

Fig. 2a-g. Outlines of mature gametophytes (a-d) and types of superficial hairs (e-g). - a: Asplenium onopteris L. 4: A. adíantum-nigrum L. var. adiantum-

var. silesiacum (Milde) uneifolium Viv. e: A.

adiantum-nigrum var. adiantum-nigrum, unicellular hairs. f, g: A. onopteris, bicellular and branching hairs. Scale bars: a-d = 1 mm; e-g = 75 Km.

However, for density, the highest variation of means was found in A. adiantum-nigrum var. adiantum- nigrum. This taxon usuaiiy produces more hairs when growing on soil2.

Figure 4 presents the graphics obtained from data of the hair length (Fig. 4a) and density (Fig. 4b) on soil 3, the only soil type on which Asplenium cuneifolium grew. We found that the length and density of the marginal hairs are dif- ferent for these taxa at the specific level, but not between the varieties of A. adiantum-nigrum. Asplenium cuneifolium has the highest density values, but its range of variation is extremely wide and its lower values overlap both varieties of A. adiantum-nigrum.

Gametangial ontogeny and sex expression

These characters have only been studied for Asplenium onopteris and both varieties of A.

ANN. BOT. FENNICI 32 (1995)

Fi. 3a-d. Motphology of marginal hairs. - a: Asplenium L. var. adiantum- nigrum. c: A. adiantumignm uar. siI8siacum (Milde) Via iv. Scale bar = 50 w .

Table 2. Means (4 and standard deviaüons (Si?) of trichome length and densiiy. 0,0'= samples of Asplenium onoptens L.; A, A'= sarnples of A. adiantum-nigrurn L. var. adiantum-nrgrum; S, S'= sarnples of A. adíeintum- nignrm var. s/tesiacum (Milde) Viane & Reichstein; Cu = sample of A. cuneifolum Vi . 1 , 2, 3 = soil samples. Length in p; densiiy = number of hairs/mrn.

TRlCHOME LENGTH O1 0 2 03 A l A2 A3 S1 S2 S3 Cu3

TRlCHOME DENSITY L 1 0 1 0 2 0 3 A l A2 A3 S1 S2 S3 C U ~

Prada et al. ANN. BOT. FENNICI 32 (1995)

Fig. 4a. Multiple box-and-whisker plot of hair length. Fig. 4b. Multiple box-and-whisker plot of hair density. 0, 0' = Asplenium onopteris L.; A, A'= A. adiantum- 0, 0' = Asplenium onopteis L.; A, A'= A. adiantum- nigrum L. var. adiantum-fiigrum; S, S = A. adiantum- nigrum L. var. adiantum-i?i&mmj S, S = A. adiantum- nigrum var. silesiacum (Milde) Viane & Reichstein; nigrum var. silesiacum (Mílde) Viane & Reichstein; Cu = A. cuneifolium Viv. Cu = A. cuneifolíum V i .

adiantm-~~gnun. Five weeks after sowing, the gametophytes had developed sex organs. Antheridia appeared first in al1 cultures and were positioned on the basa1 half of the gametophytes. We observed in most of the cultures a variable percentage of male gametophytes one week before the female and bi- sexual ones were observed. Male gametophytes had the normal cordate shape. The first fertilizations were observed sixty-nine days after sowing, and by then, male, fernale and bisexual gametophytes co- existed in al1 cultures and the three types of gametophytes persisted until the end of the experi- ment

The formation sequence of the gametangia was the same in aii three taxa, and it is independent of the soil type. Since the two samples of each taxon had different percentages of male, female and bi- sexual gametophytes when growing under the same conditions of culture, frequency of sex expression seerns to depend on the sporophytic individual from which the artificial population of gametophytes was

raised (Fig. 5), but further experirnents with a higher number of parental sporophytes should be carried out.

After 70 days of culture, the width of mature gametophytes was measured (Fig. 6). The size in both samples of each taxon was similar for each kind of soil. Consistently, al1 gametophytes grew largest on soil 1; the male gametophytes are always smaller than the female and bisexual ones. Similar results have been reported for other genera (Schneller 1979, Haufler & Ranker 1985).

The female and bisexual gametophytes were fertilized and sporophytes were produced. To de- termine whether the soil type influenced the rate of fertilization in each taxon, we calculated the per- centage of fertilized archegoniate prothalli in each soil type, at the end of the experiment (1 12 days). The data are shown in Table 3.

In al1 taxa, we occasionally observed simple polyembryony and formation of two young sporophytes on the same prothallus.

ANN. BOT. FENNICI 32 (1995) Asplenium adiantum-nigrum cornplex

l m u 100%

83% a096 a096

80% 80% Soil 1 m m m 20% 20%

O U o O . o f f o O . OU S ~ S S S S '

100% 100%

MU MU

MU a096 m%

m m m Soil2

m 20% M1(

A A ' A A ' 4 6 s S ' S S ' S S

Fig. 5. Bar diagrams showing sexual expression percentages scored in 34,48 and 69 days old cultures, for each sample in the three types of soil. Horizontal hatching = sterile, vertical hatching = male, cross-hatching = female, plain = bisexual. 0, O'= Asplenium onopteris L.; A, A'= A. adiantum-nigrum L. var. adiantum-nigrum; S, S'= A. adiantum-nigrum var. silesiacum (Milde) Viane & Reichstein; Cu = A. cuneifolium Viv.

7 ......................................... .... 8 ........... ........ ............ 5 ........................................ ..... 4 .. ............ ..... $ 'pq 2 ........... ..........- ............ .......................... .. ...... ....

( --..-S ............ -. --....

A ' A A ' A A ' I

O S S ' S S ' S S I

Fig. 6. Means and ranges of width (mm) of 70 days old gametophytes of each sex, in the three different types of soil. The first two values represent male gametophytes, the next two female gametophytes, and the last two bisexual gametophytes (cf. the upper left graph). 0,O' = Asplenium onopteris L.; A, A'= A. adiantum-nigrum L. var. adiantum-nigrum; S, S'= A. adiantumnignrm var. silesiacum (Milde) Viane & Reichstein; Cu = A. cuneifolium Viv.

ANN. BOT. FENNICi 32 (1995) 114 Prada et al.

DISCUSSION

Groups of related taxa in the Aspleniaceae fre- quently show intermediate sporophytic morpho- logical characters when diploids produce allo- tetraploid derivatives (Wagner 1954). For game- tophyte characters, this subject has not been inves- tigated. We only h o w of one study (Henriet 1970) dealing with the gametophyte morphology of the diploid Asplenium onopteris, A. obovatum Viv., and their hybrid. She found that the gametophytes produced from the hybrid plant had marginal hairs &e one of the parents (A. onopteris) but with a higher density; the other characters, however, were intermediate.

Gametophytes of diploids in the Asplenium adiantum-nignun group have different morphol- ogy, especiaily regarding the hair shape, length and density: A. onopteris has longer and more scattered hairs than A. cuneifoliurn. In their derivative allotetraploid, A. adiantum-nigrum, the shape and length of the hairs are intermediare between both parents, but the density is closer to A. cuneifolium.

The formation sequence of gametangia is con- stant in al1 three taxa studied. Antheridia appeared before archegonia in al1 cultures, regardless of the soil type. Thus, the formation sequence of sex or- gans seems to be fixed for this group of taxa. It is fixed also in the Asplenium tr ichomes group (Herrero et al. 1993), but in that group archegonia are formed before antheridia. The former sequence is the most common u1 homosporous ferns and is said to favour intragametophytic seifing (Klekowski 1969, Lloyd 1974, Raghavan 1989). Once the gametophyte populations were weil established and had produced sex organs, rnale, female and bi-

sexual protha coexisted until the end of the ex- perirnent. This pattern of sex expression indicates a tsigametophytic system where inter- and intra- gametophytic unions are posible. In fact, sporo- phytes were produced by both femde and bisexual gametophytes in the cultures, which indicates intergametophytic crossing in part of the popula- tion (female garnetophytes). Simple polyembryony, which has been interpreted as a way to d o w intergametophytic mating (Lloyd 1974) was ob- served in normal cordate prothaiíi in ail taxa.

Regarding the size of the gametophytes, soil 1 was especiaily favourable for growth, perhaps be- cause of its higher content of organic matter and lower pH and C/N ratio. Soil2 seems to be the least favourable for gametophyte growth in ail taxa. Mor- phological features such as hair density may be related to cultural conditions; for example, in Asplenium adiantum-nigrum var. adiantum- nigrum, the apparently suboptimal growth condi- tions on soil 2, where garnetophytes were of the smalier sizes, can influence slower rates of mitosis, srnaller and more tightly packed cells and concomi- tant higher densities of surface trichomes. Ths may also account f-ath obsmd higher hair density in A. cuneifolim.

It appears that soil characteristics do not drasti- cally influence the proportion of archegoniate gametophytes that become fertilized. However, on soil 1 (serpentine) ali taxa had a lower fertilization rate, except for one sample of Asplenium onopteris.

For Asplenium adiantum-nigrum var. adian- tum-nigrum, Sleep (1985) found that the germi- nation of spores sown in serpentine soils was hampered. Spores of serpentine forms of A. adiantum-nigrum had 100% germination in ser-

Table 3. Percentages of archegoniate (arc) and fertilized archegoniate (fer) gametophytes observed at the end of the experiment (1 12 days).

Soil 1 Soil 2 Soil3 %arc %fer %arc %fer %arc %fer

A. adiantum-nigrum A 75.0 33.3 40.0 58.3 57.7 83.3 A. adiantum-nigrum A' 64.0 50.0 27.1 62.5 76.6 65.2 A. a-n. silesiacum S 86.1 67.7 55.5 70.0 66.6 70.6 A. a-n. silesiacum S' 78.8 42.3 68.7 63.6 85.3 82.7 A. onopteris O 77.3 88.2 91.3 52.4 92.8 65.4 A. onopteris O' 89.0 24.5 57.7 73.3 86.8 41.5

Asplenium adiantum-nigrum complex

pentine and non-serpenhe soils. Young sporophytes of the var. adiantm+ignun with 2-3 leaves did not grow well when they were transplanted to ser- pentine soil, whereas serpentine forrns were able to grow on non-serpentine soils, but the plants re- mauied slightly smaller than those growing on ser- pentine soil.

Our resulis indicate that spores of this group of taxa germinate and develop into mature game- tophytes in different soil types, and that they can produce sporophytes that grow well, at least to reach the stage of 2-3 leaves. Establishment and development of sporophytes in different soils may reauire unknown environmental factors other than the ones required for spore germination and early sporophyte development. However, the garnetophytes of this group of taxa have no special requirements for growing and producing sex or- gans, or for the fertilization and production of young sporo~hytes. Acknowledgements. The authors thank Dr. Adnan Dyer and Dr. Stuart Lindsay for valuable suggestions and com- ments on earlier drafts, as well as two anonymous referees for their important and constructive comments. The work was supported by DGICYT grant PB 90-0246.

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