Abstract Amaranthaceae s.lat. is a stenopalynous family showing, in contrast, a considerable phenotypic diversity for macromorhological characters. A total of one quantitative and seven qualitative characters were reviewed in an attempt to assess their taxonomic implications. The presence of unique shape class, pore membrane sculpturing, anulopunctate tectum and pore borders clearly distinguished the

(2021). 56. Gnadensee. Grana. Ahead of Print.

Abstract Light and scanning electron microscopic studies of pollen and seeds were carried out for nine species of Andrographis (Acanthaceae) from India. Pollen in all species is isopolar, radially symmetric and tricolporate with elongated apertures, oblate-spheroidal in A. ovata, prolate-spheroidal in A. alata, prolate in A. echioides and A. macrobotrys to sub-prolate in A. lineata var. lawii, A. lineata

(2021). 55. Lake Ribno Banderishko, Pirin Mountains (Bulgaria). Grana. Ahead of Print.

Abstract Morphological data from light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of pollen and seeds are used to explore phylogenetic relationships between four taxa of cultivated and wild Pisum including P. sativum subsp. sativum var. sativum and var. arvense, P. sativum subsp. elatius and P. fulvum. Characteristics investigated include pollen shapes and ornamentation, polar axis (P)

Abstract The present study describes the floral morphology and evaluates pollen viability for the bromeliad Nidularium minutum Mez. during the flowering period 2018‒2019 through histochemistry and pollen germination tests. The inflorescences are nidular, capituliform with short branches bearing two to three odourless, bisexual and greenish-white flowers and with an androecium shorter than the gynoecium

Abstract Undoubtedly, Melipona bees are the most widely managed native American bee species for the production of honey and related products. These bees have been reared since before the arrival of Europeans on the continent. Despite being considered generalists due to their life histories, each stingless bee species has food preferences easily adapting to the available resources. Seeking to contribute

(2021). 54. Central Bulgarian Black Sea coast: Late Glacial vegetation dynamics and climate changes. Grana. Ahead of Print.

Abstract Decalobanthus is a genus of woody climbers of Convolvulaceae, recently expanded from a monotypic genus to including 17 species, mainly distributed in Asia and the Pacific. Despite the monophyly and the strong morphological and geographical coherence of the genus, only five of its species have been sampled in a molecular phylogenetic study and their relationships remain poorly understood. As

Abstract Knowledge about variations in allergenic pollen in the atmosphere is essential for human health programmes. This study aims to evaluate the influence of climatic variability on the arboreal pollen (AP) load, considering the annual, seasonal and intra-diurnal variability during ten years. We obtain data using a volumetric Burkard spore trap in San Miguel de Tucumán city. The seasonal behaviour

(2021). 53. Deep water zone of the western Black Sea: the last 20 000 years of vegetation history. Grana. Ahead of Print.

Abstract The gradual disappearance of ferns due to biodiversity loss occasioned by anthropogenic activities and global climate change necessitated the need to document and study palynologically pteridophytes in Lagos State. Their peculiar habitat is fast declining in many urban centres of the world, including Nigeria. Previous studies in Nigeria mainly addressed their distribution, with limited reports

Abstract The gradual disappearance of ferns due to biodiversity loss occasioned by anthropogenic activities and global climate change necessitated the need to document and study palynologically pteridophytes in Lagos State. Their peculiar habitat is fast declining in many urban centres of the world, including Nigeria. Previous studies in Nigeria mainly addressed their distribution, with limited reports

(2021). 52. Western Black Sea continental slope: continuous Late Pleniglacial to Subatlantic palaeovegetation record. Grana: Vol. 60, No. 4, pp. 324-326.

(2021). 50. Piantarella (south Corsica, France). Grana. Ahead of Print.

Abstract The palaeobotanical name Clavatricolpites Hoeken-Klink., representing a Late Cretaceous magnoliopsid pollen genus, is a later homonym. It is preoccupied by the Tricolpate pollen genus name Clavatricolpites R. L. Pierce and is replaced by Nigericolpites nom. nov.

Abstract Pollen and honey resources composing the diet of Tetragonisca angustula fiebrigi Schwarz were assessed using pollen analysis of wild colonies sampled in two kinds of native dry forests of the Chaco region. Different measurements: direct pollen count, relative volume, diversity and evenness indices, value of importance of species (SI), and index of relative importance (IRI) were compared. The

Abstract Pollen and honey resources composing the diet of Tetragonisca angustula fiebrigi Schwarz were assessed using pollen analysis of wild colonies sampled in two kinds of native dry forests of the Chaco region. Different measurements: direct pollen count, relative volume, diversity and evenness indices, value of importance of species (SI), and index of relative importance (IRI) were compared. The

Abstract In the present work, bee foraging plants were determined by palynological analysis of colony stored samples (honey and pollen) of Apis dorsata collected from southern West Bengal, India. Then flowering phenology and pollen morphologies were described to evaluate the forage preference of the bee species. In addition, chemical cues were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)

In southwest Germany the Weichselian Rhein glacier covered a triangular area of 2200 km2, leaving behind a moraine landscape with many lakes. One of those lakes is Zeller See, situated at 577 m abo...

Abstract This study aimed to identify the pollen types present in the honey of Melipona fasciculata and Melipona subnitida in a Restinga area (plant communities under a marine influence) and identify pollen grains that belonged to plants with nectar resouces. In total, 56 pollen types were found in the honey samples of the two bee species studied, with a large number of representatives from the Fabaceae

Abstract A new umbellate ornamentation pattern is described in Isoetes megaspores based on scanning electron microscopy and thorough comparisons with sculptural patterns documented in lycophytes and ferns. The umbellate ornamentation is quite distinct from other vertically projected megaspore sculptural patterns (baculate, clavate, gemmulate, pustulate, tuberculate, saccate and verrucate). In addition

Twenty honey samples of Apis mellifera were collected during the main flowering period (July–October) between 2003 and 2018. Six apiaries in Mato Grosso (MT) state and three apiaries in Mato Grosso...

Abstract Pollen characters of the Algerian oleaster (Olea europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris [Mill.] Lehr) from eight ecotypes were analysed to evaluate the geo-climatic effect of their environment. Samples were collected along an altitudinal gradient from western to central Algeria. Eighteen morphological characters of the pollen grains were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

(2021). 49. Saint Florent (north Corsica, France) Grana: Vol. 60, No. 2, pp. 158-160.

A variety of Spinizonocolpites pollen types which were commonly related to the mangrove palm Nypa has been recorded in marine beds intercalated in the lignite-bearing middle Eocene Helmstedt Format...

To test the validity and reliability of methods for collecting palynological samples from paved surfaces common in urban areas, palynomorphs at three concentration levels were collected from four p...

Abstract This article presents re-investigated Crato Formation sample material from David J. Batten’s palynological legacy using a combination of light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The investigation shows that Afropollis jardinus specimens from Crato clay have central bodies that are either smaller (36%) or larger (42%) than half the diameter of the entire body or are lost

Abstract Here we report a pollen organ from the upper Permian of the Dead Sea region with in situ pollen showing a wall structure typical for lyginopterid seed ferns. The single specimen resembles the dispersed seed-fern pollen organs Dictyothalamus and Melissiotheca in being composed of numerous densely positioned, radiating pollen sacs that together form a characteristic honeycomb-like surface pattern

Microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton of pepper male-sterile microsporocytes during meiosis was examined to characterise the defects during microsporogenesis by comparison with that of fertile ones. In sterile microsporocytes, after prophase I, abnormal arrangement of MTs occurred until the end of meiosis. At metaphase I, about 10% of microsporocytes initially formed abnormal spindles, including monopolar

Abstract The pollen morphology of the Iberian taxa of the genus Xanthium s.l. and of the non-Iberian species X. ambrosioides was studied to help to identify these poisonous, allergenic and invasive taxa and clarify their taxonomic relationships. In addition, the question of the existence and structure of a mesoaperture in the apertural system of Xanthium was also considered. The pollen grains of sections

Abstract Calcium dynamics in the developing pollen of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) were investigated using an antimonate calcium precipitation method. After microspores were released from the tetrad, abundant calcium precipitates formed on the surface of microspores. A characteristic event during microspore development is the formation of a large vacuole which displaces the nucleus to the

Abstract During the last 35 years, a number of high-resolution pollen diagrams were made for the western Lake Constance area. Up to now, 12 such records exist, most of them covering the time from the early Neolithic to the present, and all of them independently dated by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates. Here, we present a new pollen record from Böhringer See, a small dead ice lake

Abstract This study examines the use of Virtual Slide Images with the aim of assessing their efficacy and usability in comparison to traditional microscopy with glass slides for the Quality Control of aerobiological samples. Three glass microscopy slides containing samples of airborne pollen were digitised. Six counters from two laboratories examined the glass slides and their data were used to calculate

Abstract The external pollen morphology of Helianthemum caput-felis Boiss. (Cistaceae) was studied from nine populations covering the whole distribution range in the western Mediterranean Basin, using light and scanning electron microscopy. Pollen grains are medium sized, radially symmetrical and tricolporate, and the pollen shape varies from sub-prolate to prolate-spheroidal. According to the exine

Abstract A melissopalynological study was carried out on 46 samples of Ziziphus lotus honey from Laghouat and Djelfa region (central Algeria). The number of pollen types identified per honey sample ranges between nine and 39 with a mean of 24. These correspond to 52 botanical families with 79 different pollen types in the whole samples. Asteraceae and Fabaceae families were present in all the samples

Abstract Melissopalynological analysis of 14 honey samples of Tetragonisca angustula (two), Scaptotrigona mexicana (six), Melipona beecheii (three) and Melipona solani (three) from Soconusco region in Chiapas, Mexico was performed. A total of 79 taxa were identified, being Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Melostomataceae and Rubiaceae the predominant pollen types. Melissopalynological analysis

Abstract The genus Cousinia of the tribe Cardueae, Asteraceae, including more than 600 species, is one of the most species-rich genera in central and southwest Asia. The section Cynaroideae with 89 species is the largest section of the genus. The taxonomy of Cousinia is controversial. Using pollen morphology may be a useful tool in identifying and delimitating species. The present study therefore aims

(2021). 48. Mires near the yew forest of Paterzell (Upper Bavaria, Germany) Grana: Vol. 60, No. 2, pp. 155-157.

Abstract Public awareness of the rising importance of allergies and other respiratory diseases has led to increased scientific effort to accurately and rapidly monitor and predict pollen, fungal spores and other bioaerosols in our atmosphere. An important driving force for the increased social and scientific concern is the realisation that climate change will increasingly have an impact on worldwide

The peat bog Mlaca Tătarilor (45° 43ʹ 00” N, 24° 39ʹ 07” E, 540 m a.s.l.) is located in the southern part of the Transylvanian Depression, near Arpasu de Sus village, on a higher terrace of the Arp...

Abstract Little is known about the reproduction of Dendrocalamus asper because it flowers only every 100 to 120 years. In the present work we describe some reproductive features of this bamboo and characterise flowers and pollen at various developmental stages. Number of pollen grains and ovules per flower, pollen/ovule ratio, in vitro twinning and pollen grain viability in vivo were evaluated and

(2020). 46.Lake Panichishte, Rila Mountains (Bulgaria) Grana: Vol. 59, No. 5, pp. 396-398.

Abstract Passiflora subgenus Passiflora possesses about 236 species divided into six supersections, among which Stipulata with Granadillastrum is one of its sections. The objective of the present study was to analyse the pollen morphology of 19 species subordinate to the section Granadillastrum and to identify attributes important for the taxonomy of the group. Pollen grains were acetolysed, measured

Abstract Pollen release by Northern Hemisphere pine forests is well-documented yet little is known about its atmospheric layering. At what altitudes are these atmospheric layers and how do they influence pollen dispersal? To answer this, pollen concentrations were analysed using radiosonde soundings and LiDAR imagery over the Pamlico Sound, a large marine body at 35.4062° N, 76.3259° W between coastal

Abstract Pollen morphology of 19 taxa of the genus Plantago was studied and documented in detail using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The pollen grains are small to medium-sized (P = 18.7‒44.0 µm, E = 13.7‒34.2 µm), prolate-spheroidal to prolate (P/E = 1.05‒1.54 µm) in shape and pantoporate. Based on SEM observations of tectum ornamentation, three groups of taxa can be distinguished: the Ovata

Abstract The pollen morphology of 16 species of Aechmea subgenus Ortgiesia is characterised, represented by 59 specimens including original data provided for A. kleinii, A. pimenti-velosoi, A. winkleri, Aechmea sp1 and Aechmea sp2. The pollen grains are monads, subisopolar, amb ellipsoidal, slightly flattened/convex in equatorial view, presenting some spheroidal pollen grains at a small percentage

Abstract In Italy, aerobiological monitoring is usually carried out by the regional agencies for environmental protection (ARPA [Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione Ambientale]) using volumetric samplers. Another widespread method for the study of airborne pollen is the analysis of moss cushions, generally used to relate pollen rain to flora and vegetation. In this study, we compare the data coming

Abstract In Brazil, the genus Calliandra Benth. (Caesalpinioideae; Leguminosae) comprises 74 species, of which 59 are endemic; the north-eastern region stands out as its largest dispersal centre. Calliandra species display a pollen dispersal unit (polyad) formed by eight calymmate, ellipsoid pollen grains, with a uniplanar arrangement and bilateral symmetry. Pollen units of native and ornamental Calliandra

Abstract Pollen in honey reflects its botanical origin and melissopalynology is used to identify origin, type, and quantities of pollen grains of the botanical species visited by bees. This study aimed to identify the pollen spectrum of honeys from Apis mellifera and stingless bees produced in the semi-arid region of Bahia, Brazil. We analysed 78 honey samples, which were submitted to the acetolysis

Abstract Pollen morphology, ultrastructure and germination mode of Ibicella lutea was investigated and documented using light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Ibicella pollen is clypeate, spheroidal, apolar, inaperturate, insulated, large, with an average diameter of 80 μm. The pollen wall is formed in the insula by two distinct layers;

Abstract The airborne environment is a critical juncture linking terrestrial and aquatic habitats, yet the algae of this environment are not well-characterised and understood. The goal of this study was to examine seasonality patterns of airborne algae in a tropical environment. Airborne algae were collected monthly in spore traps on a building rooftop on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, U.S.A. from December

Abstract Dioscorea is a highly diverse genus in Brazil, particularly the south-eastern region, and most especially in the Atlantic Forest. Recent phylogenetic studies have helped clarify the intricate subgeneric classification of the genus, although some species remain to be sampled, and further studies are necessary to ascertain their systematic placement in the genus. Here, a palynological description

Abstract Sugars constitute the main component of bee-collected pollen, which may vary significantly among different pollen taxa according to their botanical origin and the surrounding vegetation. In this study, we investigated the significance of the pollen grain volume and exine sculpture on the sugars content of bee-collected pollen. We analysed the sugar content of 30 monofloral pollen pellets using

Abstract The Fundão Dam breach, in November 2015 in Mariana (20º 22ʹ 40″ S, 43º 24ʹ 58″ W), was considered, at that time, the largest environmental disaster in Brazilian history. Meliponiculture was one of the activities pointed out as a way to promote floristic recovery and to generate income for the population, in order to minimise the impact of the disaster. The objective of this work was to identify

Abstract This study analysed the pollen present in honey samples collected from colonies of stingless bees (Meliponini) from the meliponary of the Nova América community of the Sateré Mawé tribe, located on the Maruá River, Maués municipality, Amazonas state, Brazil (03° 39ʹ 45.00″ S, 57° 20ʹ 17.99″ W). Collections were made directly from honey storage pots. A total of 47 pollen types were identified

Abstract The continued investigation of the middle Miocene palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin reveals numerous additional angiosperm taxa. The Myrtales to Ericales pollen record documented here comprises 46 different taxa belonging to Onagraceae (Ludwigia), Ericaceae (Craigia, Reevesia, Tilia), Anacardiaceae (Pistacia), Rutaceae (Zanthoxylum), Sapindaceae (Acer), Santalaceae (Arceuthobium), Amaranthaceae

Abstract Ahvaz city in Iran was designated as the most polluted city in the world in 2013 that suffered from a lot of dust storms. Conocarpus erectus is currently the dominant tree species in Ahvaz. In this study, ripe and young inflorescences of plants grown in three cities of the Khuzestan province on dust storm days and clean days (days with no dust storm) were selected and the stamina were separated

Abstract The Rio Maior deposits, part of the Tagus Basin located in western Portugal, are comprised of sediments from late Pliocene to earliest Gelasian age. Using combined light and scanning electron microscopy, we report, for the first time, nine important taxa in late Pliocene, Piacenzian sediments from south-western Europe. Eight pollen-taxa (Cercidiphyllum, Craigia, Mortoniodendron, Diplopanax

Abstract Pleistocene cave deposits usually provide ideal materials for the study of mammals. Karst caves in Chongzuo, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of south China are famous for numerous studies on their abundant mammalian fossils and most importantly, Homo sapiens. Unfortunately, the environmental backgrounds, e.g. vegetation and climate, that governed these faunas, are usually lacking because