Pollen morphology and plant taxonomy of white oaks in eastern North America

Journal Article · Fri Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1983 · Am. J. Bot.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/2443159· OSTI ID:6003381

Solomon, A M

An evaluation of possible approaches to fossil oak pollen identification utilized scanning electron microscopy to examine exine-surface features of 171 collections, representing 16 Quercus subgenus Lepidobalanus species and varieties of eastern North America. Twenty qualitative pollen morphological characters were defined and tabulated for each of 217 pollen grains. The data were subjected to cluster analysis and cluster diagrams were compared with published white oak taxonomy. Pollen morphology and plant taxonomy compared well in series of the subgenus Lepidobalanus due primarily to consistency of character presence and absence within species and varieties. Pollen morphology of white oaks appears to reflect plant systematics above the species level. Use of routine SEM analysis to identify series of white oaks among fossil pollen grains likely will yield valid results. 38 references.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6003381
• Journal Information: Am. J. Bot.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. J. Bot.; (United States) Vol. 70:4; ISSN AJBOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510100* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BIOLOGY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CORRELATIONS
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
FOSSILS
GAMETES
GERM CELLS
MICROSCOPY
MORPHOLOGY
NORTH AMERICA
OAKS
PLANTS
POLLEN
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
TAXONOMY
TREES
USA