Support for Publication of "External Pollen Ultrastructure of the Araceae and Putatively Related Taxa"

天南星科是一个多样性和高度多样性的热带植物科，其属(约110个)和种(2,300个)之间的进化关系尚不清楚。Michael Grayum博士完成了一本题为《天南星科和推测相关的分类群的外部花粉超微结构》的专著，在这本书中，他对天南星科几乎所有属的近400个物种的花粉形态进行了调查。这项调查使用光学和扫描电子显微镜来揭示每个物种所特有的花粉颗粒的精细结构。格雷厄姆博士的专著将在NSF的支持下发表在《密苏里州植物园年鉴》上。该专著将成为利用花粉鉴定芳香族植物的重要参考文献。该专著中提供的形态数据将为建立该家族内部的进化关系开辟新的研究途径。

The Araceae are a diverse and highly variable family of tropical plants, and the evolutionary relationships among its genera (approximately 110) and species (2,300) are poorly understood. Dr. Michael Grayum has completed a monograph entitled "External Pollen Ultrastructure of the Araceae and Putatively Related Taxa", in which he presents a survey of pollen morphology in almost 400 species representing nearly all genera in the family. The survey uses light and scanning electron micrographs to reveal the fine structure of pollen grains that characterize each species. Dr. Grayum's monograph will be published, with NSF support, in the Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. The proposed monograph will be an important reference volume for the identification of aroid species using pollen. The morphological data presented in the monograph will open new research avenues for establishing the evolutionary relationships within the family.