''Lecanopteris sinuosa'' is a fern that belongs to the
fern
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...
genus ''
Lecanopteris
''Lecanopteris'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). They have swollen hollow rhizomes that provide homes for symbiotic ants ...
''. This epiphytic plant has a
mutualistic relationship with stingless shelter ants, which makes it a
myrmecophyte.
The ant species associated with ''L. sinuosa'' belong within the genera ''
Crematogaster'', ''
Technomyrmex
''Technomyrmex'' is a genus of ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. With 98 species, it is one of the largest and most diverse ant genera in the Dolichoderinae. The genus distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical zones with most specie ...
'' or ''
Iridomyrmex
''Iridomyrmex'' is a genus of ants called rainbow ants (referring to their blue-green iridescent sheen) first described by Austrian entomologist Gustav Mayr in 1862. He placed the genus in the subfamily Dolichoderinae of the family Formicida ...
''. The ants rear their
larvae
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
The ...
within the rhizome for protection, and in turn, ''L. sinuosa'' receives nutritional benefit from feces and other debris left behind by the plants.
[ It is also suggested that ''L. sinuosa'' benefits from increased protection from herbivory and increased ]spore
In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...
dispersal.[
]
Rhizome morphology
The unique rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
structure of ''L. sinuosa'' allows it to maintain a mutualistic relationship with ants. As the plant is young, the rhizome is solid (without cavities), but as it matures, the thin walled parenchyma
Parenchyma () is the bulk of functional substance in an animal organ or structure such as a tumour. In zoology it is the name for the tissue that fills the interior of flatworms.
Etymology
The term ''parenchyma'' is New Latin from the word π ...
cells begin to hollow.[ These cells become infused with phlopaphene (a deep brown strengthening substance), which causes the rhizome to appear rock-like.
]
Phylogeny
The monophyletic
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
genus, ''Lecanopteris'', is in the fern family, Polypodicaeae. It comprises two sub-genera: ''Lecanopteris'' and ''Myrmecopteris''. The genus comprises 13 species total, all of which have rhizomes associated with ants.[ Subgenus ''Lecanopteris'' is monophyletic, and ''Myrmecopteris'' is ]paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
and contains ''L. sinuosa''. Within the sub-genus, ''L. sinuosa'' is sister to ''Lecanopteris crustacea
''Lecanopteris'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). They have swollen hollow rhizomes that provide homes for symbiotic ants ...
'', ''Lecanopteris sarcopus
''Lecanopteris'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). They have swollen hollow rhizomes that provide homes for symbiotic ants ...
'' (syn. ''L. lomarioides''), and sub-genus ''Lecanopteris''. This phylogenic relationship was determined based on a tree using parsimony
Parsimony refers to the quality of economy or frugality in the use of resources.
Parsimony may also refer to
* The Law of Parsimony, or Occam's razor, a problem-solving principle
** Maximum parsimony (phylogenetics), an optimality criterion in p ...
and maximum likelihood
In statistics, maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) is a method of estimation theory, estimating the Statistical parameter, parameters of an assumed probability distribution, given some observed data. This is achieved by Mathematical optimization, ...
combined using genetic sequences from the rbcL gene and the trnL-F non-coding region.[
]
Distribution
''Lecanopteris sinuosa'' has been identified in Malesia, Sulawesi (Celebes), Philippines, New Guinea, Moluccas, Indochina, and Vanuatu.[ It can survive in almost any habitat found in the listed locations except lowland rainforests.][
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q17197274
Lecanopteris