Stomatal Patterning: An Important Taxonomic Tool for Systematical Studies of Tree Species of Angiosperm
Faiza Khan
Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Jail Road Lahore, Pakistan.
Zubaida Yousaf *
Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Jail Road Lahore, Pakistan.
Hafiza Saadia Ahmed
Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Jail Road Lahore, Pakistan.
Ayesha Arif
Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Jail Road Lahore, Pakistan.
Hafiza Ayesha Rehman
Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Jail Road Lahore, Pakistan.
Afifa Younas
Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Jail Road Lahore, Pakistan.
Madiha Rashid
Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Jail Road Lahore, Pakistan.
Zoya Tariq
Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Jail Road Lahore, Pakistan.
Nadia Raiz
Department of Botany, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Jail Road Lahore, Pakistan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Taxonomic information provides the base line for most of the studies in biological sciences. Most of taxonomic information based on phenotypic characteristics of plants. As phenotypic markers are under the influence of environment, therefore it may leads toward the taxonomic confusion. Therefore, present study was carried out to determine the effect of environment on types of stomata, number, size, and stomata patterning which is very useful feature in taxonomy. In the present study thirty arboreal species of dicot flora (from tropical and subtropical regions) belonging to eight orders and fifteen families are evaluated by using systematic tool i.e. stomatal pattering. Stomata play a vital role in gas exchange of dicot plants. Within dicot flora, eight shapes of stomata are observed (anomocytic, anomotetracytic, actinocytic, amphianisocytic, brachyparacytic, anisocytic, amphicyclocytic and staurocytic). In leaves, the pattern of stomatal distribution is highly variable between arboreal species of dicot but is regulated by a mechanism of one cell spacing between stomata. Epidermal anatomical marker showed the different mode of stomata patterning. Hence, this differential marker can be utilized to differentiate taxonomically complicated species.
Keywords: Anomocytic, anomotetracytic, actinocytic, amphianisocytic, brachyparacytic, anisocytic, amphicyclocytic, staurocytic, stomatal pattern