粘液繁殖体及其生态功能

对粘液繁殖体的概念、粘液性质、粘液繁殖体的研究现状及粘液繁殖体研究中存在的问题进行了论述。分布在干旱区的十字花科、爵床科、菊科等植物具有粘液繁殖体。有关粘液繁殖体的研究集中在具有粘液繁殖体植物的识别、粘液形态结构及成分、粘液溶出机制及过程、粘液繁殖体的生态功能等几个方面。尽管已有研究表明，粘液繁殖体具有促进种子远距离传播、促进繁殖体的萌发及苗的发育、使种子免受摩擦损害和动物捕食等生态功能，但目前人们对粘液繁殖体的生态意义尚不十分清楚，从多物种比较研究中阐明粘液繁殖体生态意义的研究尚很少见。继续识别具有粘液繁殖体的植物，改善现有的研究手段，加强粘液繁殖体对植被恢复价值的研究是目前粘液繁殖体研究面临的挑战。

Myxospermy and its ecological function

Myxospermy is commonly existed in the plant families Brassicaceae, Acanthaceae and Asteraceae in arid regions. This paper summarized the concept of myxospermy, characters of mucilage, and present situation and issues in myxospermy research. At present, the studies of myxospermy are focused on the identification of mucilaginous species, the structure and component of mucilage, the mechanisms and processes of mucilage production, and the functions of myxospermy. In the future, the ecological functions of myxospermy should he more concerned, especially from the aspect of identifying the mucilaginous species in different flora. New methodologies should be introduced, and the significance of myxospermy in vegetation restoration should be further explored.