Elucidating the mechanism of poricidal anther dehiscence in Miconia species (Melastomataceae)

Melastomataceae have porate anthers. However, unlike Solanaceae and many monocots, in which the poricidal dehiscence depends on the presence of a mechanical layer (often the endothecium), most members of Melastomataceae have no evident specialized layer related to the poricidal opening. The goal of this study was to characterize the tissues that form the apical pore of the anther in 10 Miconia species, which may help to understand the nearly unknown mechanism of anther dehiscence in this genus, considered to be one of the largest and most diverse New World genera. Before anthesis, the apical pores of all of the species are closed by a uniseriate epidermis, the cells of which lack a cuticle. In contrast, the epidermis of the remainder of the anther is covered by a thick, ornamented cuticle. Among Myrtales, the Melastomataceae form a clade with Alzateaceae, Crypteroniaceae and Penaeaceae, almost all of which have anthers with endothecium lacking wall thickenings. In these families, the endothecium may or may not be present in the mature anther, with degenerating cells in the latter case. Anther dehiscence does not depend on the endothecium as the mechanical layer, and this process is still not well understood. However, in the Miconia species studied here, the cuticle may prevent tissue dehydration, and the pore opening seems to be due to the passive process of dehydration taking place only in the pore region due to the absence of the cuticle.