ID: 613 / 68

Category: Symposia

Track: Pending

Proposed Symposium Title: BACK TO BASICS: USING MICRO-MORPHOLOGY, ANATOMY AND HISTOLOGY TO INVESTIGATE EVOLUTION IN BRYOPHYTES

Abstract: With state-of-the-art microscopy techniques and digital imaging technologies now available, a renewed focus on micro-morphology, anatomy and histology gives new insights into the interpretation of bryophyte taxa and their evolutionary relationships. Studying the microscopic structure and composition in bryophytes and their tissues, from both living and herbarium specimens, is especially important as species can exhibit phenotypic variation in some traits whereas others are more conservative in their development. An understanding of the architecture of internal or external structures, the construction patterns of different tissues and their chemical composition allow us to interpret or reinterpret species or genera as well as providing a novel set of data to understand evolutionary trends and history. Data revealed by micro-morphology, anatomy and histology have provided new insights on traits related to plant terrestrialisation, such as the evolution of function of stomata, and a deeper understanding of the development and composition of bryophyte tissues or structures, including interpretation of peristome development and architecture at a finer scale than ever before possible. Classical microscopic observations of bryophytes are embedded within their taxonomy and classification, with newer techniques allowing us to develop a more profound understanding of the traits themselves, trait variability and differences in traits between taxa. As such, we can reinterpret taxonomic concepts and better understand taxa in an evolutionary context, providing additional data to support or question phylogenetic findings. The revival in microscopy techniques, often seen as being “old” approaches, holds much potential for novel discoveries and revelations in this group of land plants.

Speaker 1: Dr. Silvia Pressel Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum (Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom) s.pressel@nhm.ac.uk Talk title to be determined

Speaker 2: Mathilde Ruche Department of Plant sciences, University of Geneva (Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland) and Conservatory and Botanical Garden of Geneva (Chemin de l’Impératrice, 1292 Chambèsy-Geneva, Switzerland) Mathilde.ruche@unige.ch Talk title : Peristome evolution in the Dicranidae revealed by SEM and histology.

Speaker 3: To be determined

Topics (Up to three): Bryology

Topic 2: Development and Structures

Topic 3: Systematics

Justification: The symposium is for the Bryology topic (5). It aims to give an overview of recent research in the field of microscopy in the hornworts, liverworts or mosses. State of the art microscopy methods and new imaging techniques have opened up exciting research opportunities that complement phylogenomics and promise to reveal data on taxa that was previously hidden or were simply under investigated. Although the symposium focuses on bryophytes, it also covers the topics of Development and Structure (9) and Systematics and taxonomy (31).