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METAMORPHOSIS IN THE ARACEAE
Author(s) -
Ray Thomas S.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1990.tb11400.x
Subject(s) - biology , araceae , metamorphosis , plant stem , botany , thickening , maturity (psychological) , meristem , asexual reproduction , shoot , anthurium , larva , psychology , developmental psychology , chemistry , polymer science
In the Araceae, as in many other monocotyledons, the stem undergoes gradual thickening as successive internodes are produced. Along with this primary thickening of the stem, successive foliage leaves will be larger and often more complex. In many species, in addition to these and other gradual changes, there are abrupt changes, metamorphoses, that occur under certain conditions. Some metamorphoses are the result of endogenous cycling (e.g., Syngonium , Rhektophyllum , Philodendron linnaei ), some are a response to changes in conditions in the environment, usually the gain or loss of contact with a substrate (e.g., Syngonium, Monstera, Rhodospatha, Philodendron section Pteromischum ), and some occur when the plant reaches a certain level of maturity (e.g., Monstera ). Some of these latter changes are associated with a transition from monopodial to sympodial growth (e.g., Philodendron, Anthurium ). Metamorphosis enhances the developmental plasticity of the Araceae in two distinct ways: it allows for a more complex relationship between size and shape in the development to maturity, and it allows shoots to engage in dispersal activities and developmental holding patterns when conditions are not suitable for development to the adult form and reproduction.