Acta Palaeobotanica 44(2): 335–343, 2004

Some morphological changes of the Potamogeton endocarps during its fossilization

Summary: Both contemporary and fossil endocarps of the Potamogeton genus were examined. During the fossilization process large differences in the structure and size of the examined Potamogeton endocarps were found. The largest loss of surface, in contemporary endocarps as compared with fossil ones, were found in P. natans and P. crispus, and a relatively small one in P. filiformis. By comparing shape factors, the type of losses of endocarp tissues in examined species was determined. The pericarp structure of the Potamogeton fruit determines the degree of the tissue loss in the fossilization process. The proportion between the lid and the rest of the endocarp is maintained in the process. The research conducted has confirmed the usability of the method applied for removal of soft tissue of Potamogeton fruit in taxonomy. The usefulness of the Met-Ilo 8 program has been proved for analysing both fossil and contemporary Potamogeton endocarps. The method can be applicable in future for examining the remains of other components of fossil floras.

Keywords: endocarp, fruit, fossil, morphology, Potamogeton, SEM