Phylogenetic Tree - Protein Sequences

In this diagram, the evolutionary branches for three specific plants can be seen: Larch, Millet, and A Rose





This tree disagrees with the original tree generated by the hypothesis. It does not support the idea that two wind-pollinated plants, although one is a gymnosperm and the other is an angiosperm, will be more closely related than the wind-pollinated angiosperm and an insect-pollinated angiosperm. Instead it shows that the wind-pollinated gymnosperm was more closely related to the insect-pollinated angiosperm. The validity of this statement appears strong because protein mapping has proved to be a useful way to determine evolutionary trails. However the proposed difference in trees seems like to be counter-active to what the common sense would say. Regardless, this tree is the most likely to be correct, and matches with our morphology tree.

Phylogenetic Tree- Pollen Morphology

We generated this tree after reviewing the images retrieved from the SEM. The Larch and Rose both appear to be moncolpate and have one aperture each. In contrast, the Millet may be tricolpate and also has no aperture. This leads us to believe that the Larch and Rose are more closely related. The Larch and Millet do share similar surface texture in that they are both psilate. However the overall morphology seems to indicate that Larch and Rose would share a common ancestor before either share one with Millet.

Procedure

First, we picked 3 different plants:

Then we checked out a computer and got a microscope. We used the tools in the clear box to put pollen on the clear slides that you can see on the yellow tray. Those slides were then looked at in the microscopes(top left corner) on 400x.    The third step is that we used the tools in the clear box to get pollen from each plant and put a good amount of it on our stub. 

Our fourth step was to look at the pollenated slides through the microscope through a camera that is connected to and shows up on our computer.

This is our stub:

Fifthly, you then have to spray the stub with a can of air(as you can see below) to make sure the pollen is secure and on the stub.

Sixthly, after our stub is completely finished we then looked at the pollen on the SEM's.

The seventh step was to take the images we saved on our USB from the SEM and upload them to the computer.

Our eighth and final step was to then look at the pollen in the Leica Stereomicroscope.

JADS Hypothesis

The two wind-pollinated plants, although one is a gymnosperm and the other is an angiosperm, will be more closely related than the wind-pollinated angiosperm and an insect-pollinated angiosperm.

 This makes sense because over millennia of evolution, pollen particles have not changed much; since it does not change as rapidly as other components, it would be conceivable that plants with the same type of pollen would also be close in the evolutionary tree. Millet and Larch are both wind-pollinated, so even though they differ between being angiosperms and gymnosperms respectively, they will have a common ancestor before they both share one with a rose.

Our hypothesis was not supported, see the trees for further information.

Backround Information

Pollen Structure

Pollen cells have cell walls and cell membranes, and within them are sperm cells. The structure of the pollen surface is divided into three layers. The first layer contains chemically resistant polymers as well as openings (apertures). The second layer is mainly cellulose. The final inside layers is made of lipids, proteins, pigments, and aromatics.

Source: http://www.plantcell.org/content/16/suppl_1/S84.full

Conifer Information

Conifer forests are generally found in North America all the way from the pacific ocean to the atlantic ocean. In addition, they can be found across Northern Europe in Scandinavia and Russia, and also across in Siberia, Mongolia, and all the way into Northern Japan and China. Conifers make up a lot of what is in these forests, all living in close proximity to each other.

Source: http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/about/habitat_types/habitats/coniferous_forests/

Wind Pollination

Wind pollination is how at least 10% of angiosperms pollinate themselves and it has faced a large amount of evolution. The efficiency of wind pollination is in reality not as inefficient as people assume it to be in comparison to animal pollinated plants. There is lots of importance placed on plant height, flower positioning, and stamen and stigma characteristics that all add to how successful wind pollination can be from case to case. 

http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2009/02/14/aob.mcp035.full.pdf+html

Question

Are angiosperms and gymnosperms that are wind pollinated plants more closely related then a angiosperm wind pollinated plants and an angiosperm insect pollinated plants are related?