e-ISSN:2581-6063 (online), ISSN:0972-5210 Plant Archives Volume 21, No 1, 2021 pp. 110-119 DOI Url: https://doi.org/10.51470/PLANTARCHIVES.2021.v21.no1.015 Plant Archives Journal home page: www.plantarchives.org SPORE MORPHOLOGY OF SOME BRYOPHYTA IN EGYPT Gamal M. A. Lashin , Usama Y. Abo-Salama*, Ekram M. Abd El Haliem and Gehad A. A. Hamouda Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Zagazig University, Egypt *Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Ain-Shams University, Egypt ABSTRACT In this work, spore morphology of eight species, Tortula muralis, Tortula brevissima, Aloina brevirostris, Syntrichia leavipila, Microbryum clavallianum (Pottiaceae); Funaria hygrometrica, Entosthodon muhlenbergii, Entosthodon attenuates (Funariaceae); were examined by Light microscopy (LM) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All spores are small; the length of polar axis is between 7.5 μm and 18.5 μm, equatorial diameter is between 10.5 μm and 27 μm. The smallest spores of them are Tortula brevissima and the biggest spores of them are Entosthodon attenuates. The shapes of the spores are determined as suboblate for Tortula muralis, Aloina brevirostris, Syntrichia leavipila, and oblate for Tortula brevissima, Funaria muhlenbergii, Funaria hygrometrica, Entosthodon attenuates. The ornamentation observed can be regulate, verrucate- regulate, baculate, verrucate, clavate- foveolate, clavate, foveolate- psilate on the distal pole, spore ornamentation of the proximal face is different or less complex than the distal face. We can concluded that the spore ultrastructure give important role for identification and taxonomic significant. Keywords: Bryophyta, spore, LM, SEM, Egypt. (Date of Receiving-17-09-2020 ; Date of Acceptance-13-12-2020) INTRODUCTION Studies of bryophytes spores have increased during the last years (Savaroglu et al., 2007) studied spore morphology of some Bryaceae from Turkey; (Savaroglu and Potoglu Erkara, 2008) studied spore morphology of some Pottiaceae from Turkey; (Savaroglu, 2015) studied spore morphology of some Orthotrichaceae Arn. Species (Bryophyta) from Turkey; (Estebanez et al., 2006) studied the ultra-structure of spores in four species of Ptychomitrium from Japan; (Lashin, 2011) studied spore ultra-structure of some mosses belonging to some families like Funariaceae, Pottiaceae, Bryaceae and Hypnaceae from Saudi Arabia. Bryophytes disperse by small unicellular spores between 7 μm in some species of Grimmia to as much as 250 μm in some species of Archidium (Flower, 1973). Size and weight of spores suggest that they must easily disperse. The spore wall is double, it consists of an outer thicker layer (the exine) and the thin inner membrane (the intine), the exine may be smooth wrinkled or finely to coarsely papillose, sometimes spinulose, and in some genera reticulate (Flower, 1973). The study include two families; Pottiaceae and Funariaceae, these families are from the dominate flora in Egypt (El-Saadawi et al., 2015). This study is a part of bryophytes spores from Egypt. The work aims to provide palynological data as acomplement to the general knowledge of the species. MATERIALS AND METHODS Spores were obtained from herbarium specimens of CAIA (Herbarium of the Faculty of Science, Ain-Shams University), where examples of the specimens have been stored, also ripe spores were collected from different localities of Daqahlia province, mature sporophytes, were examined (Table 1). The external surface was observed with LM & SEM. For LM the spores were treated with hot 3% sodium carbonate for 2min and acetolyzed according to the method of Erdtman (1960). For SEM the material was treated with hot 3% sodium carbonate, washed, dehydrated, suspended in 96% ethanol and then transferred to acetate plates. After drying by using CO 2 critical point drier (Tousimis- Audosamdri-815) they were coated by gold sputter coater (SPI-Module). Finally they were examined by (JEOL- JSM-5500 LV) microscope by using high vaccum mode at the Regional Center of Mycology and Biotechnology, Cairo, Egypt. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The maximum mean diameter, not exceeding 25 μm, places the spores in all the species within in the “small” type category of spores (Erdtman, 1969). The spores were unicellular. The outer most layer of spore wall is the exine which provides the sculpturing pattern. Aloina brevirostris (Hook. & Grev.) Kindb. Plate I (1-5) Spores are monad or dyad, small; their shape is concave- angular in the equatorial view and semi-spherical to angular in polar view, suboblate, heteropolar, bilaterally symmetrical to asymmetrical. The equatorial diameter is 10.5-11 μm, the polar diameter is 8-8.5 μm. Analyzed with