Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26444002›Full record

ArticlePloS one2015

Sporangium Exposure and Spore Release in the Peruvian Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum peruvianum, Pteridaceae).

Simon Poppinga, Tobias Haushahn, Markus Warnke, Tom Masselter, Thomas Speck

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.3field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Effective dispersal of fern spore and the ecological relevance of zoochory.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Simon PoppingaPlant Biomechanics Group, University of Freiburg, Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF), University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Tobias HaushahnPlant Biomechanics Group, University of Freiburg, Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Markus WarnkePlant Biomechanics Group, University of Freiburg, Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Tom MasselterPlant Biomechanics Group, University of Freiburg, Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Thomas SpeckPlant Biomechanics Group, University of Freiburg, Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF), University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
University of Freiburg · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

We investigated the different processes involved in spore liberation in the polypod fern Adiantum peruvianum (Pteridaceae). Sporangia are being produced on the undersides of so-called false indusia, which are situated at the abaxial surface of the pinnule margins, and become exposed by a desiccation-induced movement of these pinnule flaps. The complex folding kinematics and functional morphology of false indusia are being described, and we discuss scenarios of movement initiation and passive hydraulic actuation of these structures. High-speed cinematography allowed for analyses of fast sporangium motion and for tracking ejected spores. Separation and liberation of spores from the sporangia are induced by relaxation of the annulus (the 'throwing arm' of the sporangium catapult) and conservation of momentum generated during this process, which leads to sporangium bouncing. The ultra-lightweight spores travel through air with a maximum velocity of ~5 m s(-1), and a launch acceleration of ~6300 g is measured. In some cases, the whole sporangium, or parts of it, together with contained spores break away from the false indusium and are shed as a whole. Also, spores can stick together and form spore clumps. Both findings are discussed in the context of wind dispersal.

Indexed as

AdiantumFernsMovementPteridaceaeSporangiaSpores

Identifiers

PMID26444002
PMCPMC4596474
OpenAlexW1828952991

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.