Correlation between pollen aperture pattern and callose deposition in late tetrad stage in three species producing atypical pollen grains.

OBJECTIVE

Pollen grains of flowering plants display a fascinating diversity of forms, in spite of their minute size. The observed diversity is determined by the developmental mechanisms implicated in the establishment of pollen morphological features. Pollen grains are generally surrounded by an extremely resistant wall interrupted in places by apertures that play a key role in reproduction, being the places at which pollen tube growth is initiated. Aperture shape, number, and position are determined during microsporogenesis (male meiosis), the earliest step in pollen ontogeny. We investigate in detail the unfolding of microsporogenesis in three species that present uncommon aperture pattern (i.e., disulculate in Calycanthus floridus [Calycanthaceae, magnoliids], tetraporate in Hohenbergia stellata [Bromeliaceae, monocots], and monoporate in Typha latifolia [Typhaceae, monocots]).

METHODS

We performed a comparative analysis of microsporogenesis and aperture distribution within tetrads in these species with contrasting aperture arrangements. This was done using aniline blue coloration and UV light microscope observations. KEYS RESULTS: We show that aperture localization and features of callose deposition on intersporal walls produced during cytokinesis coincide in all three species examined. Such a correlation suggests that patterns of callose deposition are strongly involved in determining aperture localization.

CONCLUSIONS

In flowering plants, patterns of male meiosis and especially callose deposition following meiosis may be implicated in the diversity of pollen aperture patterns.