| Abstract Detail
Developmental and Structural Section Wang, Chun-Neng [1], Huang, Chi-Dung [2]. Toward a better understanding of inflorescence bulbil morphogenesis and meristem transition: examples from two tropical plants. MANY flowering plants are capable of generating bulbils. Bulbils are asexual propagules derived from already differentiated floral meristem in inflorescences. Bulbil morphogenesis thus requires a transition of floral meristem into vegetative primordia. To understand the common features of bulbil morphogenesis, we compared bulbil developmental processes in two tropical species Titanotrichum oldhamii (Gesneriaceae) and Remusatia vivipara (Araceae). Using SEM and microdissection we observed that either a single or a cluster of bulbil primordia can replace a floral meristem. Initially, bulbil primordia are arranged in an order resembling branching shoots. In addition, bulbils always develop into a certain shape, as multi-hooked structures in R. vivipara or trichome covered V-shaped propagules in T. oldhamii, perhaps facilitating their dispersal by mammalian fur. The certain shape of bulbil formation implies that specific developmental programs are stored in these bulbiliferous species. It is observed that transcription of the inflorescence identity gene LEAFY is rapidly reduced when bulbiliferous shoots start to initiate. This implies that LEAFY has a role in bulbil morphogenesis. These results indicate that bulbil morphogenesis has probably undergone similar genetically controlled development from independently evolved plant lineages. [c.e.:srb]
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1 - National Taiwan University, Department of Life Science AND Institute of Ecology and Evolution, No. 1, Sec 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 106, Taiwan
2 - National Taiwan University, Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rm1227, Life Science Building, 1 Roosevelt Road, Sect.4, Taipei, 106, Taiwan
Keywords:
bulbuls
LEAFY
floral meristem
inflorescence
asexual propagules
morphogenesis.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 2-7
Location: 303/Bell Memorial Union
Date: Monday, July 31st, 2006
Time: 10:15 AM
Abstract ID:481 |
