BackgroundThe characteristics of pollen tube growth are not constant, but display distinct patterns of growth within the different tissues of the pistil. In the stigma, the growth rate is slow and autotrophic, whereas in the style, it is rapid and heterotrophic. Very little is known about the interactions between these distinct maternal tissues and the traversing pollen tube and the role of this interaction on the observed metabolism. In this work we characterise pollen tube growth in the apple flower and look for differences in glycoprotein epitope localization between two different maternal tissues, the stigma and the style.ResultsWhile immunocytochemically-detected arabinogalactan proteins were present at high levels in the stigma, they were not detected in the transmitting tissue of the style, where extensins were abundant. Whereas extensins remained at high levels in unpollinated pistils, they were no longer present in the style following pollen tube passage. Similarily, while abundant in unpollinated styles, insoluble polysaccharides such as β-glucans, were depleted in pollinated pistils.ConclusionsThe switch from autotropic to heterotrophic pollen tube growth correlates spatially with a change of glycoprotein epitopes between the stigma and the style. The depletion of extensins and polysaccharides following pollen tube passage in the style suggest a possible contribution to the acceleration of heterotrophic pollen tube growth, which would imply an active contribution of female tissues on prezygotic male–female crosstalk.

Trees present a critical challenge to long-distance transport because as a tree grows in height and the transport pathway increases in length, the hydraulic resistance of the vascular tissue should increase. This has led many to question whether trees can rely on a passive transport mechanism to move carbohydrates from their leaves to their roots. Although species that actively load sugars into their phloem, such as vines and herbs, can increase the driving force for transport as they elongate, it is possible that many trees cannot generate high turgor pressures because they do not use transporters to load sugar into the phloem. Here, we examine how trees can maintain efficient carbohydrate transport as they grow taller by analysing sieve tube anatomy, including sieve plate geometry, using recently developed preparation and imaging techniques, and by measuring the turgor pressures in the leaves of a tall tree in situ. Across nine deciduous species, we find that hydraulic resistance in the phloem scales inversely with plant height because of a shift in sieve element structure along the length of individual trees. This scaling relationship seems robust across multiple species despite large differences in plate anatomy. The importance of this scaling becomes clear when phloem transport is modelled using turgor pressures measured in the leaves of a mature red oak tree. These pressures are of sufficient magnitude to drive phloem transport only in concert with structural changes in the phloem that reduce transport resistance. As a result, the key to the long-standing mystery of how trees maintain phloem transport as they increase in size lies in the structure of the phloem and its ability to change hydraulic properties with plant height.

Citation: Losada, J. M. and N. M. Holbrook. 2019. Scaling of phloem hydraulic resistance in stems and leaves of the understory angiosperm shrub Illicium parviflorum. American Journal of Botany 106(2): 244-259. PREMISE OF THE STUDY:Recent studies in canopy-dominant trees revealed axial scaling of phloem structure. However, whether this pattern is found in woody plants of the understory, the environment of most angiosperms from the ANA grade (Amborellales-Nymphaeales-Austrobaileyales), is unknown. METHODS:We used seedlings and adult plants of the understory tropical shrub Illicium parviflorum, a member of the lineage Austrobaileyales, to explore the anatomy and physiology of the phloem in their aerial parts, including changes through ontogeny.KEY RESULTS: Adult plants maintain a similar proportion of phloem tissue across stem diameters, but larger conduit dimensions and number cause the hydraulic resistance of the phloem to decrease toward the base of the plant. Small sieve plate pores resulted in an overall higher sieve tube hydraulic resistance than has been reported in other woody angiosperms. Sieve elements increase in size from minor to major leaf veins, but were shorter and narrower in petioles. The low carbon assimilation rates of seedlings and mature plants contrasted with a 3-fold higher phloem sap velocity in seedlings, suggesting that phloem transport velocity is modulated through ontogeny. CONCLUSIONS:The overall architecture of the phloem tissue in this understory angiosperm shrub scales in a manner consistent with taller trees that make up the forest canopy. Thus, the evolution of larger sieve plate pores in canopy-dominant trees may have played a key role in allowing woody angiosperms to extend beyond their understory origins.

Background and AimsStigmatic receptivity plays a clear role in pollination dynamics; however, little is known about the factors that confer to a stigma the competence to be receptive for the germination of pollen grains. In this work, a developmental approach is used to evaluate the acquisition of stigmatic receptivity and its relationship with a possible change in arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs).MethodsFlowers of the domestic apple, Malus × domestica, were assessed for their capacity to support pollen germination at different developmental stages. Stigmas from these same stages were characterized morphologically and different AGP epitopes detected by immunocytochemistry.Key ResultsAcquisition of stigmatic receptivity and the secretion of classical AGPs from stigmatic cells occurred concurrently and following the same spatial distribution. While in unpollinated stigmas AGPs appeared unaltered, in cross-pollinated stigmas AGPs epitopes vanished as pollen tubes passed by.ConclusionsThe concurrent secretion of AGPs with the acquisition of stigmatic receptivity, together with the differential response in unpollinated and cross-pollinated pistils point out a role of AGPs in supporting pollen tube germination and strongly suggest that secretion of AGPs is associated with the acquisition of stigma receptivity.

Early male and female function indicate that N. thermarum is predisposed towards self-pollination, a phenomenon that is likely to have evolved multiple times within Nymphaea. While formation of distinct micropylar and chalazal developmental domains in the endosperm, along with a copious perisperm, characterize the seeds of most members of the Nymphaeales, seed ontogenies vary between and among the constituent families. Floral biology, life history traits and small genome size make N. thermarum uniquely promising as an early-diverging angiosperm model system for genetic and molecular studies.

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The results show a timely secretion of glycoproteins on the obturator surface concomitant with pollen tube arrival at this structure. The fact that their secretion is depleted following pollen tube passage strongly suggests their role in regulating pollen tube access to the ovule. Remarkably, both the regulation of the secretion of the different glycoproteins, as well as their association with the performance of pollen tubes exhibit similarities with those observed in the stigma, in line with their common developmental origin.

Capparis odoratissima is a tree species native to semi-arid environments of South America where low soil water availability coexists with frequent night-time fog. A previous study showed that water applied to leaf surfaces enhanced leaf hydration, photosynthesis and growth, but the mechanisms of foliar water uptake are unknown.Here, we combine detailed anatomical evaluations with water and dye uptake experiments in the laboratory, and use immunolocalization of pectin and arabinogalactan protein epitopes to characterize water uptake pathways in leaves. Abaxially, the leaves of C. odoratissima are covered with peltate hairs, while the adaxial surfaces are glabrous. Both surfaces are able to absorb condensed water, but the abaxial surface has higher rates of water uptake. Thousands of idioblasts per cm 2 , a higher density than stomata, connect the adaxial leaf surface and the abaxial peltate hairs, both of which contain hygroscopic substances such as arabinogalactan proteins and pectins.The highly specialized anatomy of the leaves of C odoratissima fulfils the dual function of minimizing water loss when stomata are closed, while maintaining the ability to absorb liquid water. Cell-wall related hygroscopic compounds in the peltate hairs and idioblasts create a network of microchannels that maintain leaf hydration and promote water uptake.