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An electron microscope study of the dimorphic spermatozoa of Asplanchna (Rotifera)

II. The development of “atypical spermatozoa”

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Zeitschrift für Zellforschung und Mikroskopische Anatomie Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

  1. 1.

    The rigid rod develops in atypical germ cells during late stages of rotifer embryonic life.

  2. 2.

    The Golgi system is closely related with the developing rod and appears to contribute to it a dense, homogeneous material via a vesicle fusion process.

  3. 3.

    The completed rod appears to be extruded from the mother cell with a coating of cell membrane in addition to the limiting membrane of the rod.

  4. 4.

    The internal structure of the rod is composed of densely packed microtubules of the 200 Å variety oriented parallel to the rods long axis. The microtubules are composed of small tubular peripheral subunits.

  5. 5.

    The classical concept of the dimorphism of rotifer sperm (at least in Asplanchna) must be modified as the so-called “rod spermatozoon” is not a spermatozoon nor even a cell, but a microtubule-filled cellular product. The actual atypical cell is the one which produces the rod in late embryonic life and then apparently degenerates upon completion of the rod structure and its extrusion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

    James K. Koehler & C. W. Birky

  2. Department of Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

    James K. Koehler & C. W. Birky

Authors
  1. James K. Koehler
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  2. C. W. Birky
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Additional information

Supported in part by USPHS grant GM 12183 to C.W.B.

The authors express their thanks and appreciation to Drs. Daniel Szollosi and Newton B. Everett for helpful suggestions regarding this manuscript.

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Koehler, J.K., Birky, C.W. An electron microscope study of the dimorphic spermatozoa of Asplanchna (Rotifera). Zeitschrift für Zellforschung 70, 303–321 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336499

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336499

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