The morphogenetic rôle of apical meristems: fundamental aspects (illustrated by means of the shoot apical meristem)

  • C. W. Wardlaw
Chapter
Part of the Handbuch der Pflanzenphysiologie / Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology book series (532, volume 15)

Abstract

In all vascular plants, as in many non-vascular ones, the polarity of the new individual, with distinction of apex and base (or of distal and proximal regions respectively), is already established by the time the fertilised egg has undergone its first division, this being usually though not invariably by a transverse wall. The axial development thus has its inception at the outset of the ontogenesis, the apical pole being typically characterised by active protein synthesis, in contrast to the basal pole where the uptake and utilisation of osmotically active substances is a more evident feature1. The related histological developments include the formation of a distal region of densely protoplasmic, embryonic, or meristematic cells, which sooner or later become organized as the shoot apex, comprising the apical meristem and first leaf primordium or primordia, and a basal foot, or a suspensor, or both, the cells of which soon become enlarged, vacuolated and parenchymatous.

Keywords

Apical Meristem Shoot Apex Shoot Apical Meristem Growth Centre Leaf Primordia 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1965

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  • C. W. Wardlaw

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