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First published online January 22, 2010; doi:10.3732/ajb.0900264 American Journal of Botany 97: 365-368 (2010) © 2010 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

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Formation and function of a new pollen aperture pattern in angiosperms: The proximal sulcus of Tillandsia leiboldiana (Bromeliaceae)¹

² Université Paris-Sud 11, UMR8079 Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, F-91405 Orsay, France ³ MNHN, UMR 7205 Origine, Structure et Evolution de la Biodiversité, F-75005 Paris, France ⁴ CNRS, UMR8079 Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, F-91405 Orsay, France

ABSTRACT

Pollen grains are generally surrounded by an extremely resistant wall interrupted in places by apertures that play a key role in reproduction; pollen tube growth is initiated at these sites. The shift from a proximal to distal aperture location is a striking innovation in seed plant reproduction. Reversals to proximal aperture position have only very rarely been described in angiosperms. The genus Tillandsia belongs to the Bromeliaceae family, and its aperture pattern has been described as distal monosulcate, the most widespread aperture patterns recorded in monocots and basal angiosperms. Here we report developmental and functional elements to demonstrate that the sulcate aperture in Tillandsia leiboldiana is not distal as previously described but proximal. Postmeitotic tetrad observation indicates unambiguously the proximal position of the sulcus, and in vitro germination of pollen grains confirms that the aperture is functional. This is the first report of a sulcate proximal aperture with proximal germination. The observation of microsporogenesis reveals specific features in the patterns of callose thickenings in postmeiotic tetrads.

Key Words: Bromeliaceae • callose • microsporogenesis • pollen grains • proximal aperture • sulcus • Tillandsia leiboldiana

Received for publication 7 September 2009. Accepted for publication 30 November 2009.

FOOTNOTES

¹ The authors thank A. Ressayre, C. Potrel, and the Jardin Botanique de la Ville de Paris (France). This work was supported by a grant from IFR87 La Plante et son environnement attributed in 2006.

⁵ Author for correspondence (e-mail: beatrice.albert{at}u-psud.fr)

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