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The Liverwort—Cyanobacterial Symbiosis

The Liverwort—Cyanobacterial Symbiosis David G. Adams David G. Adams (e-mail: d.g.adams@leeds.ac.uk), Division of Microbiology, School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, England. INTRODUCTION Cyanobacteria form endophytic associations with just four of over 340 genera of liverworts and four of the six hornwort genera (Adams 2000). In their natural habitat, liverworts and hornworts grow as prostrate gametophyte thalli, a few centimetres long, attached to the substratum by rhizoids. Symbiotic colonies appear as dark spots, approximately 0.5mm in diameter, within the plant tissue. In the liverwort Blasia the cyanobacterial symbionts occupy auricles, which are almostspherical structures on the ventral surface of the thallus, whereas in the much thicker thalli of the hornworts Anthoceros and Phaeoceros the cyanobacteria are found in slime cavities within the thallus that open to the ventral surface via slit-like pores (Adams 2000). In the plant – cyanobacteria symbioses, the cyanobiont is almost always a member of the genus Nostoc. These cyanobacteria have two important characteristics: they differentiate N2-fixing cells known as heterocysts, and they can form short, specialised filaments known as hormogonia, which lack heterocysts and consist of cells smaller than those of the parent filament. Hormogonia are the infective agents in liverwort and http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy Royal Irish Academy

The Liverwort—Cyanobacterial Symbiosis

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Publisher
Royal Irish Academy
Copyright
Copyright © 2002 RIA
ISSN
0791-7945
eISSN
2009-003X
DOI
10.3318/BIOE.2002.102.1.27
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

David G. Adams David G. Adams (e-mail: d.g.adams@leeds.ac.uk), Division of Microbiology, School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, England. INTRODUCTION Cyanobacteria form endophytic associations with just four of over 340 genera of liverworts and four of the six hornwort genera (Adams 2000). In their natural habitat, liverworts and hornworts grow as prostrate gametophyte thalli, a few centimetres long, attached to the substratum by rhizoids. Symbiotic colonies appear as dark spots, approximately 0.5mm in diameter, within the plant tissue. In the liverwort Blasia the cyanobacterial symbionts occupy auricles, which are almostspherical structures on the ventral surface of the thallus, whereas in the much thicker thalli of the hornworts Anthoceros and Phaeoceros the cyanobacteria are found in slime cavities within the thallus that open to the ventral surface via slit-like pores (Adams 2000). In the plant – cyanobacteria symbioses, the cyanobiont is almost always a member of the genus Nostoc. These cyanobacteria have two important characteristics: they differentiate N2-fixing cells known as heterocysts, and they can form short, specialised filaments known as hormogonia, which lack heterocysts and consist of cells smaller than those of the parent filament. Hormogonia are the infective agents in liverwort and

Journal

Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy – Royal Irish Academy

Published: Jan 1, 2002

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