Intracellular motility, the actin cytoskeleton and germinability in the pollen of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

The tricellular pollen of wheat germinates rapidly on a receptive stigma without the often protracted activation period characteristic of bicellular pollens. This is associated with a high level of hydration in the mature pollen and the absence of a dormancy period. Intracellular movement of organelles continues throughout development; in the mature pollen along pathways related both to the aperture site and the distribution of the amyloplasts in the vegetative cell. The movement pathways reflect the organisation of the actin cytoskeleton, elements of which are already focused upon the germination site at the time of dispersal, a disposition only achieved during rehydration and activation in bicellular pollens. Dehydration after dispersal rapidly arrests movement, disrupts the actin cytoskeleton and leads to loss of germinability. These effects are irreversible, again in contrast to the situation found in bicellular pollens such as those of the Liliaceae, species of which have been shown to be capable of withstanding several cycles of hydration and dehydration while still retaining some capacity for germination.