Nutrient and hormone levels in Douglas-fir corrosion cavities, megagametophytes, and embryos during embryony

Abstract

Gymnospermous embryos are nourished by fluids secreted from the megagametophyte. During early embryony, these fluids occupy the newly formed corrosion cavity. We describe a novel method for extracting corrosion cavity fluid and provide chemical analyses based on extractions from approximately 120 000 Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) megagametophytes. Levels of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, and iron were higher in corrosion cavity fluid than in whole tissue, but levels of sulphur and manganese were lower. Levels of cyclitols, sucrose equivalents, erythrose, and arabinose were many-fold higher in corrosion cavity fluid than in whole tissues. Ala, Ser, Arg, Glx, and NH3 exceeded 80 mmol/kg dry mass in corrosion cavity fluid. These levels were about 100-fold higher than those found in whole tissues. During early embryony, hormone levels in corrosion cavity fluid were higher than levels observed in whole megagametophytes by 120-fold for indole-3-acetic acid, 53-fold for abscisic acid, and 8- to 10-fold for cytokinins. Nutrient and hormone levels tended to be much higher in the corrosion cavity fluid than would have been predicted based on whole-tissue analyses. Dynamic changes in nutrient and hormone levels occurred over time in the corrosion cavity, and these changes may normalize embryony in situ.