Abstract
The nutritional relationship between sporophytes and parent gametophytes of Phaeoceros laevis (L.) Prosk. was studied by (1) radioactive tracers to follow glucose uptake, CO2 fixation, and indoleacetic acid transport; (2) enzyme histochemistry to test for enhanced actvity in specialized transfer cells at the sporophyte-gametophyte interface; and (3) polarography to determine photosynthetic and respiratory rates. Based on fresh weight, sporophytes photosynthesize at almost twice the rate of gametophytes. The carbon fixed by photosynthetic sporophytes is sufficient for self-maintenance but not for sustained growth. Higher relative respiratory rates account for the observed nutritional reliance of sporophytes upon gametophytes. Enhanced enzymatic activity in transfer cells is correlated with net carbon transfer from gametophyte thalli. Mobilization of gametophyte reserves may be influenced by basipetally transported auxin from the sporophyte meristem. Labeled carbon accumulates in the intercalary meristem and in spores following uptake.
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