araucaria heterophylla/atrophy

The megagametophyte of the Araucaria bidwillii seed is a storage tissue that surrounds and feeds the embryo. When all its reserves are mobilized, the megagametophyte degenerates as a no longer needed tissue. In this work we present a biochemical and a cytological characterization of the

In the present manuscript, we report on the proteolytic enzymes acting in the Araucaria bidwillii megagametophyte throughout seed germination. At seed maturity the megagametophyte contains a bulk of reserves for the growing embryo, thus representing the major storage tissue of the bunya pine seed.

The roles of mucilage cells were investigated through morphological and cytological analysis during leaf development in young Araucaria angustifolia plants. Differentiation began in leaf primordia in the shoot apex, when the young cells underwent a greater increase in volume in comparison with other