Table of Contents |
1. | The Characean Plant | 1 |
1.1. | General Morphology | 1 |
1.2. | Morphology of Individual Species | 7 |
1.2.1. | The Chara corallina/australis Group of Species | 7 |
1.2.2. | The Lamprothamnium papulosum/macropogon Group of Species | 9 |
1.2.3. | The Lamprothamnium succinctum Group of Species | 11 |
1.2.4. | Lamprothamnium inflatum | 11 |
1.2.5. | Species of Tolypella | 14 |
1.2.6. | Species of Nitellopsis | 14 |
1.2.7. | Species of Nitella Suitable for Physiological Studies | 16 |
1.3. | Cellular Structures and Processes | 18 |
1.3.1. | Cells | 18 |
1.3.2. | Gametangia | 19 |
1.3.3. | The Oospore | 20 |
1.3.4. | The Germinating Oospore | 22 |
1.4. | Characean Names | 22 |
1.4.1. | Systematics and the Concept of Species | 23 |
1.4.2. | Individual Species' Stories | 25 |
1.4.3. | Lessons to be Learned | 28 |
1.5. | Ecology | 28 |
1.5.1. | Distribution and Abundance | 28 |
1.5.2. | Processes Controlling Characean Distribution | 29 |
1.5.3. | Ecological Role of Characean Plants | 30 |
1.5.4. | Abiotic Environmental Factors | 31 |
1.5.5. | Culturing Characean Plants | 34 |
1.5.6. | Life History | 35 |
1.5.7. | Population Ecology | 35 |
1.5.8. | Application of Ecological Knowledge | 37 |
| References | 37 |
2. | Detached Cells in Steady State: Electrophysiology and Transport | 43 |
2.1. | Introduction | 44 |
2.2. | Cell Compartments and Their Modification | 50 |
2.2.1. | Cell Wall and Extracellular Mucilage | 50 |
2.2.2. | Cytoplasm | 52 |
2.2.3. | Vacuole | 57 |
2.3. | Plasma Membrane PD | 58 |
2.3.1. | Pump State | 58 |
2.3.2. | Background State | 60 |
2.3.3. | K+ State | 66 |
2.3.4. | H+/OH- State | 68 |
2.3.5. | Temporal Interaction Between the States | 71 |
2.4. | Spatial Interaction Between States: "pH Banding" | 72 |
2.4.1. | Carbon Supply for Photosynthesis | 74 |
2.4.2. | Charasomes | 75 |
2.4.3. | Circulating Currents | 77 |
2.4.4. | Establishment and Collapse of Banding | 77 |
2.4.5. | Interaction with Cytoplasmic Streaming and AP | 80 |
2.5. | Other Plasma Membrane Transporters | 82 |
2.5.1. | Cl- Transport | 82 |
2.5.2. | Nitrogen Transport | 83 |
2.5.3. | Phosphate Transport | 89 |
2.5.4. | Na+/K+ Transport | 92 |
2.5.5. | Water Transport | 94 |
2.6. | Tonoplast PD and Transporters | 97 |
2.6.1. | Introduction | 97 |
2.6.2. | Permeabilised and Perfused Cells | 98 |
2.6.3. | Cytoplasmic Droplets | 100 |
| References | 105 |
3. | Electrophysiology of the Detached Cell Under Stress | 115 |
3.1. | Introduction | 116 |
3.2. | Mechanical Stress or Electrical Stress | 118 |
3.2.1. | Receptor Potential Differences (RPDs) | 118 |
3.2.2. | Action Potentials | 124 |
3.2.3. | Voltage Clamp to Negative Levels | 130 |
3.2.4. | Wound (Death) Response | 132 |
3.2.5. | Testing of Herbicides | 137 |
3.3. | Osmotic and/or Saline Stress | 137 |
3.3.1. | Introduction | 137 |
3.3.2. | Electrophysiology of Hypertosmotic Regulation in Salt-Tolerant Characean Cells | 140 |
3.3.3. | Hypotonic Regulation in Salt-Tolerant Characean Cells | 145 |
3.3.4. | Osmotic and Salt Stress in Salt-Sensitive Characean Cells | 148 |
3.3.5. | Na+ Fluxes at the Time of Salt Stress | 151 |
3.3.6. | Control of Water Transport by Osmolarity | 152 |
| References | 156 |
4. | The Whole Plant and Cell-to-Cell Transport | 165 |
4.1. | Introduction | 166 |
4.2. | Cytoplasmic Streaming | 167 |
4.2.1. | Characean Cell Started the Research into Streaming Mechanism | 167 |
4.2.2. | Actin and Myosin in Characeae | 168 |
4.2.3. | Some Factors Affecting Streaming | 171 |
4.2.4. | Calcium Concentration and Action Potential | 173 |
4.3. | Cell-to-Cell Transport | 175 |
4.3.1. | Structure of the Nodal Complex and Plasmodesmata | 175 |
4.3.2. | Transport and Its Controlling Factors | 178 |
4.3.3. | IAA Transport | 186 |
4.4. | Gravitropism | 186 |
4.4.1. | Cytoplasmic Streaming | 186 |
4.4.2. | Rhizoids and Protonemata | 187 |
4.5. | Cell Walls | 189 |
4.6. | Characeae in Phytoremediation | 190 |
| References | 191 |
| Appendix | 195 |
| Index | 197 |