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Primary Root Growth and the Pattern of Root Apical Meristem Organization are Coupled

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Abstract

Root apical meristems (RAMs) in dicotyledonous plants have two organizational schemes; closed (with highly organized tiers) and open (tiers lacking or disorganized). These schemes are commonly believed to remain unchanged during the growth of the root axis. Individual roots are commonly thought to have indeterminate growth. We challenge these two generalizations through the study of five species with closed apical organization: Clarkia unguiculata L., Oxalis corniculata L., Dianthus caryophyllus L., Blumenbachia hieronymi Urb., and Salvia farinaceae Benth. cv. “Strata”. These roots have phased growth patterns where early growth is followed by deceleration, after which the initial cells stop dividing, elongation ceases, and the root reaches its determinate length. At or before reaching determinacy, the root apical meristem stops maintaining its closed organization and becomes less organized. These observations will be placed in context with observations from the literature to suggest two new generalizations, namely, that apical organization does change over the growth phases of roots, and that roots are determinate.

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Acknowledgements

Shelly Duplessis, Lesley Hamamoto and Eileen Sweeney are acknowledged for their assistance in this study. Dr. Wendy Silk is also acknowledged for the loan of her rhizotron.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Mainz, Bentzelweg 9a, D-55099 Mainz, Germany

    E. P. Groot

  2. Section of Plant Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA

    K. Chapman, S. A. Nichol & T. L. Rost

Authors
  1. K. Chapman
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  2. E. P. Groot
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  3. S. A. Nichol
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  4. T. L. Rost
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Correspondence to T. L. Rost.

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Chapman, K., Groot, E., Nichol, S. et al. Primary Root Growth and the Pattern of Root Apical Meristem Organization are Coupled . J Plant Growth Regul 21, 287–295 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-002-0036-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-002-0036-x

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