Megaspore development in Oenothera rubricalyx, with a note on chromosome linkage in Oenothera angustissima

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Abstract
Megaspore development in O rubricalyx is described and compared with pollen formation. The same chromosome configuration is found in meiosis in microspore and megaspore development, namely, a circle of 6 and 4 pairs. The behavior of the nucleus is almost identical in the formation of mega-spores and microspores. There is a great difference, however, in the size and shape of the mother-cells. Measurements have shown that during division the microspore mother-cell attains a volume more than twice that of the megaspore mother-cell. The growth of the megaspore is chiefly in length, and the increase in volume takes place rather uniformly over the whole period of meiosis, while in the microspore mother-cell the growth in volume occurs chiefly during the period up to interkinesis. During reduction division in O angustissima, all 14 chromosomes in the microspore mother-cells are linked together in a ring. At anaphase adjacent chromosomes separate. Such complete linkage is now known to characterize many of the small-flowered species of Oenothera.

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