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Tolerance to environmental desiccation in moss sperm
Erin E Shortlidge1, Todd N Rosenstiel1, Sarah M Eppley1
1Department of Biology and Center for Life in Extreme Environments, Portland State University, PO Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751, USA.
The New Phytologist
|March 17, 2012
Summary
Moss sperm can survive environmental drying, with tolerance varying among individuals within species, not between species. This desiccation tolerance has significant implications for understanding moss reproduction and mating systems.
Area of Science:
- Plant reproductive biology
- Bryophyte ecology
- Sperm cell physiology
Background:
- Sexual reproduction in mosses depends on sperm dispersal and fertilization in the environment.
- Moss sperm face abiotic stresses, but their tolerance and genetic variation are poorly understood.
- Understanding sperm stress tolerance is crucial for bryophyte reproductive success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of environmental desiccation and recovery on moss sperm cells.
- To examine species-specific and individual variation in sperm desiccation tolerance.
- To assess the impact of sucrose on sperm recovery after desiccation.
Main Methods:
- Exposure of sperm cells from three moss species (Bryum argenteum, Campylopus introflexus, Ceratodon purpureus) to environmental desiccation.
- Assessment of sperm cell survival and recovery rates after drying periods.
- Evaluation of the effect of sucrose addition on sperm recovery.
Main Results:
- A fraction of moss sperm cells exhibited tolerance to extended environmental desiccation.
- Sperm desiccation tolerance did not significantly vary among the three studied species.
- Significant variation in desiccation tolerance was observed among individuals within each species.
- Sucrose addition during dry-down improved sperm cell recovery.
Conclusions:
- Moss sperm possess a degree of desiccation tolerance, suggesting a previously uncharacterized complexity in their reproductive ecology.
- Intraspecific variation in sperm desiccation tolerance indicates potential for natural selection on this trait.
- The findings challenge traditional views of moss mating systems and highlight the resilience of bryophyte reproductive strategies.
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