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Updated: Feb 9, 2026

Hydroponics: A Versatile System to Study Nutrient Allocation and Plant Responses to Nutrient Availability and Exposure to Toxic Elements

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Published on: July 13, 2016

Seed tissue and nutrient partitioning, a case for the nucellus.

Jing Lu^1,2, Enrico Magnani³

¹Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, University of Paris-Saclay, Route de St-Cyr (RD10), 78026, Versailles Cedex, France.

Plant Reproduction

|June 6, 2018

Summary

Seed evolution involves programmed cell elimination, particularly of maternal nucellus tissue, influencing nutrient storage strategies in flowering plants. Understanding nucellus development reveals ancient seed architectures and molecular regulation.

Keywords:

Endosperm Nucellus Ovule Partitioning Perisperm Seed

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Hydroponics: A Versatile System to Study Nutrient Allocation and Plant Responses to Nutrient Availability and Exposure to Toxic Elements

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Using Capillary Electrophoresis to Quantify Organic Acids from Plant Tissue: A Test Case Examining Coffea arabica Seeds

Using Capillary Electrophoresis to Quantify Organic Acids from Plant Tissue: A Test Case Examining Coffea arabica Seeds

Published on: November 12, 2016

Area of Science:

Plant biology
Developmental biology
Evolutionary biology

Background:

Flowering plants exhibit diverse seed architectures due to varying maternal and zygotic tissue volume ratios.
Nutrient storage strategies in seeds are shaped by the relative growth of different tissues.
Evolutionary cell elimination programs regulate tissue dominance for storage, with nucellus elimination being an ancient mechanism.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the role of nucellus tissue elimination in seed evolution.
To discuss how nucellus development influences seed tissue composition and nutrient partitioning.
To highlight novel discoveries in the molecular regulation of nucellus development.

Main Methods:

Literature review focusing on developmental programs and molecular regulation.
Analysis of evolutionary origins of angiosperm seed architectures.
Synthesis of current research on nucellus function in nutrient allocation.

Main Results:

Nucellus elimination is a key developmental program marking early angiosperm evolution and ancient seed types.
The regulation of nucellus development dictates the primary nutrient storage tissue in seeds.
Recent discoveries shed light on the molecular mechanisms governing nucellus fate and its impact on seed structure.

Conclusions:

The programmed elimination of maternal nucellus tissue is a critical factor in shaping seed architecture and nutrient storage evolution.
Understanding the molecular basis of nucellus development provides insights into fundamental plant reproductive strategies.
This review synthesizes current knowledge, emphasizing the nucellus as a pivotal element in seed evolution.