Desiccation causes the proliferation of multicellular hairs, but not mucilage papillae, in Cryptothallus mirabilis (Hepatophyta): a correlated light and electron microscope study

Abstract

When Cryptothallus dries out over periods of 4–20 days, the dorsal surfaces of the thalli become covered with multicellular hairs. The distribution of mucilage papillae and the endophytic fungus are not affected by desiccation. The hairs are thin walled and highly vacuolated whereas the mucilage papillae, like their secretory counterparts in Marchantia and mosses, are thick walled with dense cytoplasm containing stacks of endoplasmic reticulum and numerous Golgi bodies. Cytochemistry shows that the secretion is rich in carbohydrates and is derived from Golgi vesicles. After an active secretory phase, senescence of the mucilage papillae is associated with acid phosphatase activity. Key words: Aneura, Cryptothallus, desiccation, liverwort, mucilage papilla, multicellular hair, ultrastructure.