Elatere

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The elaters are helical cells in the spore capsules of liverworts that encourage spore spread . They only occur in liverworts, hornworts have so-called pseudoelateres. The mosses (Bryophytina) have no elaters.

Spores and elaters of Radula complanata
Spores and elaters of Ptilidium pulcherrimum

The elaters arise from the diploid archespor inside a spore capsule. An archespor cell divides longitudinally into a spore mother cell and an elater mother cell. Spore mother cells continue to divide mitotically several times before they form the haploid spores through meiosis . In this way, more and more spores are formed than elaters. The elaters initially serve to nourish the spore mother cells. Later, thickenings are formed in the wall of the elater, usually two, more rarely three helical stripes. The thickenings twist together spirally when they dry out. If the tension that occurs exceeds the cohesive force of the water inside the cell, the spiral snaps apart. The spores are thrown out three to four centimeters. This mechanism assumes dry weather.

The de-spiralization usually takes place when the spore capsule opens.

literature

  • Jan-Peter Frahm: Biology of Mosses . Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg / Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-8274-0164-X , p. 31f.
  • Strasburger: Textbook of botany. 36th edition. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-8274-1455-7 , pp. 747f.