| Abstract: | In Nitella flexilis, a species belonging to the section Anarthrodactylaeof the genus Nitella (Characeae), some mature cells, with theexception of those of the nodal complex and the rhizoid, shownumerous spherical vacuoles occupying the entire central regionof the cell. These vacuoles are fairly uniform in size measuring30–40 µm in diameter. Evidence is presented frominvestigations with the light and electron microscopes suggestingthat some mature cells of a certain group of Nitella speciesmay not have a huge central vacuole. Vacuolation in young cellsof the apex apparently begins by progressive dilation of theendoplasmic reticulum. The Golgi complex may also be involvedin vacuolation. The necessity for re-examination of certainbiological activities in the giant internode cell is explored. |
