THE PYRENOID OF SCENEDESMUS QUADRICAUDA

The development of the pyrenoid of Scenedesmus quadricauda from the time of its initiation and its subsequent activities is described in some detail. Correlation is made between the evidence from light and electron microscopy. The pyrenoid is a dynamic organelle which continues to change its appearance throughout the development of the algal cell due to the following factors: the deposition of starch platelets within the periphery of the expanding matrix; the separation of starch grains into individual pockets by the intrusive growth of the chloroplast lamellae in centripetal fashion; and the transition of the shape of the starch from concavo-convex platelets to lenticular grains. By these processes starch grains are continuously formed by deposition of carbohydrates within the matrix. The grains accumulate within the chloroplast, maintaining an organic connection with each other by slender starch bridges. Some parental starch grains are passed on to daughter cells during cell division. By taking into account the planes of cleavage during cell division, it is not difficult to see that pyrenoid starch grains could become distributed throughout the daughter chloroplast, regardless of their distance from the pyrenoid.