title: Intercarpellary growth of pollen tubes in the extragynoecial compitum and its contribution to fruit set in an apocarpous species, Schisandra sphenanthera (Schisandraceae).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Apocarpous plants possess carpels that are separated in the gynoecium. Extragynoecial compita, commonly occurring in basal angiosperms, have been proposed to have the potential to increase offspring quantity in apocarpous species through the intercarpellary growth of pollen tubes. To date, the impact of an extragynoecial compitum on fruit or seed set has not been studied in any species. This study investigated the pollen tube pathway between adjacent carpels and its contribution to fruit set in Schisandra sphenanthera.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the fruit set ratio in the field and collected hundreds of gynoecia at their full flowering stage. Pollinated carpel ratio and pollen tube pathway observations were performed using fluorescence optics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pollen grains germinated and tubes extended along the pseudostyle surface. Some of them turned and entered the ovules at the end of the stigmatic crest, whereas others subsequently grew into neighboring carpels through promontory connections located at the base of the unfused carpels. No tubes were found growing on the surface of the receptacle. More than 24 carpels could be fertilized by pollen tubes from one carpel through hand pollination. The pollinated carpel ratio was significantly lower than the fruit set ratio under natural conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pollen tubes from one carpel can easily cross in the extragynoecial compitum between the adjacent carpels of S. sphenanthera, and this intercarpellary growth of pollen tubes can significantly increase the fruit set of apocarpous species, at least in S. sphenanthera.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Xiao-Fan
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D005638:Fruit / Q000254:growth & development*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D053205:Pollen Tube / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D054817:Pollination; D032141:Schisandra / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure