Further Observations on the Structure of Plant Cilia, by a Combination of Visual and Electron Microscopy

Abstract

By combining visual microscopy of stained material with electron microscopy it has been possible to demonstrate fibrillar disintegration in the cilia of Saprolegnia (front and back), Chlorosaccus (front and back), Allomyces, and Olpidium. These represent three fungi and a yellow-green alga. All flagella showed eleven component strands, in most cases clearly differentiated into nine strands and a central pair. In addition, stained and unstained material of Saprolegnia and Chlorosaccus have been closely compared in the electron microscope and the comparison has included observations on one and the same cell with die electron microscope and the light microscope. The nature of the artifacts produced by staining has been investigated and the value of the combination of these various technical processes demonstrated. The phyletic importance of the hairs on the front flagellum in the yellow-green algae, brown algae, and water moulds is discussed.