XVI International Botanical Congess

Experimental studies of development in mosses have a distinguished history but new insights are still possible. -- Cytokinin and the formation of shoot buds is a well known story. New experiments show that the second cytokinin-requiring step controls the bud number and that this step does not use the same cytokinin receptor as initial perception. Mutagenesis has recovered cell lines impaired in shoot bud formation after the initial hormone perception. Tagging via transformation may isolate these genes in moss. -- Other experiments study interactions between individual moss plants. The development of moss turfs involves diffusible molecules. Mutants blocked in signaling will have altered ecological interactions. Recent experiments show not all mosses signal with the molecule characterized in Funaria, Ceratodon uses a distinct molecule. Transgenic moss can mark genets for study. Support: KU GRF, NSF OSR 9550487.