XVI International Botanical Congess

Cluster roots are one of the three major adaptations, in terrestrial vascular sporophytes, for nutrient uptake, occurring in many important plant families and in significant ecological niches. Their development and function are closely linked and present an ideal experimental system with which to investigate the basis of pattern and its morphogenetic amplification. Meristem function and root initiation are controlled within a spatial and temporal framework, resulting in predictive phenotypic expression. In this paper, these patterns of development are described within the context of lateral root initiation and development. Simple models are presented in an attempt to lay foundations for future work in this field of study. It is suggested that the cluster root may be a product of a basic transformation, in terms of its structural, physiological and developmental coordinates, of normal root structure, function and development.