Ultrastructural changes of Arabidopsis thaliana pollen during final maturation and rehydration.

Several ultrastructural changes occur during dehydration and subsequent rehydration of Arabidopsis thaliana pollen. The cytoplasmic channels, present in the outer part of the intine of the mature, dehydrating pollen grain, degenerate and develop into electron-dense inclusions. At the same time a large quantity of electron-dense material is deposited in the cavities of the exine. A large number of vesicles is produced in the vegetative cell, and they become predominantly located in the peripheral region near the intine. Starch of amyloplasts is consumed and the lipid bodies which originally surround the sperm cells become randomly distributed. In addition, the individual lipid bodies become enveloped by single rough endoplasmic reticulum cisterns.