By a detailed ontogenetic study of Ambrosia trifida pollen, tracing each stage of development with TEM, we aim to understand the establishment of the pollen wall and to unravel the mechanisms underlying sporoderm development. The main steps of exine ontogeny in Ambrosia trifida, observed in the microspore periplasmic space, are as follows: spherical units, gradually transforming into columns, then to rod-like units; the appearance of the initial reticulate tectum; growth of columellae under the tectum and initial sporopollenin accumulation on them; the appearance of the endexine lamellae, first in fragments, then in long laminae; the cessation of the glycocalyx growth and its detachment from the plasma membrane, resulting in the appearance of gaps; massive accumulation of sporopollenin on the tectum, columellae, and endexine, and the appearance of the foot layer at the young post-tetrad stage, accompanied by establishment of caveae in sites of the former gaps; and final massive sporopollenin accumulation. This sequence of developmental events in all probability corresponds to the sequence of self-assembling micellar mesophases. This gives (together with earlier findings and experimental modeling of exine) strong evidence that the genome and self-assembly share control of exine formation. In this sense, self-assembly itself can be seen as an inherent mechanism of evolution.
Keywords: Micelle self-assembly; Pattern formation; Sporoderm development.