A leaf primordium is initiated as a small mound of tissue on the flank of a dome-shaped shoot apical meristem. The earliest physical evidence of the site of a newly forming leaf primordium would be
A) development of chloroplasts in a surface cell of the shoot apical meristem.
B) cell division in the shoot apical meristem with the newly forming walls perpendicular to the surface of the meristem.
C) preprophase bands parallel to the surface of the meristem in subsurface cells of the shoot apical meristem.
D) elongation of epidermal cells perpendicular to the surface of the shoot apical meristem.
E) formation of stomata in the epidermal layer of the shoot apical meristem.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Preprophase bands are a cytoskeletal feature that forms in cells prior to mitosis. In the context of a new leaf primordium, preprophase bands would be visible in subsurface cells of the shoot apical meristem, indicating that these cells are preparing to divide and contribute to the initiation of the leaf primordium. The other options may occur later in leaf development, but are not specific to the initiation of a new leaf primordium.

A Leaf Primordium Is Initiated as a Small Mound of Tissue