Planned and produced by Tokyo Cinema Shinnsha Co., Inc. 2000　Calor 35min Awards 41th Science and Technology Film and Video Featival, Tokyo, 2000 The Best Reserch Film, 21th International Biennial of Scientific Films, Ronda, Spain, 2001 TEPIA GRAND PRIX, Tokyo 2001 Abstract 　A little more than a century ago an important botanical discovery was reported from Japan. In 1896 Hirase Sakugoro discovered flagellated sperm in a seed of Ginkgo biloba, then Ikeno Seiichiro found the same phenomenon in Cycas revoluta. Botanists around the world were excited by these discoveries. 　In the higher plants, like most gymnosperms and angiosperms, male gametes or non-flagellated sperm cells are sent direct to egg cells through pollen tubes. In lower plants, flagellate sperm cells to swim towards egg cells in water. The discoveries made by Hirase and Ikeno indicated that the Ginkgo and cycads are intermediate forms between higher and lower plants on the evolutionary line. Among the seed plants it is only the Ginkgo and cycads which have been found to have flagellated sperm cells in their life-cycles. 　In the last few years, at the end of the 20th Century, has the detailed process of fertilization of these higher plants has been recorded successfully in the living state. Scientific supervisor: HORI Terumitsu, D. Sc., Prpf., Institute of Biological Sciences, The University of Tsukuba Advisor KUROIWA Tsuneyoshi, D. Sc., Prof., Dept of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo Cooperators Fertilization of Marchantia polymorpha and Lygodium japonicum： MIYAMURA Shin’ichi, D. Sc., Lecturer, Institute of Biological Sciences, The University of Tsukuba Mesostigma sp. :MATSUNAGA Shigeru, D. Sc., Institute of Biological Sciences, The University of Tsukuba Photograph of sperm of Lygodium japanicum： SAKAUSHI Shinji, Institute of Biological Sciences, The University of Tsukuba Specimens of Gingko biloba for light microscope ：MICHIKAWA Muneo, Dept of Reserch Development, The University of Tsukuba Double fertilization of Torenia fourneri ：HIGASHIYAMA Tetsuya, D. Sc., Dept of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo Thanks for offer of pictures: Coleocaete pluvinata： Linda F., Graham, D., Prof., Dept of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison Sperm of Chara sp.： O. KIERMAYER, D. Prof., Botanisches Institut der Universtaet Saltzburg W. G. URL, D. Prof.m Institut fuer Pflanzenphysiologie der Universtet Wien Acknowledgements Koishikawa Botanical Garden IWF, Goettingen SONY Corporation Staff role Camera: TANIGUCHI Tsuneya Script and direction: SUZUKI Yuki Natural sound: ISOYAMA Naoki music Arrangement: YAMAZAKI Hiroshi Narration: Mike BULLIVANT English narration text arrangements: HORI Shihomi ,Murray WESTON, Director British Universities Film and Video Council Ｐroducer: OKADA Kazuo TokyoCinema c 2000 All Rights Reserved You can order highter resolution DVD or Video data from TokyoCinema Inc., contact: info@tokyocinema.net Color video available both in 525 lines and 625 lines, 35min, TokyoCinema, 2000 Narration in Japanese or English

• published: 24 Aug 2022
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