A Lecture in Plant Biology: The Endodermis

Niko Geldner, Assistant Professor of Plant Cell Biology at the University of Lausanne, talks about his article "The Endodermis," which he wrote for the 2013 Annual Review of Plant Biology. The need for multicellular organisms to protect their inner extracellular space led the organisms to develop a diffusion barrier that can remain as selective as the hydrophobic plasma membrane of cells. In animal biology, this barrier is known as the polarized epithelium, which absorbs nutrients but keeps pathogens and excess away. In this lecture, Dr. Geldner discusses the endodermis, the plant variant of the polarized epithelium. Located on the plants' roots, it has been a feature of ferns and angiosperms for approximately 400 million years.