Abstract
The results of the study of the leaf structure in psammophyte Corynephorus canescens, which grew under controlled conditions and flooding using the methods of light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and laser confocal microscopy, are presented. This study revealed common and distinctive signs of morphological and anatomical parameters of C. canescens leaves in the phase of vegetative growth. Among the common features were the shape and size of the leaf laminas, hypostomatic type of the leaf, isolateral structure of the parenchyma, the thick-walled epidermis, and the bilayered hypodermis. Among the distinctive features were the signs of the destruction of cells in the photosynthetic parenchyma, change in their shape with the formation of protuberances at the cells’ poles, and almost doubling area of the aerenchyma in C. canescens leaves under flooding conditions. Scanning electron microscopy showed the similarity of ultrastructure and density of trichomes on the adaxial surface, excepting the formation of cuticular wax structures on the epidermal surface of the leaves in flooded plants. The subcellular localization of silicon inclusions was studied for the first time. The presence of amorphous and small crystalline silicon inclusions in the periclinal walls of the main epidermal cells and amorphous silicon inclusions in leaf trichomes was established. An increase in the relative silicon content along the trichomes in the leaves’ epidermis after flooding was revealed. It was assumed that the phenotypic plasticity of C. canescens, is realized through the increasing area of aerenchyma in leaves and increasing silicon content in trichomes. Such plasticity helps to optimize both the oxygen balance of plants and water balance in flooded plants, thus increasing the species’ resistance to prolonged flooding.
References
Ashraf, M. A., & Harris, P. J. (2013). Photosynthesis under stressful environments: an overview. Photosynthetica, 51(2), 163–190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-013-0021-6
Bagousse-Pinguet, Y. L., Forey, E., Touzard, B., & Michalet, R. (2013). Disentangling the effects of water and nutrients for studying the outcome of plant interactions in sand dune ecosystems. Journal of Vegetation Science, 24(2), 375–383. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1654-1103.2012.01462.X
Bourland, F. M., Hornbeck, J. M., McFall, A., & Calhoun, S. (2003). Breeding & genetics. A rating system for leaf pubescence of cotton. The Journal of Cotton Science, 7, 8–15.
Catoni, R., & Gratani, L. (2013). Morphological and physiological adaptive traits of Mediterranean narrow endemic plants: the case of Centaurea gymnocarpa (Capraia Island, Italy). Flora, 208(3), 174–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.FLORA.2013.02.010
Daniela, C., Forino, L. M., Balestri, M., & Pagni, A. M. (2009). Leaf anatomical adaptations of Calystegia soldanella, Euphorbia paralias and Otanthus maritimus to the ecological conditions of coastal sand dune systems. Caryologia, 62(2), 142–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/00087114.2004.10589679
Elhalim, M. E., Abo-Alatta, O., Habib, S. A., & Elbar, O. H. (2016). The anatomical features of the desert halophytes Zygophyllum album L.F. and Nitraria retusa (Forssk.) Asch. Annals of Agricultural Sciences, 61(1), 97–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.AOAS.2015.12.001
Ermakov, A. I. (1982). Determination of water content and active acidity plant objects. In: A. Ermakov (Ed.), Methods of biochemical research of plants (pp. 20–35). Agropromizdat. (In Russian)
Evans, D. E. (2004). Aerenchyma formation. New Phytologist, 161(1), 35–49. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-8137.2003.00907.x
Fleck, A. T., Nye, T., Repenning, C., Stahl, F., Zahn, M., & Schenk, M. K. (2011). Silicon enhances suberization and lignification in roots of rice (Oryza sativa). Journal of Experimental Botany, 62(6), 2001–2011. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb%2Ferq392
Futorna, O. A., Badanina, V. A., & Zhygalova, S. L. (2017). Ecological-anatomical characteristics of some Tragopogon (Asteraceae) species of the flora of Ukraine. Biosystems Diversity, 25(4), 274–281. (In Ukrainian). https://doi.org/10.15421/011742
Grasik, M., Sakovic, D., Abram, K., Vogel-Mikus, K., & Gaberscik, A. (2020). Do soil and leaf silicon content affect leaf functional traits in Deschampsia caespitosa from different habitats? Biologia Plantarum, 64, 234–243. https://doi.org/10.32615/bp.2019.155
Grigore, M. N., & Toma, C. (2007). Histo-anatomical strategies of Chenopodiaceae halophytes; adaptive, ecological and evolutionary implications. WSEAS Transactions on Biology and Biomedicine, 12(4), 204–218.
Guerriero, G., Hausman, J. F., & Legay, S. (2016). Silicon and the plant extracellular matrix. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7, Article 463. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.00463
Hameed, B. H., Krishni, R. R., & Sata, S. A. (2009). A novel agricultural waste adsorbent for the removal of cationic dye from aqueous solutions. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 162(1), 305–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.05.036
Hansen, D. L., Lambertini, C., Jampeetong, A., & Brix, H. (2007). Clone-specific differences in Phragmites australis: effects of ploidy level and geographic origin. Aquatic Botany, 86(3), 269–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.AQUABOT.2006.11.005
HuaCong, C., XingDong, H., Rong, L., Wei, W., PingPing, X., YuBao, G., & HaLin, Z. (2010). Characteristics of plant calcium fractions for 25 species in Tengger Desert. Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions, 2(2), 168–174.
Jianu, L. D., Bercu, R., & Popoviciu, D. R. (2021). Silene thymifolia Sibth. et Sm. (Caryophyllaceae) – a vulnerable species in Romania: anatomical aspects of vegetative organs. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 13, Article 10875. https://doi.org/10.15835/NSB13110875
Kerstiens, G. (2006). Water transport in plant cuticles: an update. Journal of Experimental Botany, 57(11), 2493–2499. https://doi.org/10.1093/JXB%2FERL017
Lins, U., Barros, C. F., da Cunha, M., & Miguens, F. C. (2002). Structure, morphology, and composition of silicon biocomposites in the palm tree Syagrus coronata (Mart.) Becc. Protoplasma, 220, 89–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-002-0036-5
Ma, J. F., Yamaji, N., & Mitani-Ueno, N. (2011). Transport of silicon from roots to panicles in plants. Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B, Physical and Biological Sciences, 87(7), 377–385. https://doi.org/10.2183/pjab.87.377
Müller, W. E. G., & Grachev, M. (2009). Biosilica in evolution, morphogenesis, and nanobiotechnology (pp. 295–314). Springer.
Nedukha, O. M., & Kordyum, E. L. (2019). Participation of silicon ions in the resistance of plants to lower soil moisture. Reports of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 7, 89–95. (In Ukrainian). https://doi.org/10.15407/dopovidi2019.07.089
Parlanti, S., Kudahettige, N. P., Lombardi, L., Mensuali-Sodi, A., Alpi, A., Perata, P., & Pucciariello, C. (2011). Distinct mechanisms for aerenchyma formation in leaf sheaths of rice genotypes displaying a quiescence or escape strategy for flooding tolerance. Annals of Botany, 107(8), 1335–1343. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob%2Fmcr086
Pausheva, Z. P. (1988). A workshop on plant cytology. Agropromizdat. (In Russian)
Perrone, R., Salmeri, C., Brullo, S., Colombo, P., & Castro, O. D. (2015). What do leaf anatomy and micro-morphology tell us about the psammophilous Pancratium maritimum L. (Amaryllidaceae) in response to sand dune conditions? Flora, 213, 20–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.FLORA.2015.03.001
Peter, A. J., Shanower, T. O., & Romeis, J. (1995). The role of plant trichomes in insect resistance: a selective review. Phytophaga, 7, 41–63.
Redmann, R. E. (1985). Adaptation of grasses to water stress-leaf rolling and stomate distribution. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 72(4), 833–842. https://doi.org/10.2307/2399225
Ripley E. A., & Redmann R. F. (1976). Grasslands. In: J. L. Monteith (Ed.), Vegetation and the atmosphere. Vol. 2. Case studies. Academic Press.
Ruocco, M., Bertoni, D., Sarti, G., & Ciccarelli, D. (2014). Mediterranean coastal dune systems: which abiotic factors have the most influence on plant communities? Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 149(5), 213–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ECSS.2014.08.019
Schmid, R. (1980). Comparative anatomy and morphology of Psiloxylon and Heteropuxis and subfamilial and tribal classification of Myrtacea. Taxon, 29(5/6), 559–595.
Vartapetian, B. B., & Jackson, M. B. (1997). Plant adaptations to anaerobic stress. Annals of Botany, 79(Suppl. A), 3–20. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42764824
Wang, L., Nie, Q., Li, M., Zhang, F., Zhuang, J., Yang, W., Li, T.J., & Wang, Y. (2005). Biosilicified structures for cooling plant leaves: a mechanism of highly efficient midinfrared thermal emission. Applied Physics Letters, 87, Article 194105. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2126115
Zhan-Yuan, D. (2000). Anatomical observations on the photosynthetic branch of Haloxylon ammodendrom (C.A. Mey) Bunge and It is the character of drought and salt resistance. Journal of Arid Land Resources and Environment, 14, 70–83.
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.