Keywords
leaf
epidermis
silicon inclusions
soil drought
How to Cite
Abstract
The results of the study of the localization and content of silicon in the leaves of narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) plants, which grew in natural conditions on the shore of the Venetian Bay (in the Kyiv area), are presented: in water and on land. To determine the localization and content of silicon in the leaves, cytochemical and ultrastructural methods were used. Leaves were taken for the study in the vegetative growth phase. The presence and localization of silicon ions were studied using a laser confocal microscope and a scanning electron microscope. The presence of silicon inclusions in the epidermal walls of cells of the convex area (above midrids), and in cells of the stomata zone (stomata, cells surrounding the stomata, and in normal epidermal cells) on the upper and lower surfaces of cattails grown in water and in terrestrial soil was detected by laser confocal microscopy. The intensity of silicon fluorescence in the cells of the adaxial epidermis was significantly higher compared to that of the abaxial epidermis. The highest silicon content was found in epidermal cells of the convex zone, above the vascular bundles, with its content in the upper epidermis being 1.3 times higher than in the same cells of the lower epidermis. It was found that the content of silicon in the epidermis of terrestrial plants was more than that in the leaves of T. angustifolia grown in water. For the first time, a significant increase in the silicon content in the leaves of terrestrial plants of this species was also detected by electron microscopy and X-ray analysis. It has been established that the cells of the adaxial epidermis, particularly those above the conducting bundles (in the convex zone) and the stomata, are the main silicon accumulators. It is assumed that such localization and increased silicon content optimize the water balance of terrestrial plants and thus increase their tolerance to soil drought. It is proposed to increase attention to the study of silicon’s role in plant adaptation to adverse changes in abiotic environmental conditions.
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