The Endophytic System of Arceuthobium minutissimum, the Indian Dwarf Mistletoe

The Indian dwarf mistletoe, Arceuthobium minutissimum Hook f.is the most diminutive dicotyledonous stem parasite on Pinusexcelsa. The endophytic system is well developed, having a largenumber of anastomosing strands in the cortex and sinkers penetratingthe medullary rays in wood. The cortical strand is protostelicwith the central tracheary elements, the vessels, surroundedby paren-chymatous cells. An earlier report of absence of vesselsseems to be erroneous. The growth of the cortical strands iseffected by an apical cell. The sinkers typically associatedwith the rays of host, are composed of parenchymatous cellsand tracheary elements including vessels. They make contactswith the cells of the ray through pits present in the trachearyelements. The sinkers cause hypertrophy and even fusion of twoor more rays to form a composite medullary ray. The tracheidsof the host tissue also become stunted and contorted in shape.These observations are in agreement with those of other investigatorson American host species for Arceuthobium.     

Wood remains from Tel Nami,a middle bronze IIa and late bronze IIb port,local exploitation of trees and levantine cedar trade

Thirteen Middle Bronze Age IIa and four Late Bronze Age IIb (ca. 1950-1750 B.C. and thirteenth century, B.C., respectively)pieces of charcoal or water logged wood were found in the recent excavations of Tel Nami, a small port on the coast near Mount Carmel, Israel. These includedCedrus libani (cedar of Lebanon) (three samples), and local tree species that still grow today in the vicinity of the site—Pinus halepensis (Aleppo pine) (one sample),Olea europaea (olive tree) (five samples),Quercus calliprinos (kermes oak) (three samples),Quercus ithaburensis (Mt. Tabor oak) (four samples), andQuercus sp. (one sample). The discovery of Cedrus libani in a Middle Bronze Age IIa port is one of the earliest published examples of cedar wood from Israel. Together with other artifactual evidence for maritime trade from Tel Nami, this find suggests that a maritime trade in cedar wood existed along the Levantine coast.     

壳斗科木材识别和分类

从106种壳斗科木材构造特征.作为本科木材识别和分类依据,概括于下: 散孔材,管孔细,单个密布,在生长轮末端一狭带无管孔,宽射线为多列射线,较狭而数较多为水青冈属。辐射孔材,管孔成串径列,宽射线聚合型,在横面反光弱为主,分布不均,促使材身槽棱不整齐,槽底平而宽长的为稠属。辐射孔材,管孔成串径、斜列为主,宽射线聚合型(常见)和栎型,在横面反光强,分布均匀,促使材身槽棱整齐,槽底尖而分隔为青冈属。半环孔材或环孔材,早材管孔沿生长轮不连续排列,在肉眼下可见至明显,晚材管孔成串径列,弯曲或火焰状,宽射线聚合型,常数少且几条聚近分布,大部分树种无宽射线的为锥属。环孔材,早材管孔沿生长轮连续排列,肉眼下明显,侵填体丰富,晚材管孔成串径列,弯曲或火焰状,宽射线栎型为栎属。环孔材,早材管孔沿生长轮连续排列,肉眼下明显,具侵填体,晚材管孔成串径列,弯曲或火焰状,射线细而肉眼下不见为栗属。 各属共同特征,薄壁组织离管带状,似环管(实际为环管管胞),生长轮不同程度波状。     

Rhythmic Growth Rings of Wood and Their Relationship with the Foliage in Oak Seedlings Grown in a Favourable Environment

The anatomy of wood was studied inQuercus roburL. andQuercussuberL. seedlings exhibiting 3–8 units of extension, eachwith a tier of photosynthesizing leaves in their upper parts,generated as the result of rhythmic shoot growth under favourableconditions. At all the axis levels examined (i.e. the base ofeach of the different units of extension, four other equidistantlevels within the first unit of extension and the upper partof the taproot), the wood displayed rings when treated withWiesner reagents. This indicated cinnamaldehyde groups presentin lignins. No rings appeared when the Maüle reaction wasused for specific detection of syringyl subunits in lignins.A trend towards a periodical arrangement of xylem parenchymabands was also found when sections were treated with I₂/KI.The number of rings coincided with the number of leaf tiersabove the level of measurement, and did not vary inside thefirst unit of extension. Thus, the rings are called rhythmicgrowth rings. In sections of the first and the second unitsof extension, and in the taproot, the area and width of a givenrhythmic growth ring were highly correlated with the total areaof leaves present above the level of measurement at the presumedtime of growth ring formation. Moreover, stem diameter at thebase of the units of extension was highly correlated with theleaf area above. These results indicate that differentiationof xylem, particularly its lignification, varies rhythmicallyin oak seedlings. They imply that wood production is linkedto the photosynthesizing and/or transpiring area of the plant.Thus, during a growth cycle ofQ. roburandQ. suberseedlings,there appears to be integration of the primary metabolic activitieswith the laying down of rhythmic growth rings.Copyright 1998Annals of Botany Company Allometric relationship, juvenile wood, leaf area, lignification, oak seedling, periodic structure,Quercus roburL.,Quercus suberL., rhythmic growth ring, unit of extension.     

Variations in the radial gradient of sap velocity in trunks of forest and fruit trees

We studied the radial pattern of sap velocity (v) in trunks of six forest species: Cupressus sempervirens L; Eucalyptus camaldulensis F. Muell; Pinus halepensis Mill. (Alleppo pine); Quercus aegilops L. ssp. ithaburensis [Decne] Boiss; Quercus calliprinos Webb; Quercus rotundifolia Lam. (Syn. Quercus ilex spp. Rotundifolia) and three fruit species: Citrus sinensis L. Osback; Malus domestica cv. Golden Delicious; Persea americana Mill. Data was selected from measurements made over a period of 15 years. For each species, at least data of 1–2 weeks measured on days with clear sky and after a rain event or irrigation were analyzed. Measurements were made with the T _max heat pulse method, and six points were measured along the radius of the trunk. Two types of radial pattern were found; in one type the highest v value was recorded near the cambium, decreasing toward the heartwood; and the other type had low v near the cambium increasing toward a depth of 12 to 20 mm below the cambium and decreasing with depth to the heartwood. There was large interspecies variability of v in both the pattern of radial gradient with depth and the distance between the cambium and the border of conducting sapwood. Variations in radial pattern of v between trees within species were generally small with a coefficient of variation of 4–20%. The mean fractions of volumetric flow in the 0–16 and 0–24 mm layers below the cambium were 59% and 79% of the total flow, respectively. The distance between the cambium and the border between conducting and non-conducting sapwood varied from 31 to 66 mm in the various species. The radial distribution of sap velocity with azimuth around the trunk had a coefficient of variation similar to that found between trees of the same species. The amplitude of the azimuthal variation changed during the day; it was high in the mornings and evenings and low at noon. The variation of sap velocity in three azimuths was more affected by the structure of each individual trunk than by the position with respect to the sun. Responsible Editor: Stephen S. O. Burgess.     

Ecpagloxylon mathiesenii gen. nov. et sp. nov., a Jurassic wood from Greenland with several primitive angiosperm features

Fossil wood specimens from the late Early–early Middle Jurassic of Jameson Land, Eastern Greenland, have several unexpected features: tracheids of irregular size and shape, thinly pitted ray cell walls, heterogeneous rays, partially scalariform radial pitting, both areolate and simple pits, and pitted elements associated with rays. These characters diverge markedly from those typical of Jurassic wood, which usually conform to those of modern conifers. Although this combination of features is not encountered in any extant angiosperm, each has been documented in one or several extant homoxylous angiosperms, particularly Amborella, Trochodendron, and Tetracentron. As these wood specimens are not found in connection with any reproductive part, it is impossible to confidently assign them to the angiosperms. If a Jurassic angiosperm did exist, however, it might well have had a similar wood. This material is an early bench-mark in the evolution that led from homoxylous conifer-like wood to that of the angiosperms. Its particular biogeography (Arctic) could renew the discussion about the area of origin of the angiosperms.     

The First Record of Fossil Wood of Winteraceae from the Upper Cretaceous of Antarctica

Fossil wood of the Winteraceae from the Upper Cretaceous sedimentsof James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula, is described herefor the first time. The specimen is characterized by the absenceof vessels, rays of two distinct sizes and tracheids with one–threerows of circular bordered pits, mainly on the radial walls,grading to horizontally elongate and scalariform. Despite anatomicalconformity to the family Winteraceae, the fossil wood is notidentical to any one extant genus and therefore has been assignedto the fossil organ genus Winteroxylon Gottwald with which thefossil shows greatest similarity. Copyright 2000 Annals of BotanyCompany Antarctica, Cretaceous, angiosperm, wood, anatomy, Winteraceae, Winteroxylon, fossil, palaeoclimate     

Illicioxylon, an Element of Gondwanan Polar Forests? Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary Woods of Antarctica

The Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary sediments from the northernPeninsula region of Antarctica yield a rich assemblage of fossilwood with well preserved anatomy. Wood specimens of a previouslyrecognized morphotype are described. The woods are characterizedby diffuse porous wood, mainly solitary vessels with long scalariformperforation plates, scalariform and opposite vessel-ray pitting,generally uniseriate and biseriate heterogeneous rays, and tracheidswith obvious uniseriate, circulate, bordered pits. These fossilspecimens show greatest anatomical similarity to the organ genusIllicioxylon Gottwald and extant members of the Illiciaceae.The occurrence of illiciaceous-like wood in Gondwana suggeststhat the distribution of this family may have been more widespreadin the geological past and that a relatively warm temperateclimate prevailed over the northern Peninsula region of Antarcticaduring the Late Cretaceous and early Cenozoic. Copyright 2000Annals of Botany Company Fossil, wood, Illiciaceae, Illicioxylon, Illicium, Cretaceous, Tertiary, Gondwana, Antarctica     

Structure and Function of Oak Forests in Central Himalaya. I. Dry Matter Dynamics

The present study deals with structure and functioning of threeareas of Himalayan oak forest. Low- and mid-altitude oaks, namelyQuercus leucotrichophora, and Quercus floribunda, form predominantevergreen forests in Central and Western Himalaya. The totaltree basal cover ranged between 33·89 m² ha^–1 (Q.floribunda site) to 36·83 m² ha^–1 (Q. leucotrichophorasite). The density ranged between 570 and 760 individuals ha^–1.Allometric equations relating biomass of different tree componentsto GBH (girth at breast height) were significant with the exceptionof leaf biomass in Q. leucotrichophora and Rhododendron arboreum.Total vegetation biomass (29·40–467·0 tha^–1) was distributed as 377·1 t ha^–1 intrees, 5·40 t ha^–1 in shrubs and 1·23 tha^–1 in herbs. Total forest floor biomass ranged between4·6 and 6·2 t ha^–1. Of the total annuallitter fall (4·7–4·8 t ha^–1), 77·5% was contributed by leaf litter, 17·8 % by wood litterand 4·7 % by miscellaneous litter. Turnover rate of treelitter varied from 0·66 to 0·70. Net primary productionof total vegetation ranged between 15·9 and 20·6t ha^–1 yr^–1, of which the contribution of trees,shrubs and herbs was 81·2 %, 8·6 % and 10·2%, respectively. A compartment model of dry matter on the basisof mean data across sites was developed to show dry matter storageand flow of dry matter within the system. Quercus leucotrichophora forest, Q. floribunda forest, Q. lanuginosa forest, biomass, litter fall, net primary production, compartmental transfer     

Effect of Water Stress on Pigment Formation in Quercus Species

The effect of water stress in three Quercus species belongingto different habitats is investigated. Chlorophyll concentrationdecreased in all Quercus species with the greatest decreaseoccurring in Quercus robur. An increase of total carotenoidcontent was observed in Quercus coccifera and Quercus ilex,while in Q. robur water stress effected a carotenoid contentreduction. Anthocyanins increased with decreasing relative watercontent in the three Quercus species, the largest increase occurringin Q. coccifera. A correlation between xerophytic characterand pigment concentration is discussed.     

The Differentiation of Contact Cells and Isolation Cells in the Xylem Ray Parenchyma of Populus maximowiczii

A histochemical analysis was made of the differentiation ofcontact cells and isolation cells in the xylem ray parenchymaof Populus maximowiczii. The contact cells formed secondarywalls at approximately the same time as adjoining vessel elements.The lignification of the cell walls of contact cells and vesselelements began earlier than that of wood fibres and isolationcells. Thus, the formation of the secondary wall, includinglignification, of the contact cells might occur at the sametime as that of the vessel elements to which they are directlyconnected. By contrast, the isolation cells began to form secondarywalls later than the vessel elements and wood fibres in thevicinity of the isolation cells. After the deposition of thesecondary wall, a protective layer was formed in contact cellsbut no isotropic layer was observed in isolation cells. Theresults suggest the importance of vessel elements in the determinationof the differentiation of adjoining ray parenchyma cells.Copyright1999 Annals of Botany Company Contact cell, isolation cell, vessel element, xylem differentiation, Populus maximowiczii Henry.     

Biogeography,ecology and history of Mediterranean Quercus ilex ecosystems

Quercus ilex sensu lato plays an important role in Western Mediterranean ecosystems, but is poorly developed in the Eastern Mediterranean where it is often replaced by Quercus calliprinos.The occurrence of Quercus ilex in the different bioclimates and their thermic subdivisions is presented on a small scale. Under certain geographical and ecological conditions, Quercus ilex participates in the organization of vegetation ecosystems from the meso-Mediterranean to the oro-Mediterranean altitudinal zones. Quercus ilex imposes microclimatic constraints on its associated species; it thus organizes and original understory vegetation structure (ethological groups) which will be defined in this study.One of the reasons for the success of Quercus ilex stems from its remarkable resistance to ecological constraints. A broad synthetic presentation of foliar area index variations in relation to different types of stress serve as a basis for an explanation of the sclerophyllous model in the Mediterranean region.Finally, historical factors are outlined as being critical characteristics in the determination of the present organization and spatial structure of Quercus ilex ecosystems. These considerations will be analyzed from a paleobioclimatical point of view, including data related to human pressure.     

Ultrastructural Investigation of Tension Wood Fibre in Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr. var. japonica Maxim.

The ultrastructure of the fibre wall in Fraxinus mandshuricaRupr. var. japonica Maxim. was investigated by electron microscopy.The trees had been inclined artificially at an angle of 30°to the vertical at the beginning of the initiation of cambialgrowth in early spring. The secondary walls of tension woodfibres were of the outer (S₁) layer and gelatinous (G) layertype. The microfibrils in the gelatinous (G) layer were orientedas a steep Z-helix relative to the fibre axis with a deviationthat ranged from 0° to 25° but was mainly between 5°and 10°. The cross-sectional surface of tension wood fibresrevealed the relatively strong attachment of the G-layer tothe S₁ layer. The G-layer stained weakly with potassium permanganate.The S₁ layer of tension wood fibres stained less strongly thanthat of the normal and opposite wood fibres. These results indicatethat the tension wood in F. mandshurica var. japonica is nottypical and is somewhat anomalous. The secondary walls of normaland opposite wood fibres were composed of two layers, S₁ andS₂, and lacked an S₃ layer. Microfibrils in the S₃ layer ofjuvenile stems were extremely variable in orientation and weresparsely distributed without forming a layer. By contrast, avery thin S₃ layer was present in the wood fibres of maturestems. The variations in the formation of the S₃ layer in thefibre walls were probably due to the differences in the cambialage of the stems of F. mandshurica Rupr. var. japonica.Copyright1995, 1999 Academic Press Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr. var. japonica Maxim., Japanese ash, tension wood, fibre wall, G-layer, microfibrillar orientation, normal and opposite wood, juvenile stem, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, low accelerating voltage     

New,noteworthy, and rare species of the genus Boletus in Israel

This paper presents information about Boletus poikilochromus, B. pulchrotinctus, and B. pulverulentus in Israel. These species are reported for the first time in Israel, and also B. pulchrotinctus and B. poikilochromus are reported for the first time in Asia. Furthermore, these three species are reported for the first time in association with Quercus calliprinos. Macro- and microscopical characteristics, distribution, ecology, and illustrations related to morphology and anatomy of the species are provided.     

Wood anatomical correlates with theoretical conductivity and wood density across China: evolutionary evidence of the functional differentiation of axial and radial parenchyma

Background and Aims

In recent years considerable effort has focused on linking wood anatomy and key ecological traits. Studies analysing large databases have described how these ecological traits vary as a function of wood anatomical traits related to conduction and support, but have not considered how these functions interact with cells involved in storage of water and carbohydrates (i.e. parenchyma cells).

Methods

We analyzed, in a phylogenetic context, the functional relationship between cell types performing each of the three xylem functions (conduction, support and storage) and wood density and theoretical conductivity using a sample of approx. 800 tree species from China.

Key Results

Axial parenchyma and rays had distinct evolutionary correlation patterns. An evolutionary link was found between high conduction capacity and larger amounts of axial parenchyma that is probably related to water storage capacity and embolism repair, while larger amounts of ray tissue have evolved with increased mechanical support and reduced hydraulic capacity. In a phylogenetic principal component analysis this association of axial parenchyma with increased conduction capacity and rays with wood density represented orthogonal axes of variation. In multivariate space, however, the proportion of rays might be positively associated with conductance and negatively with wood density, indicating flexibility in these axes in species with wide rays.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that parenchyma types may differ in function. The functional axes represented by different cell types were conserved across lineages, suggesting a significant role in the ecological strategies of the angiosperms.     

Units of freezing of deep supercooled water in woody xylem

The low temperature exotherms (LTE) of 1-year-old twigs of Haralson apple (Malus pumila Mill.), shagbark hickory (Carya ovata [Mill.] K. Koch), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh), honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos L.), American chestnut (Castanea dentata [Marsh] Borkh.), and red oak (Quercus rubra L.) were determined by differential thermal analysis (DTA). In one type of experiment freezing during a DTA experiment was halted for up to 2.5 hours after part of the supercooled water had frozen at temperatures between −25 and −42 C. Upon resumption of cooling the freezing started within 2 C of the stopping temperature. In a second type of experiment living and dead cells were microscopically observed in the same ray after partial freezing in the DTA apparatus. In another experiment, the LTE persisted even after tangential and radial sectioning of the twig to 0.13 millimeters. In a final experiment the LTE of a single multiseriate ray of red oak had the same shape as the LTE of wood with many uniseriate rays.     

Effects of Growth Hormone Application on the Secondary Growth of Roots and Stems in Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr

Indol-3-ylacetic acid (IAA), gibberellin A3 (GA) and 6 benzylaminopurine(BAP) were applied factorially each at 3x10^–2 M in lanolinto the roots and stems of Sitka spruce seedlings and the activityof the two secondary meristems, the vascular cambium and phellogen,and of the parenchymatous tissues between them, was examined.All the treatments, with the exception of GA produced a localizedstimulation of radial growth at the point of application andthere was a similarity in the response of the various tissuesin both the root and stem. Radial growth of the xylem was notsignificantly affected in the roots whereas in the stems BAPand IAA stimulated growth. In the phloem BAP produced significantstimulation in both roots and stems and IAA stimulated growthin the roots. Growth of the parenchyma and periderm externalto the phloem was also strongly stimulated by both BAP, andIAA in roots and stems. In roots and stems the application of BAP altered the derivativesproduced by the vascular cambium, resulting in the productionof large multiseriate rays in the xylem, and giving rise toan overall increase in the proportion of ray tissue. Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr, Sitka spruce, secondary growth, xylem, phloem, periderm, wood rays, Indol-3-ylacetic acid, gibberellin A3, 6 benzylaminopurine, growth hormones     

A Fossil Wood of Terminalia tomentosa W. & A. from the Tertiary of Burma

A fossil wood from the Irrawady System of Burma (Pliocene toUpper Miocene) is described. Anatomically it is indistinguishablefrom the wood of living Terminalia tomentosa W. & A. anddiffers from all Terminalioxylon so far reported. The relationof this wood with the ring-porous and diffuse-porous woods isdiscussed.     

Residui di vegetazione spontanea in Roma

Summary

The A. describes a large remainder of natural vegetation at the periphery of Rome on the «Monti Parioli». Mainly it is Quercus Ilex macchia — evergreen wood, which becomes on the septentrional declivities Quercus Ilex — Quercus lanuguinosa mixed wood; here among the shrubs some not typical mediterranean elements are contained.     

Ultrastructural Changes in Chloroplasts of Quercus rotundifolia Lam. in Response to Evernic Acid

The amount of total chlorophyll, chlorophylls a and b as wellas the ratio of a to b decreased in chloroplasts isolated fromQuercus rotundifolia leaves, kept for 17 d in a solution of35.5 µM evernic acid in 1 mM Na HCO₃, when compared withthe chloroplasts of control leaves (kept in NaHCO₃). The chloroplastsin the spongy parenchyma were smaller and the amount of starchand plastoglobuli lower. The number of grana per chloroplastsection, the number of thylakoids per grana and the height ofgrana stacks were also less in the chloroplasts of leaves treatedwith evernic acid. Quantitative ultrastructural differenceswere determined by means of electron microscopy and image analysistechniques. Quercus rotundifolia Lam., chloroplasts, ultrastructure, lichens, evernic acid