STRUCTURE AND ONTOGENY OF THE STOMATAL COMPLEX IN PINUS STROBUS L. AND PINUS BANKSIANA LAMB.

The morphology of the stomatal complex in Pinus strobus L. and P. banksiana Lamb, is described and it is proposed that the stomatal complex should be considered an eight-celled complex consisting of two guard cells, and two polar, two lateral, and two hypodermal subsidiary cells. An ontogenetic study found these cells closely related developmentally. It was also found that the stomatal complex in these two pines could not readily be classified as haplocheilic because a polar subsidiary cell arises from the same protodermal cell as does the guard cell mother cell. A modification of the classical concept of stomatal development was necessary to describe the stomata as eumesoperigenous.     

Cuticle micromorphology of leaves of Pinus (Pinaceae) from Mexico and Central America

Cuticle micromorphology of 34 taxa of Pinus from Mexico and Central America was studied with scanning electron microscopy, and leaf morphology was described. In total, 29 characters, 22 from the inner cuticular surfaces and seven from the outer, were described in detail. These characters have value either for testing infragenerie classifications or for identifying individual taxa. Characters relating to the periclinal wall texture of the epidermal cells, the shape and degree of development of the anticlinal walls of the epidermal cells, the basal and apical shapes of anticlinal epidermal cell walls, the continuity of the epidermal cells, the size ratio of the polar to lateral subsidiary cells, the grooves on subsidiary cells, the cuticular flanges between guard and subsidiary cells, the groove near the bristles and the elevation of the Florin ring ridge and striations on the Florin ring are particularly useful for infrageneric classification. The agreement between these characters and infrageneric classifications is discussed. Characters relating to the end wall shapes of the epidermal cells, the relative length of epidermal cells, the shape of the stomatal apparatus, the texture of guard and lateral subsidiary cell surfaces, the polar extensions, the number of subsidiary cells and epidermal cell layers between stomatal rows, the integrity of stomatal rows, cell numbers between stomata in a row, cuticular flanges between guard cells, bristle flanges and surface textures, epicuticular waxes, striations on Florin rings and stomatal shapes, contain some important information for identifying Mexican pines. The distribution of the states of each character is compared with that of the Asian pines. Cuticular characters are used to help determine the affinities of taxonomically difficult taxa.     

Cuticle micromorphology of leaves of Pinus (Pinaceae) in east and south-east Asia

Cuticle micromorphology of 21 species of Pinus in east and south-east Asia was studied with scanning electron microscopy and leaf morphology was described. Cuticle characters that can be distinguished by their size, shape, and surface texture, as well as by the number of subsidiary cells, the rows of epidermal cells within a stomatal band, the number of cells between stomata in stomatal rows, and the patterns of cuticular flanges are described in detail. Most of these characters have not been considered in sufficient detail previously. Some of the inner cuticular features, such as the texture of periclinal walls, the shape of the top of the anticlinal walls, the comparative size of the lateral and polar subsidiary cells, and the development of the groove near bristles, are diagnostic characters for subgenera. The agreement between cuticle characters and taxa is discussed. Cuticular characters were used to try to resolve the position of taxa that currently appear in different places in different classifications.     

STOMATAL MECHANICS

A model of stomatal movement due to changes in turgor is presented which systematically illustrates the role of certain anatomical features. During the expansion of paired guard cells, there are two physical constraints that cause the guard cells to bend and thus open the stomatal pore. The radial orientation of the micellae is shown to be the crucial feature which directly transmits the movement of the dorsal wall of the polar and central section to the stomatal slit. Furthermore, it is necessary that either the overall length of the entire stomatal apparatus or length of the common wall between the polar segments of the guard cells be constrained during the expansion of the guard cells. The model also shows that asymmetrically thickened guard cell walls are not necessary to cause bending of the guard cell. The ideas set forth in our model are consistent with the opening movements of both elliptical and grass-type stomata.     

A Dispersed Cuticle of Cordaites from the Coal of Late Paleozoic,North China

A dispersed cuticle from the coal of Taiyuan Formation, Xuzhou Coalfield, Jiangsu Province, North China was described. It was considered as the cuticle of Cordaites because of its epidermal structures and other features evidenced by optical and scanning electronic microscopic study. Compared with the known cuticles of other species of Cordaites, it was clear that the specimen under discussion was a new type of cuticle of Cordaites. Stomata were few in number on the upper cuticle, and usually arranged in a lengthwise and intermittent file, seperated by nonstomatal cell rows. Stomatal apparatus haplocheillic nearly square in shape, 30--50 μm long and 35--55 μm wide in size and consisted of a pair of slightly sunken guard cells surrounded by 2 lateral and 2 polar subsidiary cells, orientation longitudinal and regular. Numerous stomatal apparatus on the lower cuticle were arranged mostly in a defenite file seperated by nonstomatic band with 1--10 (often 3--5) rectangular cell rows. Usually small papillae were situated on the outer periclinal wall. The guard cell was reniform and bean-shaped, 10--14 μm long and 3--5 μm wide in size. The lateral subsidiary cell was more or less rectangular or elliptical in shape, 40--125 μm long and 17—25 μm wide in size, and with papillae on the outer periclinal wall. The polar subsidiary cell was some what round, short-elliptical or some rhomboid in shape and usually shared by adjacent stomatal apparatus in the same file.     

Phaeomoniella zymoides and Phaeomoniella pinifoliorum spp. nov., new acid-tolerant epiphytic fungi isolated from pine needles in Korea

Two new epiphytes of anamorphic ascomycetes, Phaeomoniella zymoides sp. nov. and Phaeomoniella pinifoliorum sp. nov., were isolated from the needle surface of Pinus densiflora in Korea. The new taxa were characterized by acid-tolerant, slow, partially yeast-like growth and extensive production of emerging cells on convex wrinkled mycelial colonies. Phaeomoniella zymoides produced mycelium with large numbers of intercalary and lateral or terminal vesicles or swollen cells. Large conidiogenous cells had a swollen base and appeared to be phialidic, and many phialoconidia also were produced from lateral hyphal apertures. Maturing colonies of Ph. zymoides were made up of dark green to blackish areas and produced a Phoma-like synanamorph. Primary conidia became elongate mother cells giving rise to polar or lateral secondary conidia. Phaeomoniella pinifoliorum was characterized by reduced, swollen, phialide-like cells, lateral production of conidia from hyphae and terminal or subterminal, or less commonly lateral, secondary production of conidia from yeast-like primary conidia. When ITS and 28S rDNA sequences were compared and analyzed with those of best matching GenBank taxa, the Phaeomoniella group consisted of three lineages, "zymoides", "pinifoliorum" and "chlamydospora" clades, which again showed a complete sister relationship to Moristroma quercinum ined.     

落羽杉属(杉科)叶表皮结构及气孔参数

落羽杉属Taxodium Rich.现生3种植物——落羽杉T. distichum (L.) Rich.、池杉T. ascendens Brongn.和墨西哥落羽杉T. mucronatum Tenore.的条形叶为双面气孔型或单面气孔型。叶片远轴面气孔分布于中脉两侧,每侧各有4-8列气孔。叶片中部气孔数量稳定,顶部和基部气孔数量比中部略少。近轴面气孔在中脉两侧各有1-4行,有时仅少数几个气孔或没有气孔分布。非气孔分布区内,表皮细胞长方形,细胞壁直或稍微呈波状,细胞长轴与叶片长轴一致。气孔分布区内的表皮细胞有时为多边形。气孔器椭圆形,长轴与叶片长轴垂直或成一定的角度。保卫细胞壁加厚明显,极端联合形成极层结构。落羽杉属3种现生植物的气孔密度和气孔指数差异显著,不同采集地的落羽杉气孔密度和气孔指数差异不显著。这3种植物的气孔指数的变异系数均小于气孔密度的变异系数,用气孔指数指示大气CO2浓度比用气孔密度可靠。     

Stomatal Responses of Tradescantia albiflora to Changing Air Humidity in Light and in Darkness

Tradescantia albiflora has green variegated and white leaves.Its stomatal apparatus consists of the guard cells and two pairsof subsidiary cells. Investigations were carried out by observingthe stomata microscopically by means of a video system in situin a CO₂ exchange chamber and by simultaneously measuring thegas exchange of the leaves. In response to air humidity changes,stomatal movements in T. albiflora begin, owing to turgor changes,in the polar and lateral subsidiary cells. The stomatal responseof green leaves to changes of air humidity showed typical transientand oscillatory phases prior to steady-state reactions. In darkness,stomata closed when air humidity decreased; however, they didnot reopen when air humidity was raised again. Stomata of illuminatedwhite leaves responded like those of green leaves in darkness.With increasing soil water stress stomata responded to changingair humidity with reductions of the transient phases and a decreasingtendency to reopen when air humidity became high again. CO₂deficiency of the air caused the stomata to open in the dark,and interacted with the air humidity effect in such a way thatstomata of green leaves responded to air humidity changes indarkness in a similar way as they did in light. Key words: Stomata, humidity response, green and white leaf areas, CO₂ deficient air     

Na(+)- and H(+)-dependent motility in the coral pathogen Vibrio shilonii

In this work, we analyzed motility and the flagellar systems of the marine bacterium Vibrio shilonii. We show that this bacterium produces lateral flagella when seeded on soft agar plates at concentrations of 0.5% or 0.6%. However, at agar concentrations of 0.7%, cells become round and lose their flagella. The sodium channel blocker amiloride inhibits swimming of V. shilonii with the sheathed polar flagellum, but not swarming with lateral flagella. We also isolated and characterized the filament–hook–basal body of the polar flagellum. The proteins in this structure were analyzed by MS. Eight internal sequences matched with known flagellar proteins. The comparison of these sequences with the protein database from the complete genome of V. shilonii allows us to conclude that some components of the polar flagellum are encoded in two different clusters of flagellar genes, suggesting that this bacterium has a complex flagellar system, more complex possibly than other Vibrio species reported so far.     

Abrasive damage by wind to the needle surfaces of Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. and Pinus sylvestris L.

Abstract. After a period of one week at 11m s⁻¹ in a wind tunnel, the leaf surface of Picea sitchensis and Pinus sylvestris had undergone structural modification. Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy was used to examine these changes. Picea showed flattening and smearing of wax crystals, as well as cracks in some of the wax structures filling the stomatal antechambers. In Pinus , most damage was on the cells surrounding the stomatal antechamber or on needle ridges. Artificially abraded surfaces were of similar appearance. Minimum epidermal conductance to water vapour ( g _e^MIN) was determined gravimetrically. In Picea g _c^MIN was more than doubled by wind treatment and increased eightfold by rubbing. Similar but less extreme increases occurred in Pinus. Neither species showed recovery of g _e^MIN after 1 week at low windspeed.     

A phase variant of Azospirillum lipoferum lacks a polar flagellum and constitutively expresses mechanosensing lateral flagella.

Flagellation of a nonswimming variant of the mixed flagellated bacterium Azospirillum lipoferum 4B was characterized by electron microscopy, and polyclonal antibodies were raised against polar and lateral flagellins. The variant cells lacked a polar flagellum due to a defect in flagellin synthesis and constitutively expressed lateral flagella. The variant cells were able to respond to conditions that restricted the rotation of lateral flagella by producing more lateral flagella, suggesting that the lateral flagella, as well as the polar flagellum, are mechanosensing.     

A Phase Variant of Azospirillum lipoferum Lacks a Polar Flagellum and Constitutively Expresses Mechanosensing Lateral Flagella

Flagellation of a nonswimming variant of the mixed flagellated bacterium Azospirillum lipoferum 4B was characterized by electron microscopy, and polyclonal antibodies were raised against polar and lateral flagellins. The variant cells lacked a polar flagellum due to a defect in flagellin synthesis and constitutively expressed lateral flagella. The variant cells were able to respond to conditions that restricted the rotation of lateral flagella by producing more lateral flagella, suggesting that the lateral flagella, as well as the polar flagellum, are mechanosensing.     

Changes in Cytokinins and Gibberellin-Like Substances in Pinus radiata Buds during Lateral Shoot Initiation and the Characterization of Ribosyl Zeatin and a Novel Ribosyl Zeatin Glycoside

Based on detection and quantitation by bioassay, endogenous gibberellin-like substances (GAs) and cytokinins (CKs) in Pinus radiata D. Don buds during sequential shoot initiation shift from less polar to more polar forms (GAs) and from conjugated to free forms (CKs). As the terminal bud moves from the production of “short shoots” (needle fascicles) to “long shoots” (lateral branches or female conebuds), a more polar GA appears while a glucoside-conjugate of zeatin riboside is reduced, and zeatin riboside levels increase markedly.     

Rhodospirillum centenum utilizes separate motor and switch components to control lateral and polar flagellum rotation

Rhodospirillum centenum is a purple photosynthetic bacterium that is capable of differentiating from vibrioid swimming cells that contain a single polar flagellum into rod-shaped swarming cells that have a polar flagellum plus numerous lateral flagella. Microscopic studies have demonstrated that the polar flagellum is constitutively present and that the lateral flagella are found only when the cells are grown on solidified or viscous medium. In this study, we demonstrated that R. centenum contains two sets of motor and switch genes, one set for the lateral flagella and the other for the polar flagellum. Electron microscopic analysis indicated that polar and lateral flagellum-specific FliG, FliM, and FliN switch proteins are necessary for assembly of the respective flagella. In contrast, separate polar and lateral MotA and MotB motor subunits are shown to be required for motility but are not needed for the synthesis of polar and lateral flagella. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the polar and lateral FliG, FliM, and FliN switch proteins are closely related and most likely arose as a gene duplication event. However, phylogenetic analysis of the MotA and MotB motor subunits suggests that the polar flagellum may have obtained a set of motor genes through a lateral transfer event.     

中国罗汉松属叶角质层微形态结构及其分类意义

利用扫描电镜对罗汉松属8种2变种植物叶角质层内外表面进行了细致观察。发现罗汉松属植物叶角质层结构具有许多相似特征,表皮细胞较为规则,长方形或多边形,边缘波状弯曲;气孔器排列成带状,长轴均与叶脉一致,气孔器具较为明显的气孔塞和伏罗林环,气孔器保卫细胞极延伸明显,通常具有2~4个副卫细胞、不具极副卫细胞。但罗汉松属叶角质层结构也具有明显的种间差异,镰叶罗汉松和洛杉矶罗汉松同其它种类差异最大,这两种植物叶两面均具气孔器,角质层内表面垂周壁直,角质层凸缘不明显;贺氏罗汉松最为显著的特征是近轴面和远轴面表皮细胞的垂周壁角质层厚且凸缘均极其发达;小叶罗汉松近轴面表皮细胞排列较为规则,多数为方形,长轴与叶脉垂直,垂周壁之间的角质层突起较为显著,延伸到皮下层;兰屿罗汉松近轴面表皮细胞排列较不规则,多边形,细胞的角端比较钝,没有棱角;大理罗汉松气孔带间隔较小,有时两条气孔带挤在一起,使副卫细胞紧连,近轴面表皮细胞较短,方形或长方形,垂周壁之间的角质层较不发达;海南罗汉松角质层气孔带间隔较宽,气孔器形状为阔椭圆形,近轴面表皮细胞均为细长方形;变种短叶罗汉松和狭叶罗汉松与罗汉松也具有明显差异,短叶罗汉松近轴面表皮细胞排列不规则,垂周壁深波状弯曲,凸缘极为明显,但原种罗汉松近轴面表皮细胞排列较为规则,垂周壁浅波状弯曲,凸缘不明显,而狭叶罗汉松近轴面表皮细胞方形或长方形,比罗汉松的表皮细胞短,垂周壁直或略弯曲,角质层极厚。这些角质层微形态特征差异可以作为罗汉松属内种类分类鉴定的依据。     

Cytological and structural changes in Pinus pines L. needles following the application of an anionic surfactant

In many coastal areas, synthetic surfactants are present as pollutants in the chemical composition of sea spray. Their phytotoxic action in synergism with sea salt is well known. This paper examines the early effects of an anionic surfactant (sodium alkylbenzene sulphonate = ABS) on the anatomy and ultrastructure of Pinus pinea L. needles. Three successive treatments in the open field on Pinus pinea trees about 2 m in height were carried out in the month of August. The crowns of the trees were sprayed with an aqueous solution containing 1000 g m^?3, and subsequently the current-year needles were observed by light microscopy, as well as by scanning and transimission electron microscopy. A few days after the treatment the needles had turned yellow. The results of the microscopical analysis show that the surfactant is absorbed prevalently through the stomata and that it causes deterioration of the epistomatal wax structures and induces alterations in the stomatal guard cell walls. Lastly, it causes degeneration of the protoplasm in cells of the mesophyll, beginning with the cells closest to the stomatal openings. The efficiency of both photosynthesis and gaseous exchange processes may be affected.     

叶片内水传输的模拟

根据水在介质中的流动规律和能量守恒原理,在植物叶片内建立了一个稳态的水传输模型。该模型考虑了气孔复合体内外、共质体与质外体、原生质与细胞壁在水传输上的不同,应用计算机详细地分析和计算了叶内(特别是气孔复合体内)水的传输,得到水势在叶片内近似分布的关系式。应用这些关系式对叶内的水势和水势差作了估计,并对不同解剖特征叶片内的水势差作了比较。     

A Study on Foliar Epidermis in Betulaceae

Light and scanning electron microscopes were used to examine foliar epidermal features such as the shape of epidermal cells, the type of stomatal apparatus and outer stomatal rim in 38 species of 6 genera of the Betulaceae. Four types of stomatal apparatus on mature leaves are recognized in this survey: anomocytic, cyclocytic, non-typical actinocytic and brachyparacytic. The foliar epidermal characters and character states are taxonomically useful for the identification of genera and the division of tribes. The generalized evolutionary scheme for foliar epidermal features is fairly closely correlated with the generic relationships proposed in other studies (Abbe, 1935, 1974; Brunner & Fairbrothers, 1979; Hall, 1952; Kikuzava, 1982; Kuprianova, 1963)and it is clear that foliar epidermal morphology can be an important taxonomic character added to others for determining evolutionary relationships. The explanations of generic relationships are based on our hypothesis that anomocytic stomatal apparatus, uni-layered outer stomatal rim, having not T-pieces at the polar region of guard cells and straight anticlinal wall of lower epidermal cell are from the ancestor (Fig. 1). Sinuolate or sinuate anticlinal wall of lower epidermal cells and non-typical actinocytic stomatal apparatus, present in Corylus, Ostryopsis, Ostrya and Carpinus of the Betulaceae, correlates with the separation of Coryleae from Betuleae. Betuleae including Alnus and Betula is considered primitive with more primitive characters. Of Coryleae, Carpinus might be the most advanced, with brachyparacytic stomatal apparatus and double-layered outer stomatal rim.