CO2 Exchange and Mesophyll Structure in Second-Year Needles of Abies sibirica Ledeb.

Seasonal changes in the net photosynthesis and dark respiration in second-year needles of Siberian fir were investigated. The functional state of needles was shown to determine the structural features of mesophyll cells. Current-year shoot growth is one of the major factors affecting the structure and functional activity of second-year needles during the growing period. The greatest changes occur in the number of mitochondria in mesophyll cells and the respiration rate of second-year needles. The rate of photosynthesis in second-year needles was shown to depend on the number of thylakoids in mesophyll chloroplasts.     

Structure and CO2 Exchange in the Needles of Pinus sylvestris and Abies sibirica

The morphological and functional organization of the needles of Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Siberian fir (Abies sibirica Ledeb.), which differ in their light requirement were studied. The characteristic properties of the high-light-requiring pine included high rates of apparent photosynthesis and dark respiration, high assimilation number, numerous folds in mesophyll cell walls, and increased partial volume of intercellular spaces and hyaloplasm in the mesophyll. In the needles of shade-enduring fir, the higher efficiency of photosynthesis at low light intensities depended on the higher number of membranes and higher pigment content in the chloroplasts. The low assimilation number in fir indicated a shortage of photosynthetic reaction centers. The relative volume of the vascular cylinder and the vascular bundles in the needles and the partial volume of chloroplasts in the hyaloplasm, are considered as indices of the rate of assimilate export from mesophyll cells and their possible damping at different levels of structural organization.     

Basic Types of Structural Changes in the Leaf Mesophyll during Adaptation of Eastern Pamir Plants to Mountain Conditions

Quantitative characteristics of mesophyll structure were compared in leaves of eleven alpine plant species grown under natural conditions in the Eastern Pamirs at various altitudes, from 3800 to 4750 m. Basic types of changes in mesophyll structure, associated with plant adaptation to mountain conditions, were characterized. These changes manifested themselves in different numbers of cell layers and cell sizes in the palisade tissue and, as a consequence, in changed leaf thickness and cell number per unit of leaf area. Three plant groups were identified by the changes in the leaf structural characteristics depending on the type of mesophyll structure, ecological group of plant species, and altitude of plant habitat. The first group comprised alpine xerophytes with an isopalisade structure, in which the volume of palisade cells decreased and their number per unit of leaf area increased with the altitude of plant habitat. The number of mesophyll layers and leaf thickness decreased or did not change with altitude. The second group comprised subalpine plant species with a dorsoventral structure of mesophyll; these species occur below the line of continuous night frost. In these plant species, the number of mesophyll layers, leaf thickness, and cell number per unit of leaf area increased with altitude. The third group comprised mesophyte plants with a dorsoventral and homogenous mesophyll structure, which are encountered in a wide range of habitats, including the nival belt (from 4700 to 5000 m). In this group, cell volume increased and cell number per unit of leaf area decreased with altitude. We present a general scheme of leaf structural changes, which explains the changes in the quantitative characteristics of mesophyll as a function of altitude and highland environmental conditions.     

Structure of the Photosynthetic Apparatus in Leaves of Freshwater Hydrophytes: 1. General Characteristics of the Leaf Mesophyll and a Comparison with Terrestrial Plants

The structure of photosynthetic elements was investigated in leaves of 42 boreal plant species featuring different degrees of submergence (helophytes, neustophytes, and hydatophytes). The mesophyll structure types were identified for all these species. Chlorenchyma tissues and phototrophic cells were quantitatively described by such characteristics as the sizes of cells and chloroplasts in the mesophyll and epidermis, the abundance of cells and chloroplasts in these tissues, the total surface area of cells and chloroplasts per unit leaf area, the number of plastids per cell, etc. The hydrophytes typically had thick leaves (200–350 m) with a well-developed aerenchyma; their specific density per unit area (100–200 mg/dm²) was lower than in terrestrial plants. Mesophyll cells in aquatic plants occupied a larger volume (5–20 × 10³m³) than epidermal cells (1–15 × 10³m³). The number of mesophyll cells per unit leaf area was nearly 1.5 times higher than that of epidermal cells. Chloroplasts were present in the epidermis of almost all species, including emergent leaves, but the ratio of the chloroplast total number to the number of all plastids varied depending on the degree of leaf submergence. The total number of plastids per unit leaf area (2–6 × 10⁶/cm²) and the surface of chloroplasts per unit leaf area (2–6 cm²/cm²) were lower in hydrophytes than in terrestrial plants from climatically similar habitats. The functional relations between mesophyll parameters were similar for hydrophytes and terrestrial plants (a positive correlation between the leaf weight per unit area, leaf thickness, and the number of mesophyll cells per unit leaf area), although no correlation was found in hydrophytes between the volume of mesophyll cells and the leaf thickness. Phototrophic tissues in aquatic plants contributed a larger fraction to the leaf weight than in terrestrial plants, because the mechanical tissues were less developed in hydrophytes. The CO₂assimilation rates by leaves were lower in hydrophytes than in terrestrial plants, because the total surface area of chloroplasts per unit leaf area is comparatively small in hydrophytes, which reduces the conductivity for carbon dioxide diffusion towards the carboxylation sites.     

Antimicrobial and Antiradical Activities of Individual Fractions of Pinus sibirica Du Tour and Abies sibirica Ledeb. Growing in Siberia

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - Essential oil from the spruce branches of Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour) and Siberian fir (Abies sibirica Ledeb.) growing on the territory of...     

Structure of the Photosynthetic Apparatus in Leaves of Freshwater Hydrophytes: 2. Quantitative Characterization of Leaf Mesophyll and the Functional Activity of Leaves with Different Degrees of Submersion

The structure of leaf photosynthetic elements was investigated on 42 boreal plant species characterized by different degrees of submergence (helophytes, neustophytes, and hydatophytes). Six main types of mesophyll structures were identified. Quantitative characteristics for the mesostructure of the photosynthetic apparatus in these groups were determined, such as the size and abundance of cells and chloroplasts in the mesophyll and epidermis, the number of plastids per cell in each tissue, the total surface area of the mesophyll cells, epidermal cells, and chloroplasts per unit leaf area. Analysis showed that quantitative characteristics of the photosynthetic apparatus in hydrophytes are determined by two factors: (a) the degree of leaf submergence and (b) the type of mesophyll structure. With an increasing degree of immersion in water, the mesophyll types change in a sequence isopalisade dorsoventral homogeneous. The leaves become thinner, their weight per unit area diminishes, cells and chloroplasts become less numerous (on a per unit leaf area basis), but their dimensions become larger. Adaptation to aquatic medium is also manifested in the increasing contribution of the epidermal tissue to the overall photosynthesis: in submerged leaves, the epidermis accounts for more than 50% of the photosynthetic activity. The occurrence of six structural types of leaves contrasting in their characteristics was confirmed by discriminatory analysis according to the qualitative parameters of mesophyll.     

低温胁迫下红松与西伯利亚红松光合与气孔特性

红松与西伯利亚红松均为寒温带著名的成林树种,具有较强的耐寒性,与红松相比,西伯利亚红松具有更强的耐寒性。为探究低温胁迫下两树种的生理响应机制及抗寒生理机理,本研究以5年生的红松与西伯利亚红松幼苗为材料,对其进行低温处理,3个胁迫温度(0℃、-20℃和-40℃)和3个胁迫时间(6、24和48 h),20℃为对照,研究低温胁迫下红松与西伯利亚红松的光合特性和气孔特性。T检验和方差分析结果表明,各光合指标和气孔密度在红松与西伯利亚红松中的差异显著(P<0.05),低温及低温胁迫时间对红松与西伯利亚红松各光合指标具有极显著影响(P<0.01),低温对红松与西伯利亚红松的气孔开度与气孔面积具有极显著影响(P<0.01)。胁迫前(20℃)和0℃低温胁迫下,红松中的净光合速率、气孔导度和蒸腾速率均显著高于西伯利亚红松,但在-20℃条件下胁迫6 h,西伯利亚红松各光合测定指标显著高于红松。随着温度的降低与胁迫时间的延长,两树种的各光合指标均呈下降趋势。红松中的气孔密度显著高于西伯利亚红松,胁迫前(20℃),红松与西伯利亚红松的气孔均为椭圆形,随着温度的降低,两树种的气孔开度和气孔面积显著减小。     

低温锻炼和低温胁迫期间翠南报春叶肉细胞超微结构的适应变化

低温锻炼(10℃)期间翠南报春叶肉细胞线粒体增加并出现质膜内陷现象,低温胁迫(0℃)过程中,低温锻炼植株的细胞超微结构表现相对稳定,叶绿体片层结构和线粒体数目都未发生明显变化。未受低温锻炼植株线粒体数目在低温胁迫第2天增多,第3、4天逐渐减少,并在第3天出现质膜内陷现象。多泡体和囊泡结构有时伴随着质膜内陷出现。这种变化可能是经低温锻炼的翠南报春抗寒性提高的细胞结构基础。     

A Method for Calculating the Volume and Surface Area in Rice Mesophyll Cells

A method was developed for determining the surface area and volume of rice mesophyll cells of elaborate configuration. The method was employed to calculate these indices in several types of rice mesophyll cells found in seventy samples (53 species) of diverse origin coming from Japan, China, Korea, India, Nepal, Australia, France, Italy, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Krasnodar and Primorskii regions. The cultivars of diverse geographic origin varied in cell shape and size due to the number, size, and arrangement of chloroplasts. When the volumes and surface areas of leaf mesophyll cells were compared using the method reported herein and a simple empirical model of the cell as a single ellipsoid, the two methods produced relatively similar data for cell volume; however, the surface area calculated by the former method was about two times larger than in the latter case. The method described in this paper allows for accurate calculations of the volume and surface area of rice mesophyll cells when data are available on the cell shape and linear dimensions and the number of chloroplasts per cell.     

Characteristic Isozyme Spectra of Anionic Peroxidases and Superoxide Dismutases in Callus Cultures of Larix sibirica Ledeb. and Larix gmelinii Rupr. Rupr.

Multiple molecular forms of anionic peroxidase (AP) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were investigated in the callus lines of Larix sibirica and L. gmelinii. Eight distinct patterns of the AP spectra were discerned among 13 investigated lines. The spectra of SOD molecular forms were similar in all lines under investigation, although the lines were obtained from two Larix species and the calli were of different origin. Fe-containing SOD was for the first time described in the Larix isoenzyme spectrum. The authors conclude that the SOD isozyme spectra in dedifferentiated cells of L. sibirica and L. gmelinii are more stable than the isoperoxidase spectra.     

小麦突变体返白系生长后期某些生理变化

返白过程之后,返白系随着叶色的复绿,植株的代谢机能开始恢复,叶绿素含量上升,光合作用增强,叶片内可溶性糖含量上升,呼吸速率高于其祖先矮变１号;复绿初期返白系气孔阻力高于矮交１号,蒸腾速率则低于矮变１号。复绿后,以上各项指标都逐渐变化,达到矮变１号的水平。之后,返白系的蒸腾速率高于矮变１号,气孔阻力低于矮变１号,叶绿素含量及光合速率均高于矮变１号,近白系和矮变互号的呼吸速率在５月９～２５日间有上升趋势,但近白系呼吸速率较高。在生长后期,返白系的根系有向土壤深层分布的趋势。分析认为返白系在生长后期有一个补偿性生长阶段,通过改善植株水分状况,提高同化能力,降低消耗来保证生长和结实的需要。     

Ultrastructure of Chloroplasts in Phloem Companion Cells and Mesophyll Cells as Related to the Stimulation of Sink Activity by Cytokinins

Changes in the chloroplast ultrastructure and starch and lipid content in the mesophyll and phloem companion cells of the phloem were studied after induction of source and sink functions in leaf tissues. A detached sugar-beet leaf, one half of which was treated with water (source part) and the other half of which was treated with 10^–4 M benzyladenine (BA) (acceptor part), was used as a model. After 65-h exposure to diffuse light, starch disappeared and lipid content increased in the source part of the leaf, with simultaneous disorganization of the chloroplast structure, which was most pronounced in the companion cells. Changeover from the source to sink function, induced by BA treatment, did not lead to marked destructive changes in the chloroplast structure of companion cells and resulted in the appearance of starch and in further increase in the level of lipids. Smaller amounts of starch also appeared in the mesophyll chloroplasts in the sink part of the leaf. We suppose that: (1) BA promotes the storage of assimilates, which are imported from the source part of the leaf to the companion cells, in the form of starch and lipids within chloroplasts; and this storage contributes to the maintenance of the sucrose concentration gradient in the conducting system between donor and sink parts of the leaf and, thus, activates metabolite inflow and (2) a barrier exists in the sink part of the leaf for assimilates destined to mesophyll cells, which restricts their export from the phloem.     

Partitioning net ecosystem carbon exchange and the carbon isotopic disequilibrium in a subalpine forest

We investigate the utility of an improved isotopic method to partition the net ecosystem exchange of CO₂ (F) into net photosynthesis (F_A) and nonfoliar respiration (F_R). Measurements of F and the carbon isotopic content in air at a high‐elevation coniferous forest (the Niwot Ridge AmeriFlux site) were used to partition F into F_A and F_R. Isotopically partitioned fluxes were then compared with an independent flux partitioning method that estimated gross photosynthesis (GEE) and total ecosystem respiration (TER) based on statistical regressions of night‐time F and air temperature. We compared the estimates of F_A and F_R with expected canopy physiological relationships with light (photosynthetically active radiation) and air temperature. Estimates of F_A and GEE were dependent on light as expected, and TER, but not F_R, exhibited the expected dependence on temperature. Estimates of the isotopic disequilibrium D , or the difference between the isotopic signatures of net photosynthesis (δ_A, mean value ?24.6‰) and ecosystem respiration (δ_R, mean value ?25.1‰) were generally positive (δ_A>δ_R). The sign of D observed here is inconsistent with many other studies. The key parameters of the improved isotopic flux partitioning method presented here are ecosystem scale mesophyll conductance (g_m) and maximal vegetative stomatal conductance (g_cmax). The sensitivity analyses of F_A, F_R, and D to g_cmax indicated a critical value of g_cmax (0.15 mol m^?2 s^?1) above which estimates of F_A and F_R became larger in magnitude relative to GEE and TER. The value of D decreased with increasing values of g_m and g_cmax, but was still positive across all values of g_m and g_cmax. We conclude that the characterization of canopy‐scale mesophyll and stomatal conductances are important for further progress with the isotope partitioning method, and to confirm our anomalous isotopic disequilibrium findings.     

The effect of water stress on photosynthesis and related parameters in Pinus halepensis

Net photosynthesis, transpiration, dark respiration rates and stomatal and mesophyll resistances were studied in young potted seedlings of Pinus halepensis Mill. under gradually decreasing soil and leaf water potentials. Stomatal resistance under non-limiting xylem water potentials was 6–7 times higher than mesophyll resistance. Stomata started to close at threshold xylem water potentials of −0.8 MPa, whereas mesophyll resistance started to increase at about −1.4 MPa. Decreasing xylem water potentials increased the CO₂ compensation point and decreased the water use efficiency (expressed by the photosynthesis to transpiration ratio) and dark respiration rate. It is concluded that at least part of the drought resistance characteristics of P. halepensis are associated with a sensitive stomatal mechanism which enables an efficient control of water loss.     

Identification and characterization of nuclear microsatellite loci in Abies alba Mill.

Eleven polymorphic nuclear microsatellite markers for Abies alba Mill. were developed from an enriched genomic library. An average of 5.2 alleles per locus and a mean expected heterozygosity of 0.532 were found in a sample of 24 Abies alba individuals from different populations within Europe. These loci can be used in studies of genetic diversity for parentage analysis and for estimation of gene flow in silver fir populations. Moreover, successful amplifications were obtained for eight other Mediterranean Abies species, suggesting that these loci may be useful for similar applications in other fir species.     

桃果实絮败与果胶质变化和细胞壁结构的关系

“白凤”桃果实在０ ℃下贮藏２０ ｄ 以后出现肉质发绵和干化的絮败现象。冷藏第１０ 天在１８ ℃下加温３８ ｈ 能有效减缓絮败的发生。连续冷藏１０ ｄ 以后,原果胶含量开始增多, 水溶性果胶含量变化不大。中途加温的果实原果胶含量变化不多,但水溶性果胶却不断增加。絮败果的果胶质粘度明显高于正常果。果肉出汁率是测定果实絮败程度的理想指标。絮败果肉细胞壁的明显特征是： 伴随胞间层的分解和胞间隙的扩大,出现大量凝胶状物质的沉积,初生壁结构变化不明显, 也没有细胞壁次生加厚的迹象。     

贡嘎山海螺沟林线附近峨眉冷杉种群的结构与动态

通过对贡嘎山海螺沟海拔 35 80m处 1.0hm2 峨眉冷杉 (AbiesfabriCraib)林的定位调查 ,分析了峨眉冷杉的个体生长、种群结构与动态、干扰及更新特征。结果表明 :1)林线附近的环境胁迫影响了个体的形态发育和高、径生长 ,但对其更新繁殖无明显影响 ;2 )静态生命表和种群生存曲线反映了 2 0a以前和 6 0～ 140a分别经历的强烈环境筛选和竞争自疏 ,以及后期与环境变化相关的死亡率波动 ,峨眉冷杉寿命极限为 40 0a左右。 3)林线种群遭受高频率、小规模的林隙干扰。尽管 86 .4%的林隙由多木形成 ,但死亡的峨眉冷杉以枯立为主导致林隙较小 ;病害、冰雪和死树的打压是林隙形成的重要因素 ,而风不是这里林线环境的主要自然干扰。 4)峨眉冷杉的幼苗表现了相当的耐荫性 ,尽管其更新依赖林隙的存在 ,但更新格局存在多尺度的成因     

The Roles of Cell Division and Cell Expansion in the Growth of Alfalfa Leaf Mesophyll

Leaf mesophyll of Medicago sativa (L.) was investigated to determinethe roles of cell division and cell expansion in tissue growth.Samples of leaf tissue were macerated, stained, and squashed.The slides were studied under a phase microscope to determinethe percentage of recently divided cells and the average celldiameter for leaflets of varying lengths. Cell division wasgreatest in young leaflets and virtually ceased as a leaf lengthof 12 mm was attained. For leaflets less than 12 mm in length,the rate of increase in cell size appeared to be inversely associatedto the degree of cell division. For alfalfa leaflets greaterthan 12 mm in length, the mean cell size increased in proportionto leaf length since cell division had virtually ceased.