Lignification and cell wall thickening in nodes of Phyllostachys viridiglaucescens and Phyllostachys nigra

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Bamboos are among the most important plants in the world. The anatomical structure and mechanical properties of the culm internode are well documented. Fewer details are available of the culm node. The aim of this study was a topochemical investigation on lignification and cell wall thickening in developing and maturing bamboo nodes. The deposition sequence and distribution of lignin structural units and cell wall thickening in different anatomical regions of the node of Phyllostachys viridiglaucescens and Phyllostachys nigra are discussed. METHODS: Cell wall thickening and lignification are investigated in the outer part of the nodal region and in the diaphragm of developing and maturing P. nigra culms and in maturing culms of P. viridiglaucescens of different age classes. The lignification during ageing was studied topochemically by means of cellular UV microspectrophotometry. A combination of light microscopy and image analysis techniques were used to measure cell wall thickness. KEY RESULTS: The fibre and parenchyma cell wall thickness does not significantly increase during ageing. In the diaphragm, the cell walls are thinner and the cell diameter is larger than in the outer part of the node. In shoots, the lignin content in the epidermis, hypodermis and in both fibre and parenchyma cells of the diaphragm is relatively low compared with older culms. The fibre and parenchyma cells of the diaphragm have higher values of p-coumaric and ferulic acids than fibre and parenchyma cells of the outer part of the node. CONCLUSIONS: It was hypothesized that the combination of more hydroxycinnamic acids and of thinner cell walls in combination with higher cell diameters (lower density and lower stiffness) in the diaphragm than in the outer part of the node may play an important role in the biomechanical function of the node by acting as a spring-like joint to support the culm by bending forces.     

Perforated pit membranes in imperforate tracheary elements of some angiosperms

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The structure of pit membranes in angiosperms has not been fully examined and our understanding about the structure is incomplete. Therefore, this study aims to illustrate the micromorphology of pit membranes in fibres and tracheids of woody species from various families. METHODS: Specimens from ten species from ten genera and eight families were prepared using two techniques and examined by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. KEY RESULTS: Interfibre pit membranes with an average diameter of <4 microm were frequently perforated or appeared to be very porous. In contrast, pit membranes in imperforate tracheary elements with distinctly bordered pits and an average diameter of >or=4 microm were homogeneous and densely packed with microfibrils. These differences were observed consistently not only among species but also within a single species in which different types of imperforate tracheary elements were present. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the structure of interfibre pit membranes differs among cell types and the differences are closely associated with the specialization of the fibre cells. It is suggested that perforated pit membranes between specialized fibres contribute to the dehydration of the fibre cells at or soon after maturation.     

Structure-function relationships in highly modified shoots of cactaceae

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cacti are extremely diverse structurally and ecologically, and so modified as to be intimidating to many biologists. Yet all have the same organization as most dicots, none differs fundamentally from Arabidopsis or other model plants. This review explains cactus shoot structure, discusses relationships between structure, ecology, development and evolution, and indicates areas where research on cacti is necessary to test general theories of morphogenesis. SCOPE: Cactus leaves are diverse; all cacti have foliage leaves; many intermediate stages in evolutionary reduction of leaves are still present; floral shoots often have large, complex leaves whereas vegetative shoots have microscopic leaves. Spines are modified bud scales, some secrete sugar as extra-floral nectaries. Many cacti have juvenile/adult phases in which the flowering adult phase (a cephalium) differs greatly from the juvenile; in some, one side of a shoot becomes adult, all other sides continue to grow as the juvenile phase. Flowers are inverted: the exterior of a cactus 'flower' is a hollow vegetative shoot with internodes, nodes, leaves and spines, whereas floral organs occur inside, with petals physically above stamens. Many cacti have cortical bundles vascularizing the cortex, however broad it evolves to be, thus keeping surface tissues alive. Great width results in great weight of weak parenchymatous shoots, correlated with reduced branching. Reduced numbers of shoot apices is compensated by great increases in number of meristematic cells within individual SAMs. Ribs and tubercles allow shoots to swell without tearing during wet seasons. Shoot epidermis and cortex cells live and function for decades then convert to cork cambium. Many modifications permit water storage within cactus wood itself, adjacent to vessels.     

牛膝根的发育解剖学研究

应用植物解剖学方法研究了牛膝(Achyranthes bidentataBlume.)根的发育过程.研究结果表明,牛膝根的发育包括原分生组织、初生分生组织、初生结构、次生结构和三生生长5个发育阶段.原分生组织具有典型分生组织的细胞特征;初生分生组织包括根冠原、表皮原、皮层原和中柱原;初生结构由表皮、皮层和中柱组成.其内皮层细胞上凯氏带明显.初生木质部多为二原型;次生结构从外到内由周皮和次生维管组织组成,其木栓形成层由中柱鞘细胞恢复分裂能力而形成,次生结构中,次生维管组织占主要地位;牛膝根的进一步加粗主要是由于三生结构的发生和分化.第一圈额外形成层产生于次生韧皮部外侧的薄壁组织细胞和射线细胞,以后的每一圈由前一圈向外衍生的薄壁组织细胞产生.额外形成层无纺锤状原始细胞和射线原始细胞之分,在切向纵切面上呈叠生排列.三生维管束以离心方式排列成整齐的同心环状,由薄壁结合组织将其彼此分开,其圈数与额外形成层的圈数是一致的,随着根的个体发育而不断增加.     

羽叶薰衣草表皮毛的发育解剖学研究

对羽叶薰衣草(LavandulapinnataL.)茎和叶上两种表皮毛(腺毛和非腺毛)发育的解剖学观察表明,两者的发生都源于茎或叶的原表皮细胞,但外部形态、发育过程及功能明显不同。腺毛有头状腺毛和盾状腺毛两种类型,均由1个基细胞、1个柄细胞和头部细胞构成。头状腺毛的头部只有1个或2个分泌细胞,盾状腺毛由8个分泌细胞构成头部。非腺毛由3-20个细胞组成,可分为三种类型:单列不分枝、二叉分枝和三叉及三叉以上多分枝的树状分枝。非腺毛的顶部细胞由基部到顶部逐渐变细,先端成尖形。腺毛发育由原表皮细胞经两次平周分裂形成,由于柄细胞和头部细胞所处的分化状态不同而发育成两类腺毛。非腺毛由非腺毛原始细胞经二次或多次平周分裂和不均等分裂,再发育成数个至二十多个子细胞。     

Growth reactions of Pinus sylvestris L. and Quercus pubescens Willd. to drought years at a xeric site in Valais, Switzerland

In Valais, an inner-Alpine dry valley in Switzerland, low-elevation Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests are changing. While pine shows high mortality rates, deciduous species, in particular pubescent oak (Quercus pubescens Willd.), are becoming more abundant. We hypothesise that increasing drought and the species-specific drought tolerance are key factors in these processes. In this study, the growth reaction to drought years of pine and oak growing at a xeric site in Valais was analysed using dendrochronological and wood anatomical methods. Congruent with theoretical expectations, the tree-ring widths of both species, the mean lumen area of earlywood vessels in oak and the number of tracheids in a radial row in pine decreased in response to dry conditions. However, both species also showed reactions deviating from those known from mesic sites: In oak, the mean lumen area of latewood vessels increased in drought years. In pine, in the driest year of the period (1976), the mean radial diameter increased in latewood and decreased only slightly in earlywood. These results emphasises that the process of wood formation and cell functionality at xeric sites is not completely understood yet. Both species seem to have difficulties to adapt the size of their water-conducting cells to strongly reduced water availability in drought years. Additionally, the cell number is strongly reduced. Thus it remains unclear if both species can maintain sufficient water transport under increasingly dry conditions.     

两种寄生植物营养器官结构的研究

研究了槲寄生和北桑寄生茎、叶和吸器的结构,结果表明：槲寄生三年生茎稍肉质化,无周皮,有极厚的角质层;皮层有7个纤维束,薄壁组织发达;木质部中亦含有大量薄壁组织;韧皮部发达;簇晶及大量粘稠物质在茎中广泛分布。槲寄生叶肉质化,厚1.44 mm; 角质层发达,厚度为9.06～13.4 μm;叶肉无栅栏组织和海绵组织的分化。北桑寄生茎与正常木本植物茎的结构相似,木质部为典型的环孔材;韧皮部含有石细胞;髓部细胞壁厚,单纹孔明显。北桑寄生叶较薄,叶脉发达,无栅栏组织和海绵组织的分化。两种植物的吸器结构相似,由薄壁组织和螺纹导管组成,它们的螺纹导管长度相同,但槲寄生导管的直径是北桑寄生的2.5倍。     

Human osseous intervertebral foramen width

Alterations of the width of the human intervertebral foramen can play a pathophysiological role in low back pain. Osseous dimensions of the human intervertebral foramen are rarely recorded. Therefore, we present reference data obtained from skeletal samples of known lifestyle, population affinity, sex, and age at death. Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae of functional transition zones of 71 macroscopically normal spines from early 19th century AD Swiss burial sites were selected. The intervertebral foramen widths (IFW) were analyzed with respect to possible lateralization and the impact of sex, individual age, and stature. Neither a significant side difference nor a correlation of IFW with individual age or stature could be found. Females show somewhat larger IFW than males, especially in the lumbar region. Data comparisons with earlier studies are limited due to methodological differences and possible interpopulational variations. Furthermore, the osseous intervertebral foramen only reveals a glimpse of the clinically relevant in vivo structure. Nevertheless, more focus on the osseous dimensions of the intervertebral foramen will provide baseline data of this important anatomical landmark. These data could also explore the peculiarities of the intervertebral foramen, such as its reverse sex dimorphism.     

Calycine colleters of seven species of Apocynaceae (Apocynoideae) from Brazil

The structure and organization of calycine colleters belonging to four genera of Apocynaceae are described. Calycine colleters were found in all species. All colleters had the same histological composition, but morphological differences were observed in four species. Most colleters were of the standard type, and possible deviations resulted in three morphological types: bifurcated, laminar, and sessile. Mechanisms of cell separation, proliferation, and elongation may explain the origin of the new types. As a consequence of morphological changes, the secretory surface was expanded in the bifurcated, laminar, and sessile glands. Most colleters were in a post-secretory phase, but a hydrophilic secretion was observed in Mandevilla pycnantha and Mesechites mansoana . A larger secretory surface, together with the extension of the secretory phase in adult flowers, were major shifts in the calycine colleters of Apocynaceae, and are possibly correlated with the functional and ecological aspects of these organs. Three patterns of distribution of calycine colleters were observed: alternate, opposite, or indefinitely distributed. The alternate pattern was not homogeneous, and three subtypes were recognized: four-, five-, and ten-grouped colleters. The number of calycine colleters was variable between taxa and even within the same species.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 152 , 387–398.