Ecophysiological responses of homoiochlorophyllous and poikilochlorophyllous desiccation tolerant plants: a comparison and an ecological perspective

There is an apparently stark contrast in ecophysiological adaptation between the poikilochlorophyllous desiccation-tolerant (PDT) angiosperm Xerophyta scabrida and homoichlorophyllous desiccation-tolerant (HDT) lichens and bryophytes. We summarise measurements on Xerophyta and on the temperate dry-grassland lichen Cladonia convoluta and the moss Tortula ruralis through a cycle of desiccation and rehydration. Considered in a broad ecological and evolutionary context, desiccation tolerance in general can be seen as evading some of the usual problems of drought stress, and these plants as particular instances drawn from an essentially continuous spectrum of adaptive possibilities – related on the one hand to the physical scale of the plants, and on the other to the time-scale of wetting and drying episodes.     

逐步提高培养基蔗糖浓度诱导的黄皮胚轴耐脱水性与细胞超微结构的变化

黄皮胚轴在蔗糖浓度按27%→50%→60%递增的WPM培养基中培养后耐脱水性显著提高,大部分胚轴脱水至含水量为18.8%时仍具有再生植株的能力.超微结构观察表明,对照下胚轴的细胞在脱水至36.3%含水量时质膜和液泡解体,叶绿体和线粒体崩溃.而经蔗糖逐步加浓培养的胚轴脱水至35.2%含水量时,大部分细胞发生质壁分离,细胞质稠密,叶绿体内部的淀粉粒变大;脱水至18.8%时细胞质壁分离加剧,大部分叶绿体和线粒体局部损伤.脱水至18.8%的胚轴重新吸胀4 d后细胞损伤被修复.     

种子顽拗性:最新评价

根据种子的脱水行为,可以把种子分为正常性、顽拗性和中间性种子三种类型.种子脱水耐性和脱水敏感性的鉴定是制定种子的贮藏策略和物种基因资源长期保存的依据.除了物种的内在特性外,种子的发育状态、脱水速率、脱水时和重新水合时的环境是影响种子脱水耐性的重要因子.种子的存活率、电解质渗漏速率和存活种子的萌发生长速率是衡量种子脱水耐性的良好的综合参数.种子的脱水耐性是一种数量性状,用"临界含水量"的概念来判断是不正确的,且在评价种子顽拗性中引起了一些混乱.本文还提出了一种全新的评价种子顽拗性的工作模式.     

九里香种子脱水耐性和萌发生理的研究

九里香种子自花后 42～ 77d,含水量和电导率逐渐降低 ,种子干重、发芽率、发芽指数和活力指数逐渐增加。硅胶脱水 1～ 6d后 ,种子含水量下降 1 0 %～ 3 5 % ,发芽率、发芽指数和活力指数均有不同程度的降低 ,不同发育时期九里香种子的脱水耐性有别 ,花后 42～ 70d不断增强 ,77d有所减弱。花后 70d的种子含水量降至 1 0 % ,种子发芽率无明显降低 ;含水量为 9%的种子在 4°C和 2 0°C的低温条件贮存 3 0d和 42d ,多数种子仍能萌发 ,这表明九里香种子是一种正常型种子。光照能促进种子的萌发 ;在 2 0～ 3 0°C、室温和 2 0 /3 0°C变温条件下种子萌发较好 ;光照和温度对种子萌发有单独影响 ,但又相互作用 ,同时光照对萌发的影响还与种子含水量有关。     

Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging Enzymes and Down-Adjustment of Metabolism Level in Mitochondria Associated with Desiccation-Tolerance Acquisition of Maize Embryo

It is a well-known fact that a mature seed can survive losing most of its water, yet how seeds acquire desiccation- tolerance is not well understood. Through sampling maize embryos of different developmental stages and comparatively studying the integrity, oxygen consumption rate and activities of antioxidant enzymes in the mitochondria, the main origin site of reactive oxygen species （ROS） production in seed cells, we found that before an embryo achieves desiccation-tolerance, its mitochondria shows a more active metabolism, and might produce more ROS and therefore need a more effective ROS scavenging system. However, embryo dehydration in this developmental stage declined the activities of most main antioxidant enzymes and accumulated thiobarbituric acid-reactive products in mitochondria, and then destroyed the structure and functional integrity of mitochondria. In physiologically-matured embryos （dehydration- tolerant）, mitochondria showed lower metabolism levels, and no decline in ROS scavenging enzyme activities and less accumulation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive products after embryo dehydration. These data indicate that seed desiccation- tolerance acquisition might be associated with down-adjustment of the metabolism level in the late development stage, resulting in less ROS production, and ROS scavenging enzymes becoming desiccation-tolerant and then ensuring the structure and functional integrity of mitochondria.