Resistance and capacity in the thallus of Marchantia polymorpha

Calculations of the resistance r and capacity c of cell membrances and the resistancer ₁ of cell interiors of a community of cells in Marchantia polymorpha L. thalli are presented. These parameters of a multicellular system were determined by the adaptation of methods employed for the calculation of the resistance and capacity of single cells. The obtained results indicate that such a procedure is justified. A generally accepted resistance-capacity model of the cell was used as a basis for the determination of r, c, and r₁ (representing membrane resistance, membrane capacity, and resistance of cell interior, respectively). The calculations were based on measurements of impedance and phase shift within the frequency range of 5 Hz-1000 Hz. Stainless steel plates were employed as the measuring electrodes; polarization resistance and capacity were determined by separate measurements. The calculations confirmed the assumption that the parameters r, c, and r₁ were constant within the investigated frequency range.
The calculations of resistance and capacity for 25 plants were constant within the investigated frequency range. The calculations of resistance and capacity for 25 plants were carried out by four different methods and they yielded results of the order of : r = 0.45 kΩ± 0.15 kΩ, r₁= 1.0 kΩ± 0.45 kΩ, c = 11 μF ± 3.5 μF. Circular diagrams of impedance also confirmed the validity of the accepted model within the frequency range of 25–300 Hz.