Abstract
The ultrastructure of the leaf epidermis and the localization and content of silicon in epidermal cells of the psammophyte Alyssum desertorum Stapf (Brassicaceae) were investigated using electron microscopy and laser confocal microscopy. The study aimed to examine the effect of flooding on the epidermal structure of the leaves, study the presence, localization, and content of silicon in the epidermal cells and determine whether changes in soil moisture affect the silicon content in the leaf epidermis. Silicon inclusions were observed in trichomes and typical epidermal cells on both leaf surfaces, with varying content depending on the cell type, leaf surface, and conditions growth. Soil flooding was found to influence the leaf epidermis ultrastructure and the silicon content in the epidermal cells of A. desertorum. Trichomes and pavement cells were identified as the main accumulators of silicon inclusions and wax-like structures. These findings suggest that changes in leaf microstructure and silicon content contribute to the normal functioning of psammophyte plants and can be considered signs of plant phenotypic plasticity and adaptive markers depending on water supply conditions.
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Data Availability
These data are the result of experiments carried out in the laboratory during the implementation of the project N 453.
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Acknowledgements
The author thanks Dr. D. Dubina for providing Alyssum desertorum plant seeds for the study and Dr. D. Klimchuk for help during scanning electron microscopy of the samples.
Funding
The research in our department is supported by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The research was carried out at the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy of the Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; No. 0120U000023, a state registration number; and theme No. 467, “Cellular and molecular mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity of psammophytes and helophytes under different water regime conditions” (2020–2024).
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Nedukha, O. Micromorphology and silicon of the leaf epidermis in the psammophyte Alyssum desertorum are sensitive to soil flooding. Protoplasma (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-024-01940-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-024-01940-3