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Seasonal dimorphism and winter chilling stress in Thymus sibthorpii

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  • Published:
Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

Seasonal dimorphism (summer/winter) has been so far studied only in a few plants and has been focused on summer drought stress. However, Thymus sibthorpii in the study area appears to be affected by winter chilling stress and not by summer drought stress. Thus, the winter leaves were thicker and more compact compared to the summer leaves and they had more stomata and peltate hairs, more sclerenchymatous fibers, vacuoles with phenolics, and chloroplasts than the summer leaves. In addition, their chloroplasts possessed large grana and starch grains. In the summer leaves, cell vacuoles in mesophyll did not contain phenolics, and chloroplasts were devoid of starch grains and had large plastoglobuli. Physiological measurements revealed higher net photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content in the winter leaves than in the summer leaves. Proline and soluble sugar content along with antioxidative enzyme (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase) activities were increased in the winter leaves.

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Abbreviations

APX:

ascorbate peroxidase

Chl:

chlorophyll

E:

transpiration rate

GR:

glutathione reductase

gs :

stomatal conductance

LM:

light microscopy

PN:

net photosynthetic rate

POD:

peroxidase

SEM:

scanning electron microscopy

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

TEM:

transmission electron microscopy

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, School of Biology, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, GR-54124, Greece

    V. Lianopoulou & A. M. Bosabalidis

  2. Department of Natural Resources and Enterprise Management, University of Ioannina, Agrinio, GR-30100, Greece

    A. Patakas

Authors
  1. V. Lianopoulou
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  2. A. Patakas
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  3. A. M. Bosabalidis
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Correspondence to A. M. Bosabalidis.

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Lianopoulou, V., Patakas, A. & Bosabalidis, A.M. Seasonal dimorphism and winter chilling stress in Thymus sibthorpii . Biol Plant 58, 139–146 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-013-0371-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-013-0371-8

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