Summary
In order to investigate the nature of the tolerance of mesophytes and hydrophytes to root anaerobiosis, changes in the mitochondrial ultrastructure of excised roots (with and without added glucose under anoxia) were studied in plants from two ecologically opposite types-pumpkin and rice.
A 12-hour exposure to anoxia led to mitochondrial degradation in roots of adult rice and pumpkin plants. The addition of glucose preserved cell ultrastructure for up to 72–96 hours. During this period mitochondrial ultrastructure changed. In rice roots this primarily involved an increased number of cristae and a change in their arrangement into parallel rows. Cells of pumpkin roots displayed long mitochondria (up to 55 Μm) of different profiles which fused to form a complex mitochondrial network that was in close association with parts of the endoplasmic reticulum carrying a large number of ribosomes. This may be regarded as an adaptive development that facilitates the transport of glycolytic energy along mitochondrial membranes to the sites of protein synthesis.
It is concluded that root cells of a hydrophyte are not more tolerant to anoxia than mesophyte. Thus, the ability of hydrophytes to grow on anaerobic soils should be attributed not so much to peculiar features of the roots' metabolism but to the ability of these plants to perform an easy transport of O2 from leaves to roots. With respect to mesophytes it is stressed that the supply of assimilates is important for the resistance of roots to soil anaerobiosis.
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Vartapetian, B.B., Andreeva, I.N., Kozlova, G.I. et al. Mitochondrial ultrastructure in roots of mesophyte and hydrophyte at anoxia and after glucose feeding. Protoplasma 91, 243–256 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01281949
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01281949