Abstract Detail

Ecophysiology

Chatelet, David [1], Donoghue, Michael [2], Sack, Lawren [3], Clement, Wendy [2], Edwards, Erika [1].

Palisade anatomy and photosynthesis in Viburnum (Adoxaceae).

The woody angiosperm clade Viburnum (Adoxaceae) contains about 170 species found mainly in temperate forests throughout the northern hemisphere, but with a number of species in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia and South America. Viburnums are mostly understory plants and are deciduous, but some of them are evergreen. We cross-sectioned leaves of 86 species of Viburnum and characterized their basic anatomical structure, including palisade and spongy mesophyll thickness layers, the amount of intercellular air space, and cuticular properties. During this process, we re-discovered rare and oddly shaped cells in the palisade parenchyma of some Viburnum species. These "H-shaped arm-palisade" cells were first described in Viburnum (and a handful of other angiosperms) by G. Haberlandt in 1884. For a subset of taxa, we modeled photosynthetic capacity based on a simple model of CO2 diffusion, and compared these values with those measured in the field. We discuss the functional ramifications of "H-cells for leaf gas exchange and light use efficiency, and explore evolutionary correlations between the occurrence of this cell type and other organismal and environmental traits.

Broader Impacts:

1 - Brown University, Department Of Ecology And Evolutionary Biology, 80 Waterman St Box G-W, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
2 - Yale University, Department Of Ecology And Evolutionary Biology, YALE UNIV-PO BOX 208105, New Haven, CT, 06520-8105, USA
3 - UCLA, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

Keywords:
Viburnum
Leaf
palisade parenchyma
spongy mesophyll
photosynthetic capacity.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 23
Location: Fayette/Hyatt
Date: Tuesday, July 10th, 2012
Time: 8:30 AM
Number: 23003
Abstract ID:958