Identifying the pathways for foliar water uptake in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.): a major role for trichomes.

Autor: Schreel JDM; Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium., Leroux O; Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000, Ghent, Belgium., Goossens W; Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium., Brodersen C; School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA., Rubinstein A; School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA., Steppe K; Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology [Plant J] 2020 Jul; Vol. 103 (2), pp. 769-780. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 May 03.
DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14770
Abstrakt: Foliar water uptake (FWU), the direct uptake of water into leaves, is a global phenomenon, having been observed in an increasing number of plant species. Despite the growing recognition of its functional relevance, our understanding of how FWU occurs and which foliar surface structures are implicated, is limited. In the present study, fluorescent and ionic tracers, as well as microcomputed tomography, were used to assess potential pathways for water entry in leaves of beech, a widely distributed tree species from European temperate regions. Although none of the tracers entered the leaf through the stomatal pores, small amounts of silver precipitation were observed in some epidermal cells, indicating moderate cuticular uptake. Trichomes, however, were shown to absorb and redistribute considerable amounts of ionic and fluorescent tracers. Moreover, microcomputed tomography indicated that 72% of empty trichomes refilled during leaf surface wetting and microscopic investigations revealed that trichomes do not have a cuticle but are covered with a pectin-rich cell wall layer. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that foliar trichomes, which exhibit strong hygroscopic properties as a result of their structural and chemical design, constitute a major FWU pathway in beech.
(© 2020 Society for Experimental Biology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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