Leaf structure affects a plant's appearance: combined multiple-mechanisms intensify remarkable foliar variegation.

J Plant Res

Department of Life Sciences and Center for Global Change Biology, National Chung Hsing University, 250, Kuo Kuang Rd., Taichung, 402, Taiwan, Republic of China.

Published: March 2017

AI Article Synopsis

  • Foliar variegation in plants, particularly in juvenile Blastus cochinchinensis, challenges traditional views on leaf structure and function, highlighting the need for proper identification and interpretation.
  • The study examined structural differences and chlorophyll properties between variegated and non-variegated leaves, revealing five mechanisms (including new ones) that contribute to variegation in Blastus, along with functional chloroplasts in all leaf types.
  • Findings from Blastus may indicate that combined mechanisms of variegation are more common in plants than previously thought, suggesting complex adaptations to optimize photosynthesis and meet changing environmental demands.

Article Abstract

The presence of foliar variegation challenges perceptions of leaf form and functioning. But variegation is often incorrectly identified and misinterpreted. The striking variegation found in juvenile Blastus cochinchinensis (Melastomataceae) provides an instructive case study of mechanisms and their ecophysiological implications. Variegated (white and green areas, vw and vg) and non-variegated leaves (normal green leaves, ng) of seedlings of Blastus were compared structurally with microtechniques, and characterized for chlorophyll content and fluorescence. More limited study of Sonerila heterostemon (Melastomataceae) and Kaempferia pulchra (Zingiberaceae) tested the generality of the findings. Variegation in Blastus combines five mechanisms: epidermal, air space, upper mesophyll, chloroplast and crystal, the latter two being new mechanisms. All mesophyll cells (vw, vg, ng) have functional chloroplasts with dense thylakoids. The vw areas are distinguished by flatter adaxial epidermal cells and central trichomes containing crystals, the presence of air spaces between the adaxial epidermis and a colorless spongy-like upper mesophyll containing smaller and fewer chloroplasts. The vw area is further distinguished by having the largest spongy-tissue chloroplasts and fewer stomata. Both leaf types have similar total chlorophyll content and similar  F /F (maximum quantum yield of PSII), but vg has significantly higher F /F than ng. Variegation in Sonerila and Kaempferia is also caused by combined mechanisms, including the crystal type in Kaempferia. This finding of combined mechanisms in three different species suggests that combined mechanisms may occur more commonly in nature than current understanding. The combined mechanisms in Blastus variegated leaves represent intricate structural modifications that may compensate for and minimize photosynthetic loss, and reflect changing plant needs.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10265-016-0890-4DOI Listing

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