ISSN:
1365-3040
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract Stem chlorenchymatous cells from well-watered and water-stressed plants of Cissus quadrangularis L. were examined to evaluate the effect of drying on cell structure and metabolism. At a stem relative water content as low as 52-58%, cellular integrity was maintained, but some qualitative and quantitative alterations occurred. Chlorophyll coment was higher in stressed plants, and the intact photosynthetic apparatus exhibited an increased degree of thylakoid stacking paralleled by a lower chlorophyll a/h ratio. Overnight malate accumulation was very low. Starch was retained but its day/night fluctuation was practically suppressed. Plastosomes were smaller and fewer, and the range of their daily fluctuation was very reduced. Vacuoles underwent fragmentation and accumulated osmiophilic deposits. The maintenance of the cellular integrity accounts for the ability of C. quadrangularis to recover rapidly from water stress.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.1984.tb01563.x
