Pereira MP, Corrêa FF, de Castro EM, de Oliveira JPV, Pereira FJ. Leaf ontogeny of Schinus molle L. plants under cadmium contamination: the meristematic origin of leaf structural changes.
Protoplasma 2017;
254:2117-2126. [PMID:
28343257 DOI:
10.1007/s00709-017-1103-2]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Previous works show the development of thicker leaves on tolerant plants growing under cadmium (Cd2+) contamination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Cd2+ effects on the leaf meristems of the tolerant species Schinus molle. Plants were grown in nutrient solution containing 0, 10, and 50 μM of Cd2+. Anatomical analysis was performed on leaf primordia sampled at regular time intervals. Under the lowest Cd2+ level (10 μM), increased ground meristem thickness, diameter of the cells, cell elongation rate, and leaf dry mass were found. However, 50 μM of Cd2+ reduced all these variables. In addition, the ground meristem cells became larger when exposed to any Cd2+ level. The epidermis, palisade parenchyma, and vascular tissues developed earlier in Cd2+-exposed leaves. The modifications found on the ground meristem may be related to the development of thicker leaves on S. molle plants exposed to low Cd2+ levels. Furthermore, older leaves showed higher Cd2+ content when compared to the younger ones, preventing the Cd2+ toxicity to these leaves. Thus, low Cd2+ concentrations change the ground meristem structure and function reflecting on the development of thicker and enhanced leaves.
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