Cell expansion not cell differentiation predominantly co-ordinates veins and stomata within and among herbs and woody angiosperms grown under sun and shade.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

It has been proposed that modification of leaf size, driven by epidermal cell size, balances leaf water supply (determined by veins) with transpirational demand (generated by stomata) during acclimation to local irradiance. We aimed to determine whether this is a general pattern among plant species with contrasting growth habits.

Methods

We compared observed relationships between leaf minor vein density, stomatal density, epidermal cell size and leaf size in four pairs of herbs and woody species from the same families grown under sun and shade conditions with modelled relationships assuming vein and stomatal densities respond passively to epidermal cell expansion. Leaf lignin content was also quantified to assess whether construction costs of herbaceous l

SUBMITTER: Carins Murphy MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5963197 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature