scholarly journals Leaf cuticle analyses: implications for the existence of cutan/non-ester cutin and its biosynthetic origin

2020 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Leide ◽  
Klaas G J Nierop ◽  
Ann-Christin Deininger ◽  
Simona Staiger ◽  
Markus Riederer ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Aims The cuticle of a limited number of plant species contains cutan, a chemically highly resistant biopolymer. As yet, the biosynthesis of cutan is not fully understood. Attempting to further unravel the origin of cutan, we analysed the chemical composition of enzymatically isolated cuticular membranes of Agave americana leaves. Methods Cuticular waxes were extracted with organic solvents. Subsequently, the dewaxed cuticular membrane was depolymerized by acid-catalysed transesterification yielding cutin monomers and cutan, a non-hydrolysable, cuticular membrane residue. The cutan matrix was analysed by thermal extraction, flash pyrolysis and thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation to elucidate the monomeric composition and deduce a putative biosynthetic origin. Key Results According to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analyses, the cuticular waxes of A. americana contained primarily very-long-chain alkanoic acids and primary alkanols dominated by C32, whereas the cutin biopolyester of A. americana mainly consisted of 9,10-epoxy ω-hydroxy and 9,10,ω-trihydroxy C18 alkanoic acids. The main aliphatic cutan monomers were alkanoic acids, primary alkanols, ω-hydroxy alkanoic acids and alkane-α,ω-diols ranging predominantly from C28 to C34 and maximizing at C32. Minor contributions of benzene-1,3,5-triol and derivatives suggested that these aromatic moieties form the polymeric core of cutan, to which the aliphatic moieties are linked via ester and possibly ether bonds. Conclusions High similarity of aliphatic moieties in the cutan and the cuticular wax component indicated a common biosynthetic origin. In order to exclude species-specific peculiarities of A. americana and to place our results in a broader context, cuticular waxes, cutin and cutan of Clivia miniata, Ficus elastica and Prunus laurocerasus leaves were also investigated. A detailed comparison showed compositional and structural differences, indicated that cutan was only found in leaves of perennial evergreen A. americana and C. miniata, and made clear that the phenomenon of cutan is possibly less present in plant species than suggested in the literature.

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (21) ◽  
pp. 3826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soyol Dashbaldan ◽  
Rafał Becker ◽  
Cezary Pączkowski ◽  
Anna Szakiel

Cuticular waxes are primarily composed of two classes of lipids: compounds derived from very-long-chain fatty acids and isoprenoids, particularly triterpenoids and steroids. Isoprenoids can occur in cuticular waxes in high amounts, dominating the mixture of aliphatic long-chain hydrocarbons, while in other plants they are found in trace concentrations. Triterpenoids occurring in fruit cuticular waxes are of interest due to their potential role in the protection against biotic stresses, including pathogen infections, and their impact on the mechanical toughness of the fruit surface, maintaining fruit integrity, and post-harvest quality. The aim of the present study was the determination of the changes in the triterpenoid profile of the fruit cuticular waxes of four plant species bearing edible berries: Vaccinium myrtillus, V. vitis-idaea, and Arbutus unedo of the Ericaceae and the edible honeysuckle Lonicera caerulea of the Caprifoliaceae. Triterpenoids were identified and quantified by GC-MS/FID (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/flame ionization detection) at three different phenological stages: young berries, berries at the onset of ripening, and mature berries. During fruit development and maturation, the triterpenoid content in cuticular waxes displayed species-specific patterns of changes. The steroid content seemed to be directly correlated with the developmental stage, with a very typical point of transition between growth and ripening being observed in all the fruit analyzed in this study.


Holzforschung ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Conde ◽  
M. C. García-Vallejo ◽  
E. Cadahía

Summary The chemical composition of suberin was studied in cork planks from three different trees of Spanish Quercus suber at four different stages of the industrial processing of first transformation: stripping (a), first rest (b), boiling followed by open air rest (c1) and boiling followed by store-room rest (c2). The monomeric composition was determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in the product of depolymerization of the free of extractives cork with sodium methoxide-methanol. The average concentrations of the main monomers were: 1-alkanols (C20–C26) 4.17 %; alkanoic acids (C20–C26) 5.99%; α, ω-alkanedioic acids (C16–C24) 6.20%; ω-hydroxy-alkanoic acids (C20–C26) 29.41%; erythro and threo-9,10-dihydroxyoctadecanedioic acids 6.76%, erythro- and threo-9,10,18-trihydroxyoctadecanoic acids 9.50%, 9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid 2.72% and 9,10-epoxy-octadecanedioic acid 2.93% and ferulic acid 5.05%. Significant differences were observed between samples taken at the stripping and after boiling with store room rest, and both groups of samples differed from those picked after the other two processing stages. Ten components were selected as providing the greatest discrimination among stages: 9-octadecenedioic, 18-hydroxy-9-octadecenoic, eicosanedioic and 9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxy-octadecanoic acids, tetracosanol, and five unidentified components.


2013 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano BERTUZZI ◽  
Mauro TRETIACH

AbstractThe effects of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) on five lichens with different photobionts, ecology, and tolerance to the pollutant were studied by means of samples exposed in closed chambers containing two known H2S solutions. The H2S concentration in the void volume at equilibrium with the liquid phase was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, combined with the use of solid phase micro extraction (GC/MS SPME). It was determined as 8 and 28 ppm H2S in the absence of lichen material, andc. 2 and 10 ppm H2S respectively with living lichen material inserted for 8 hours in the exposure chambers. Significant differences in the species-specific emission of chlorophyllafluorescence (ChlaF) were observed, with a pronounced depression ofFv/Fmalready detectable after 2 h exposure at 28 ppm H2S in all the species. The decreased intensity was positively correlated to sample surface and, to a lesser extent, to the species-specific pre-exposureFv/Fmvalue. Dark-exposed samples were less affected than light-exposed ones. All four chlorolichens could recover the pre-exposure ChlaF emission after two days in the absence of H2S, both in the light and in the dark, whereas the cyanolichen did not recover when kept in the dark. The results are thoroughly discussed on the basis of the known action mechanisms of H2S on the photosynthetic apparatus of vascular plants and cyanobacteria.


The logarithm of island area accounts for 70 % of the variance in the number of plant species occurring on 100 lagoon islands. Two components of island altitude (altitude of the island rim and the logarithm of the island’s inland altitude) are also of importance, and account for 9 % of the variation in species numbers. A further 13 variables account for only an extra 5 % of the variance in the mixed model. These results resemble the findings of other island studies. In the equation S = K A z , z = 0.345 and falls within the range of expected values. The species-area curve gives little indication of the ‘small island effect’ found for other small islands; this may reflect, among other factors, the richness of the Aldabran flora when compared with those of the small island ecosystems already studied. The curve is also compared with that compiled by Williams (1964) and a discrepancy between the two is discussed. Woody plants are largely responsible for the increase of species numbers with increasing area. Species that are restricted to islands of particular sizes are listed and the characteristics of the frequencies of occurrence of the more common species are summarized.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Ballantyne ◽  
Katherine C. R. Baldock ◽  
Luke Rendell ◽  
P. G. Willmer

AbstractAccurate predictions of pollination service delivery require a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between plants and flower visitors. To improve measurements of pollinator performance underlying such predictions, we surveyed visitation frequency, pollinator effectiveness (pollen deposition ability) and pollinator importance (the product of visitation frequency and effectiveness) of flower visitors in a diverse Mediterranean flower meadow. With these data we constructed the largest pollinator importance network to date and compared it with the corresponding visitation network to estimate the specialisation of the community with greater precision. Visitation frequencies at the community level were positively correlated with the amount of pollen deposited during individual visits, though rarely correlated at lower taxonomic resolution. Bees had the highest levels of pollinator effectiveness, with Apis, Andrena, Lasioglossum and Osmiini bees being the most effective visitors to a number of plant species. Bomblyiid flies were the most effective non-bee flower visitors. Predictions of community specialisation (H2′) were higher in the pollinator importance network than the visitation network, mirroring previous studies. Our results increase confidence in existing measures of pollinator redundancy at the community level using visitation data, while also providing detailed information on interaction quality at the plant species level.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0237894
Author(s):  
Amy E. Kendig ◽  
Vida J. Svahnström ◽  
Ashish Adhikari ◽  
Philip F. Harmon ◽  
S. Luke Flory

Infectious diseases and invasive species can be strong drivers of biological systems that may interact to shift plant community composition. For example, disease can modify resource competition between invasive and native species. Invasive species tend to interact with a diversity of native species, and it is unclear how native species differ in response to disease-mediated competition with invasive species. Here, we quantified the biomass responses of three native North American grass species (Dichanthelium clandestinum, Elymus virginicus, and Eragrostis spectabilis) to disease-mediated competition with the non-native invasive grass Microstegium vimineum. The foliar fungal pathogen Bipolaris gigantea has recently emerged in Microstegium populations, causing a leaf spot disease that reduces Microstegium biomass and seed production. In a greenhouse experiment, we examined the effects of B. gigantea inoculation on two components of competitive ability for each native species: growth in the absence of competition and biomass responses to increasing densities of Microstegium. Bipolaris gigantea inoculation affected each of the three native species in unique ways, by increasing (Dichanthelium), decreasing (Elymus), or not changing (Eragrostis) their growth in the absence of competition relative to mock inoculation. Bipolaris gigantea inoculation did not, however, affect Microstegium biomass or mediate the effect of Microstegium density on native plant biomass. Thus, B. gigantea had species-specific effects on native plant competition with Microstegium through species-specific biomass responses to B. gigantea inoculation, but not through modified responses to Microstegium density. Our results suggest that disease may uniquely modify competitive interactions between invasive and native plants for different native plant species.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Andreevich Kerchev

Stridulatory signals are involved in conspecific interactions between bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae). In this study, we compared the qualitative profiles of acoustic signals in three species from the genus Polygraphus Er. Sympatry can be periodically observed in two of them – P. proximus and P. subopacus. Sporadically they occur on the same plants. P. nigrielytris colonize distinctly different host plant species; however, on the island of Sakhalin it inhabits the same biotopes. The purpose of the study is to identify species-specific parameters and the extent of differences in stridulatory signals of these species. Airborne signals produced during the contact of males of the same species were experimentally recorded. Among tested parameters of stridulatory signals, as the most species-specific were noted: chirp duration, interchirp interval, number of tooth-strikes per chirp, and intertooth-strike interval.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamuna S ◽  
Subhasree R ◽  
Karthika K ◽  
Paulsamy S ◽  
Thenmozhi K

The present study was aimed at documenting species composition, utilization and conservation of plant species growing in home gardens of 10 residential areas of Coimbatore city, India. Household interviews and home garden surveys revealed that all the 109 plant species included in 60 families included have someeconomic uses or with ornamental significance. Higher number of species was herbs followed by shrubs, trees, climbers, succulent herbs, vines and sub-shrubs. The families viz., Asteraceae, Apocynaceae and Acanthaceae contributed higher number of plant species than the other families to the home gardens. Thespecies namely, Celosia cristata, Chrysanthemum odoratum and Ocimum basilicum have registered 50% frequency among the home gardens sampled which indicates that these species have distributed and maintained in comparatively higher number of home gardens. The home garden species are mainly under thecategories of vegetables, fruits, ornamentals, economic important species and medicinal. These results further report revealed that homegardens satisfy various household needs like food, ornamentals, medicines, building material, religious and ceremonial uses.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256183
Author(s):  
Bora Shin ◽  
Jae-Young Lee ◽  
Nang-Hee Kim ◽  
Sei-Woong Choi

We examined the relationship between resource abundance and the feeding activity of phytophagous insects on three common island plants. The aim was to investigate the correlation between phytophagous insects’ abundance and availability of food and island geography. We collected 30,835 leaves from three tree species groups (Mallotus japonicus, Prunus species, and Quercus species) on 18 islands in southwest Korea. The number of plant resources for herbivores varied: the number of leaves per shoot was the highest in Mallotus, leaf weight and the water content per leaf was significantly lower in Quercus species. External feeding was higher for Prunus and Quercus species, whereas the internal feeding type was significantly higher for Quercus species. Geography (area and distance), elevation and food resource (elevation, number of plant species, and the forest cover rate) had a variable effect on phytophagous insects feeding activities: distance and the number of plant species were more explainable to the external feeding guild. In contrast, area and forest cover were more to the internal feeding guild.


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