Native Amazonian Canga Grasses Show Distinct Nitrogen Growth Responses in Iron Mining Substrates

Native species may have adaptive traits that are advantageous for overcoming the adverse environmental conditions faced during the early stages of mine land rehabilitation. Here, we examined the nitrogen (N) growth responses of two native perennial grasses (Axonopus longispicus and Paspalum cinerascens) from canga in nutrient-poor iron mining substrates. We carried out vegetative propagation and recovered substantial healthy tillers from field-collected tussocks of both species. These tillers were cultivated in mining substrates at increasing N levels. The tillering rates of both species increased with the N application. Nonetheless, only in P. cinerascens did the N application result in significant biomass increase. Such growth gain was a result of changes in leaf pigment, stomatal morphology, gas exchanges, and nutrients absorption that occurred mainly under the low N additions. Reaching optimum growth at 80 mg N dm−3, these plants showed no differences from those in the field. Our study demonstrates that an input of N as fertilizer can differentially improve the growth of native grasses and that P. cinerascens plants are able to deposit high quantities of carbon and protect soil over the seasons, thus, making them promising candidates for restoring nutrient cycling, accelerating the return of other species and ecosystem services.

Integrating stomatal physiology and morphology: evolution of stomatal control and development of future crops

Stomata are central players in the hydrological and carbon cycles, regulating the uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) for photosynthesis and transpirative loss of water (H2O) between plants and the atmosphere. The necessity to balance water-loss and CO2-uptake has played a key role in the evolution of plants, and is increasingly important in a hotter and drier world. The conductance of CO2 and water vapour across the leaf surface is determined by epidermal and stomatal morphology (the number, size, and spacing of stomatal pores) and stomatal physiology (the regulation of stomatal pore aperture in response to environmental conditions). The proportion of the epidermis allocated to stomata and the evolution of amphistomaty are linked to the physiological function of stomata. Moreover, the relationship between stomatal density and [CO2] is mediated by physiological stomatal behaviour; species with less responsive stomata to light and [CO2] are most likely to adjust stomatal initiation. These differences in the sensitivity of the stomatal density—[CO2] relationship between species influence the efficacy of the ‘stomatal method’ that is widely used to infer the palaeo-atmospheric [CO2] in which fossil leaves developed. Many studies have investigated stomatal physiology or morphology in isolation, which may result in the loss of the ‘overall picture’ as these traits operate in a coordinated manner to produce distinct mechanisms for stomatal control. Consideration of the interaction between stomatal morphology and physiology is critical to our understanding of plant evolutionary history, plant responses to on-going climate change and the production of more efficient and climate-resilient food and bio-fuel crops.

Impact of colchicine on leaf morphology and stomatics of Kalanchoe tubiflora (Harv.) Raym.-Hamet (Crassulaceae)

The demand of medicinal plants for consumption is greatly increasing worldwide. The conventional breeding programs are generally dependent on the environment prone to biotic and abiotic stresses. These added to the low content of secondary metabolites at harvest, bring the need for artificial development of polyploid individuals as an alternative to increase productivity. Consequently, the present study evaluated the effect of different colchicine concentrations and exposure time, on Kalanchoe tubiflora leaf morphology and stomata. Initially, K. tubiflora seedlings were harvested and submitted to colchicine concentrations of 0, 0.025, 0.05 and 0.1 % and at two exposure times (24 and 48 hours). Subsequently, morphological measurements such as plant height, leaf width, leaves number, leaf length, leaf thickness and leaf volume every 15 days were made for 16 weeks after planting. Then, the stomata were characterized, taking into account the width, length, stomatal index and the number of chloroplasts per stoma. A significant increase in leaf morphology was found in colchicine treatments of 0.025 % at 48 h and 0.1 % at 24 h. A significant increase in stomatal morphology with the treatment of 0.025 % at 24 h was also recorded. This shows that the correct application of colchicine in term of quantity and time could produce greater growth in a short period and increase the biomass of K. tubiflora medicinal plant.

Recharacterisation of three Parasitodiplogaster species based on morphological and molecular profiles

Three previously described Parasitodiplogaster spp., P. nymphanema, P. obtusinema and P. trigonema were re-isolated from their type locality, Barro Colorado Island Research Station, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, in Panama. The re-isolated materials were morphologically observed to compare with the original descriptions and molecularly characterised by DNA sequences of the near-full-length small subunit and D2-D3 expansion segments of the large subunit of the ribosomal RNA genes. Although the male tail characters, i.e., arrangement of genital papillae and spicule and gubernaculum morphologies, were close to the original descriptions, a compressed stoma with two (right subventral and dorsal) teeth was observed for the first time and confirmed in the newly re-isolated materials. The molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that the three re-isolated species are close to P. laevigata, P. citrinema and P. popenema, forming the P. laevigata group in the genus, and this group was separated into three subgroups, P. citrinema + P. popenema (subgroup 1), P. nymphanema + P. obtusinema (subgroup 2) and P. laevigata + P. trigonema and three undescribed species (subgroup 3). The P. laevigata group is characterised by a relatively compressed stoma with two (right subventral and dorsal) teeth, arrangement of genital papillae (three or four precloacal and four postcloacal pairs), but distinguishable from each other by stomatal morphology, i.e., the shortest and most compressed being in subgroup 3, widest in subgroup 1, and intermediate in subgroup 2. Furthermore, a large and long spicule and gubernaculum were observed in subgroup 2 as its hypothesised apomorphy.

Does increased air humidity affect stomatal morphology and functioning in hybrid aspen?

The study investigated the effects of exposure to increased relative air humidity (RH) on stomatal morphology and sensitivity to stomata closure inducing stimulus (low RH) in hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx.) coppice growing in field conditions. Artificially elevated RH reduced air vapour pressure deficit by 5%–10% and altered stomatal sensitivity; trees grown under high RH exhibited stronger stomatal response to decreasing air humidity. We found no difference in mean stomatal pore length between treatments and a small decline in stomatal density under humidification. The lack of correlation between stomatal sensitivity and morphological traits suggests that stomatal sensitivity was unaffected by stomatal morphology. In light of rising atmospheric humidity predicted for high latitudes, strict stomatal control over water loss might be beneficial for trees if drought events become more frequent in the future. However, our experiment revealed that about two-thirds of the leaf-to-air vapour pressure difference (VPDL) response curves demonstrated the opposite pattern, i.e., stomatal opening in response to increasing VPDL. Strict stomatal regulation is probably not beneficial to fast-growing aspen coppice under low RH, as this trait may restrict their carbon gain and growth rate.