This week we looked at a few leaves belonging to plants that have adapted to survive the niche in which they found themselves. Waterlilies have adapted to survive floating atop bodies of water, the rubber plant has adapted to survive tropical and equatorial climates, and the oleander has developed advantages for surviving in very dry climates. The Nymphaea (waterlily) leaf has stomata on top of their leaves instead of below to allow for increased air exchange and nutrient exchange; they do not have a defense against transpiration as other plants do in the form of guard cells. The loss due to transpiration is not a primary issue for the waterlily since it has extremely good access to water. The sclereid labeled above is meant as a support for the leaf; it helps tent up the leaf which allows for greater air exchange in the leaf air space and provides flotation for the pad. The cuticle of the leaf is quite thin and helps repel water from the stomata. -Chris Barrett The sunken stomata of the Ficus plant helps the plant retain water. By not being flush with the rest of the epidermis, the stomata allow water vapor to be released yet not be immediately blown away by wind, therefore retaining an amount of water for reabsorption. The hypodermis is quite thick on top of the palisade mesophyll cells, perhaps for protection from intense UV radiation. The sub-stomatal regions are quite large, allowing for greater gas exchange in the mesophyll cells. There are not any trichomes visible on this leaf section. This large open areas in the spongy mesophyll, the sunken stomata, and the thickened hypodermis point to this plant being able to survive very hot, and very sunny climates, perhaps in the equatorial region of the world. -Chris Barrett The adaptations of the Nerium oleander plant have allowed it to survive in very dry climates. These are evident through the presence of stomatal crypts, which contain multiple stoma positioned far away from outer line of the lower epidermis. There are also trichomes present near the openings of the stomatal crypts. Both the presence of the stomatal crypts and the trichomes located inside of them point to adaptations for survival in very dry climates. The increased presence of plant fibers in the leaves allows the leaf to maintain its shape even when its other cells are plasmolyzed in dry spouts. Its multiple epidermis and thick cuticle allows the plant to handle high ultra violet radiation.
Regardless of the fact that every part of the plant is toxic to humans and other animals, it is one of the most widely grown plants in the world due to its drought-resistance with uses including ornamental, medicine, and wind-blocking. The oleander plant is also the official flower of the city of Hiroshima as it was the first plant to flower there after the destruction of the city by nuclear blast. -Chris Barrett
0 Comments
Amateur Botanist Explores Microscopic Magic Crystals, Extra-Hairy Plants, and Alien Spores1/15/2017 I am a house plant addict. As in, turn-my-apartment-into-a-jungle-and-call-it-home kind of addict. I could use the phrase ‘house plant enthusiast’, but it doesn’t quite capture the depth of my affection for these organisms. So imagine my excitement upon seeing a table full of some of my favorites placed at the front of the lab room. Imagine again my slight adrenaline rush in in learning that we were going to study them under microscopes - exploring their cells, traveling to far off places unreachable by the naked eye. I was stoked. For starters, I had a quick *heart eyes* moment with one of the specimens, a majestic (and I do mean majestic) Begonia before diving in to the task at hand: trichome collection and examination. Trichomes are hair-like structures that cover the leaves and stem of the plant; they come in many shapes and sizes and serve a variety of functions. In some plants, trichomes are coated in sticky substances capable of trapping insects, preparing them for chemical digestion. In others, the hairs prevent herbivory by means of painful chemical injection. Begonias are more ‘sunshine and daisies’ when it comes to their epidermal hairs, most likely serving to collect moisture from the air or prevent herbivory by having an unpleasing texture. After producing a wet mount slide, I was surprised to see a difference in the cellular shape of the trichome relative to the those of the leaf it was attached to. Where leaf cells were circular in shape, cells of the trichomes were rectangular. Furthermore, fuzzy deep red pigments were mixed with slight pockets of green – an act of Christmas regurgitating its holiday sprinkles all over this plant or anthocyanins masking chlorophyll pigments? I’ll let you decide. Next up: examining raphide crystals found within Tradescantia zebrina (aka “Inchplant”) and druse crystals formed in an unknown species of Begonia via wet mount slides. These structures are products of excess inorganic particles (most often calcium salts) being deposited into the vacuole in crystalline form. The raphide crystals were easy enough to find, often found in clusters mixed with cell matter. However, searching for druse crystals felt like searching for Waldo in a sea of cartoon people; you find him once, painstakingly, and then you can’t find him again. My favorite part of this lab reminded me of one of my all-time favorite films, The Fifth Element, which revolves around the “untraditional hero saves planet” trope. Bruce Willis plays Korben Dallas, an ex-galactic special forces operative turned cab driver of the 23rd century, who attempts to save the world from a giant ball of talking fire in space. I can't make this stuff up, guys - its cinematic gold. That giant ball of talking fire, who calls himself "Mr. Shadow", looked pretty similar to the Ceratopteris richardii spore under my microscope (in my humble opinion). Under 400x magnification, the surface ridges on this tiny sphere give it the look of some far off planet in outer space. In reality, it comes from an aquatic fern found on Planet Earth, dubbed the “C-Fern”. Our mission: examine the spores under a microscope and sow into prepared culture plates containing agar and mineral nutrients, where it will be examined further in the coming weeks. Author: Amy KHouse plant addict. Believer in Himalayan Salt lamps. Enjoys the little things in life like popcorn and vegan marshmallows. |
AuthorContent is created by students participating in the Plant Structure course at Oregon State University for Winter 2017. Archives
March 2017
Categories
All
|