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(American Journal of Botany. 2009;96:409-419.)
doi: 10.3732/ajb.0800248
© 2009 Botanical Society of America, Inc.
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Anatomy and Morphology

Morphological variation of intervessel pit membranes and implications to xylem function in angiosperms1

Steven Jansen2,4, Brendan Choat3 and Annelies Pletsers2

2 Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, TW9 3DS, Surrey, UK 3 Functional Ecology Group, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

ABSTRACT

Pit membranes between xylem vessels have been suggested to have functional adaptive traits because of their influence on hydraulic resistance and vulnerability to embolism in plants. Observations of intervessel pit membranes in 26 hardwood species using electron microscopy showed significant variation in their structure, with a more than 25-fold difference in thickness (70–1892 nm) and observed maximum pore diameter (10–225 nm). In some SEM images, pit membrane porosity was affected by sample preparation, although pores were resolvable in intact pit membranes of many species. A significant relationship (r2 = 0.7, P = 0.002) was found between pit membrane thickness and maximum pore diameter, indicating that the thinner membranes are usually more porous. In a subset of nine species, maximum pore diameter determined from SEM was correlated with pore diameter calculated from air-seeding thresholds (r2 = 0.8, P < 0.001). Our data suggest that SEM images of intact pit membranes underestimate the porosity of pit membranes in situ. Pit membrane porosity based on SEM offers a relative estimate of air-seeding thresholds, but absolute pore diameters must be treated with caution. The implications of variation in pit membrane thickness and porosity to plant function are discussed.

Key Words: bordered pit • cavitation • embolism • hardwoods • pit membrane • vessel element • wood anatomy • xylem

Received for publication 21 July 2008. Accepted for publication 25 November 2008.

FOOTNOTES

1 The authors thank D. Chatelet and T. Rockwell for collecting plant material. This study was supported by a grant from the Royal Society (2006/Rl) and NERC (NE/E001122/1), and a Lennox Boyd fellowship (RBG, Kew). S.J. and B.C. contributed equally to the publication.

4 Author for correspondence (e-mail: s.jansen{at}kew.org.uk)


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