|
|
||||||||
Cover Illustration: Light micrograph of the vein pattern of a New World endemic, Flaveria trinervia (Spreng.) C. Mohr., a pantropical weedy C4 species. Flaveria is of special interest because of its diversity in photosynthetic types; it has species classified as having C3, C4, or intermediate photosynthesis. This clearing of a mature leaf of F. trinervia, viewed with differential interference contrast optics, shows a reticulate pattern with high vein density and distinctive bundle sheath tissue. These two features are part of a critical suite of anatomical characteristics (Kranz anatomy) that has evolved independently many times to support C4 biochemical functioning; many variations of Kranz anatomy exist, especially in the eudicots. See McKown and Dengler, Key innovations in the evolution of Kranz anatomy and C4 vein pattern in Flaveria (Asteraceae), pp. 382-399, and Muhaidat et al., Diversity of Kranz anatomy and biochemistry in the C4 eudicots, pp. 362-381. Photo credit: Athena McKown
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |