Studies focusing on terminal drought combined with heat impacts on plants of agronomic value remain scarce, and even less under field conditions. The objective of this study was to investigate leaf structural and ultrastructural changes induced by heat stress (HS) and drought stress (DS) during seed filling and their relationship with physiological variables and yield determination. Two soybean cultivars were grown in field conditions. During seed filling four treatments were applied, including a control (without manipulation, at ambient temperature and field capacity), HS (episodes exceeding 32°C for 6 h d-1) during 21-d, DS (20% of field capacity soil water content) during 35-d, and HS×DS. Drought principally reduced leaf area, whereas heat decreased leaf thickness, possible as acclimation strategies, but also irreversible reducing CO2 assimilation sites. Both stresses damaged the outer and inner membranes of chloroplasts, causing swollen chloroplasts and accumulation of plastoglobules, loss of chlorophyll content, and negatively affecting chlorophyll fluorescence. Thus, the performance and integrity of the photosynthetic machinery were reduced. Through a morpho-functional perspective and a holistic multiscale approach, our results provide evidence of photosynthesis impairment and yield drops under stressful conditions which were associated with structural and ultrastructural (particularly at the level of chloroplasts) modifications of leaves.
2 September 2021 in Boletín de la Sociedad Argentina de Botánica
Introducción y objetivos: Sapindaceae está representada en Argentina por 15 géneros nativos con 45 especies en total. En el contexto del tratamiento taxonómico de esta familia para el proyecto Flora Argentina, se identifican numerosos nombres que precisan ser tipificados para estabilizar su nomenclatura, así como la aclaración de material tipo clásico y la propuesta de nuevos sinónimos. Todos estos nombres pertenecen a los géneros Allophylus, Athyana, Cardiospermum, Cupania, Diatenopteryx, Diplokeleba, Dodonaea, Guindilia, Paullinia, Serjania y Thinouia. M&M: El tratamiento nomenclatural se basa en el análisis de los protólogos, más el estudio de material tipo ya sea físico o a través de imágenes en línea. La lectotipificación se realiza de acuerdo a las indicaciones del Código Internacional de Nomenclatura para Algas, Hongos y Plantas. Resultados y conclusiones: Se designan lectotipos para 39 taxones de Sapindaceae relacionados a la Flora de Argentina. Se aportan aclaraciones sobre los holotipos de tres especies. Se proponen dos nuevos sinónimos.
Magonia pubescens A.St.-Hil. (Dodonaeaeae, Sapindaceae) is a monoecious species exhibiting two floral morphs, namely staminate flowers, with gynoecium reduced to a pistillode, and morphologically hermaphrodite but functionally pistillate flowers. It presents the basic type of antheral wall development. Microsporogenesis is normal, forming tetrahedral and decussate tetrads. Anatomical differences in anthers between floral morphs become visible at the stage of callose wall degradation and release of tetrads. In staminate flowers, the endothecium develops fibrous thickening, and the two middle layers, the tapetum and the parenchymal septum that separates both locule, are degraded. At dehiscence, permanent calymmate tetrads are released. Magonia is the only genus of the family with this type of pollen unit. In pistillate flowers, the endothecium exhibits fibrous thickening only in three to five cells on the dorsal loculus, and only the inner middle layer collapses. The septum that separates both locules remains unaltered, the stomium is non-functional, mature anthers are indehiscent and show collapsed tetrads. In staminate flowers, the gynoecium is reduced to a tricarpellar pistillode, trilocular, with ovules that degenerate after megasporogenesis. In pistillate flowers, the gynoecium has a tricarpellary ovary, with six to eight ovules per carpel; they are campylotropous, bitegmic, mixed crassinucellate, and exhibit a well-developed obturator. The phylogenetic implications of these embryological characters are discussed in the context of the family.
Floral nectaries are essential for plant reproduction but little is known about the relationship between these secretory structures and pollination system in cacti. To test phenotypic patterns in nectaries associated with pollination syndromes and/or with its pollinators, we selected from evolutionarily related genera Cleistocactus, Denmoza, and Echinopsis, a set of species with bird-pollinated flowers and floral traits that may fit with ornithophily or with sphingophily, and other set of sphingophilous species with moths as effective pollinator. Observations were made under light microscope and scanning and transmission electron microscopes. Nectaries are located at the base of the filaments welded to the tube, forming a chamber. The nectary consists of the epidermis with distinctive features in each genus, a secretory parenchyma which may be vascularized and a non-secretory vascularized parenchyma. Anatomical variants observed in nectaries of different species are not consistent with the floral pollination syndromes neither with groups of pollinators. The basic structure of the nectar chamber is relatively conserved, a fact that may be explained by phylogenetic conservatism among the genera investigated. Our results revalue the role of anatomical traits for the systematics of Cactaceae.