The Leaf Trichome, Venation, and Mesophyll Structural Traits Play Important Roles in the Physiological Responses of Oak Seedlings to Water-Deficit Stress
In this study, we investigated the effects of water-deficit stress on the leaf anatomical traits, physiological traits, and stem starch content in <i>Quercus acutissima</i> Carruth and <i>Quercus serrata</i> Murray by subjecting their seedlings to well-watered (WW) and water-...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/15/8640 |
| _version_ | 1797413589744615424 |
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| author | Jonathan O. Hernandez Byung Bae Park |
| author_facet | Jonathan O. Hernandez Byung Bae Park |
| author_sort | Jonathan O. Hernandez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this study, we investigated the effects of water-deficit stress on the leaf anatomical traits, physiological traits, and stem starch content in <i>Quercus acutissima</i> Carruth and <i>Quercus serrata</i> Murray by subjecting their seedlings to well-watered (WW) and water-deficit stress (WS) treatments. The water stress-induced changes in trichome density, trichome-to-stomata ratio, mesophyll thickness, vein density, vein distance, vein loopiness, vessel diameter, transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (g<sub>s</sub>), water use efficiency (WUE), and starch content were analyzed between two time points. While trichome density did not vary between treatments in <i>Q. acutissima</i>, it dramatically increased in <i>Q. serrata</i> (62.63–98.96 trichomes mm<sup>−2</sup>) at the final week. The WS-treated seedlings had a thicker palisade mesophyll (162.85–169.56 µm) than the WW-treated samples (118.56–132.25 µm) in both species. The vein density and loopiness increased significantly in the WS-treated <i>Q. serrata</i> seedlings. Small-sized vessels (10–50 µm) were more frequent in the WS than the WW in <i>Q. serrata</i>. The E, g<sub>s</sub>, WUE, and starch content declined significantly in the WS-treated seedlings compared with WW-treated samples in both species. Further, principal component analysis revealed significant relationships between anatomical and physiological traits, particularly in the WS-treated seedlings of <i>Q. serrata</i>. The coordinated changes in leaf anatomical traits, physiological traits, and stem starch content indicate an important role in the survival of <i>Q. acutissima</i> and <i>Q. serrata</i> seedlings in water-deficit stress environments, although <i>Q. serrata</i> may show higher survivability under prolonged water stress than <i>Q. acutissima</i>. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:20:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6b4e15ab0cb24dbfb396fc199e1a583c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:20:10Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-6b4e15ab0cb24dbfb396fc199e1a583c2023-12-03T12:41:08ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672022-08-012315864010.3390/ijms23158640The Leaf Trichome, Venation, and Mesophyll Structural Traits Play Important Roles in the Physiological Responses of Oak Seedlings to Water-Deficit StressJonathan O. Hernandez0Byung Bae Park1Department of Forest Biological Sciences, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna 4031, PhilippinesDepartment of Environment and Forest Resources, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, KoreaIn this study, we investigated the effects of water-deficit stress on the leaf anatomical traits, physiological traits, and stem starch content in <i>Quercus acutissima</i> Carruth and <i>Quercus serrata</i> Murray by subjecting their seedlings to well-watered (WW) and water-deficit stress (WS) treatments. The water stress-induced changes in trichome density, trichome-to-stomata ratio, mesophyll thickness, vein density, vein distance, vein loopiness, vessel diameter, transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (g<sub>s</sub>), water use efficiency (WUE), and starch content were analyzed between two time points. While trichome density did not vary between treatments in <i>Q. acutissima</i>, it dramatically increased in <i>Q. serrata</i> (62.63–98.96 trichomes mm<sup>−2</sup>) at the final week. The WS-treated seedlings had a thicker palisade mesophyll (162.85–169.56 µm) than the WW-treated samples (118.56–132.25 µm) in both species. The vein density and loopiness increased significantly in the WS-treated <i>Q. serrata</i> seedlings. Small-sized vessels (10–50 µm) were more frequent in the WS than the WW in <i>Q. serrata</i>. The E, g<sub>s</sub>, WUE, and starch content declined significantly in the WS-treated seedlings compared with WW-treated samples in both species. Further, principal component analysis revealed significant relationships between anatomical and physiological traits, particularly in the WS-treated seedlings of <i>Q. serrata</i>. The coordinated changes in leaf anatomical traits, physiological traits, and stem starch content indicate an important role in the survival of <i>Q. acutissima</i> and <i>Q. serrata</i> seedlings in water-deficit stress environments, although <i>Q. serrata</i> may show higher survivability under prolonged water stress than <i>Q. acutissima</i>.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/15/8640drought stressdrought toleranceoak speciesstarch reservesstomatal conductancewater use efficiency |
| spellingShingle | Jonathan O. Hernandez Byung Bae Park The Leaf Trichome, Venation, and Mesophyll Structural Traits Play Important Roles in the Physiological Responses of Oak Seedlings to Water-Deficit Stress International Journal of Molecular Sciences drought stress drought tolerance oak species starch reserves stomatal conductance water use efficiency |
| title | The Leaf Trichome, Venation, and Mesophyll Structural Traits Play Important Roles in the Physiological Responses of Oak Seedlings to Water-Deficit Stress |
| title_full | The Leaf Trichome, Venation, and Mesophyll Structural Traits Play Important Roles in the Physiological Responses of Oak Seedlings to Water-Deficit Stress |
| title_fullStr | The Leaf Trichome, Venation, and Mesophyll Structural Traits Play Important Roles in the Physiological Responses of Oak Seedlings to Water-Deficit Stress |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Leaf Trichome, Venation, and Mesophyll Structural Traits Play Important Roles in the Physiological Responses of Oak Seedlings to Water-Deficit Stress |
| title_short | The Leaf Trichome, Venation, and Mesophyll Structural Traits Play Important Roles in the Physiological Responses of Oak Seedlings to Water-Deficit Stress |
| title_sort | leaf trichome venation and mesophyll structural traits play important roles in the physiological responses of oak seedlings to water deficit stress |
| topic | drought stress drought tolerance oak species starch reserves stomatal conductance water use efficiency |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/15/8640 |
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