Submit Manuscript

Asian Journal of Plant Sciences

Year: 2005 | Volume: 4 | Issue: 4 | Page No.: 334-347
Facebook Twitter Digg Reddit Linkedin StumbleUpon E-mail

Article Trend

Total views 757

Search

Authors

Hery Purnobasuki

Mitsuo Suzuki

Keywords

Research Article

Functional Anatomy of Air Conducting Network on the Pneumatophores of a Mangrove Plant, Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh.

Hery Purnobasuki and Mitsuo Suzuki
Pneumatophore of Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. were studied by Light Microscopy (LM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) in order to relate their development and structure of their function as air conduits. Specifically, the developmental pattern is based on cell separation and expansion (schizogeny) rather than cell lyses and most appearance revealed that these roots have honeycomb aerenchyma type, with air spaces which run longitudinally down the root axis. During gas space formation, the cortex cells wider parallel to the root axis, elongate parallel to the root radius and shrank in the plane perpendicular to the radius leaving long and thin rows of cortex cells. The aerenchyma has a pronounced tubular structure, run parallel to the root axis, relatively straight and the walls of the tubes being made up of single layers of cells in regular rows. There appeared to be interconnections between tubes and no perforated membrane or transverse septa were observed on the tip of the each tube. As a longitudinal appearance, a network of aerenchyma revealed as many long tubes with tapering tip and connected each other create as a continuum. There are radial pores at the corner of the cortical cells. These pores seem to function as interconnections between the tubes and radial internal gas pathway. From transversal view, the aerenchyma is composed of cells in the form of a squat X, Y, I, or T united by the ends of their arms into a network. The path of air from the atmosphere through the lenticels into the aerenchyma and then to the feeding roots and cable root is described as well.
PDF Fulltext XML References Citation

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *