Abstract
Morphological and physiological characteristics of leaves from plant species collected in steppe communities in the various climatic zones in Eurasia were compared. The changes in leaf structure correlated with the major climatic factors. The mean thickness of leaves increased with increasing mean temperature of July and decreasing mean precipitation, which corresponded to aridity increase. The increased leaf thickness correlated with an increase in the specific leaf weight. The content of chlorophylls (a + b) in leaves greatly varied with plant habitats, whereas the chlorophyll a/b ratio remained unchanged. The chlorophyll content in leaf tissues had a general tendency to decrease with increasing leaf thickness. The leaf chlorophyll content positively correlated (R 2 = 0.77) with the proportion of chlorenchyma in leaf tissues. It is concluded that steppe plants adapt to climate aridization at the structural level by increasing the proportion of protective heterotrophic components of the leaf without changing the functional activity of photosynthetic tissues.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Laetch, W.M., The C4 Syndrome: A Structural Analysis, Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol., 1974, vol. 25, pp. 27–52.
Voronin, P.Yu., Manzhulin, A.V., Myasoedov, N.A., Balnokin, Yu.V., and Terent'eva, E.I., Morphological Types and Photosynthesis of C4 Plant Leaves, Fiziol. Rast. (Moscow), 1995, vol. 42, pp. 310–320 (Russ. J. Plant Physiol., Engl. Transl.).
Smith, W.K., Vogelman, T.C., DeLucia, E.N., Bell, D.T., and Shepherd, K.A., Leaf Form and Photosynthesis: Do Leaf Structure and Orientation Interact to Regulate Internal Light and Carbon Dioxide? BioScience, 1997, vol. 47, pp. 785–793.
Vogelmann, T.C., Plant Tissue Optics, Annu. Rev. Plant Mol. Biol., 1993, vol. 44, pp. 231–251.
Korner, C., Bannister, P., and Mark, A.F., Altitudinal Variation in Stomatal Conductance, Nitrogen Content and Leaf Anatomy in Different Plant Life Forms in New Zealand Oecologia, 1986, vol. 69, pp. 577–588.
Vernon, L.P., Spectrophotometric Determination of Chlorophylls and Pheophytins in Plant Extracts, Anal. Chem., 1960, vol. 32, pp. 1185–1188.
Mokronosov, A.T., Mesostructure and the Functional Activity, Mezostruktura i funktsional'naya aktivnost' fotosinteticheskogo apparata (Mesostructure and the Functional Activity of Photosynthetic Apparatus), Mokronosov, A.T. et al., Eds., Sverdlovsk: Ural. Gos. Univ., 1978, pp. 5–15.
Ivanova, L.A. and P'yankov, V.I., Structural Adaptation of the Leaf Mesophyll to Shading, Fiziol. Rast. (Moscow), 2002, vol. 49, pp. 467–480 (Russ. J. Plant Physiol., Engl. Transl.).
Nauchno-prikladnoi spravochnik po klimatu SSSR, Ser. 3, Ch. 1-6, Vyp. 9, Permskaya, Sverdlovskaya, Chelyabinskaya, Kurganskaya oblasti, Bashkirskaya ASSR (Handbook on the USSR Climate. Scientific and Applied Aspects. Ser. 3, Ch. 1-6, no. 9, Perm, Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, and Kurgan Districts; Bashkir ASSR), Leningrad: Gidrometeoizdat, 1990.
Gunin, P.D., Vostokova, E.A., Dorofeyuk, N.I., Tarasov, P.E., and Black, C.C., Vegetation Dynamics of Mongolia, Geobotany, vol. 26, Werger, M.J.A., Ed., Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1999.
The Encyclopedia of Climatology, vol. 11, The Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences, Oliver, J.E. and Fairbridge, Rh.W., Eds., New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1987.
Nishio, N., Sun, J., and Vogelmann, T.C., Carbon Fixation Gradients across Spinach Leaves Do Not Follow Internal Light Gradients, Plant Cell, 1993, vol. 5, pp. 953–961.
Evans, J.R., Carbon Fixation Profiles Do Reflect Light Absorption Profiles in Leaves, Aust. J. Plant Physiol., 1995, vol. 22, pp. 865–873.
Poorter, H. and Remkes, C., Leaf Area Ratio and Net Assimilation Rate of 24 Wild Species Differing in Relative Growth Rate, Oecologia, 1990, vol. 83, pp. 553–559.
Field, C. and Mooney, H.A., The Photosynthesis-Nitrogen Relationship in Wild Plants, On the Economy of Plant Form and Function, Givnish, J., Ed., Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1986, pp. 25–55.
Ellsworth, D.S. and Reich, P.B., Leaf Mass per Area, Nitrogen Content and Photosynthetic Carbon Gain in Acer saccharum Seedlings in Contrasting Forest Light Environments, Funct. Ecol., 1992, vol. 6, pp. 423–435.
Shipley, B., Keddy, P.A., Moore, D.R.J., and Lemky, K., Regeneration and Establishment Strategies of Emergent Macrophytes, J. Ecol., 1989, vol. 77, pp. 1093–1110.
Maranon, T. and Grubb, P.J., Physiological Basis and Ecological Significance of the Seed-Size-Relative Growth Rate Relationship in Mediterranien Annuals, Funct. Ecol., 1993, vol. 7, pp. 591–599.
Gamalei, Yu.V., Leaf Anatomy of Plants Habitants of Gobi Desert, Bot. Zh. (Leningrad), 1984, vol. 69, pp. 569–584.
Pyankov, V., Kondratchuk, A., and Shipley, B., Leaf Structure and Specific Leaf Mass: The Alpine Desert Plants of the Eastern Pamirs, Tajikistan, New Phytol., 1999, vol. 143, pp. 131–142.
Castro-Diez, P., Puyaravaud, J.P., and Cornelissen, J.H.C., Leaf Structure and Anatomy as Related to Leaf Mass per Area Variation in Seedlings of a Wide Range of Woody Plant Species and Types, Oecologia, 2000, vol. 124, pp. 476–486.
Laisk, A., Oya, V., and Rakhi, M., Diffusion Resistance of Leaves as Related to Their Anatomy, Fiziol. Rast. (Moscow), 1970, vol. 17, pp. 40–48 (Sov. Plant Physiol., Engl. Transl.).
Nobel, P.S. and Walker, D.B., Structure of Leaf Photosynthetic Tissue, Photosynthetic Mechanisms and the Environment, Barber, J. and Baker, N.R., Eds., Amsterdam: Elsevier., 1985, pp. 501–536.
Evans, J., von Caemmerer, S., Setchell, B.A., and Hudson, G.S., The Relationships between CO2 Transfer Conductance and Leaf Anatomy in Transgenic Tobacco Leaves, Aust. J. Plant Physiol., 1994, vol. 21, pp. 475–495.
Evans, J. and von Caemmerer, S., Carbon Dioxide Diffusion inside Leaves, Plant Physiol., 1996, vol. 110, pp. 339–346.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Voronin, P.Y., Ivanova, L.A., Ronzhina, D.A. et al. Structural and Functional Changes in the Leaves of Plants from Steppe Communities as Affected by Aridization of the Eurasian Climate. Russian Journal of Plant Physiology 50, 604–611 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025627805206
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025627805206