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Bulletin of Botanical Research ›› 2018, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (3): 330-337.doi: 10.7525/j.issn.1673-5102.2018.03.003

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Micromorphological Characteristics of Leaf Epidermis and Ecological Adaptation of Psammochloa villosa, a Desert Plant from the Inner Mongolian Plateau

LÜ Ting1,2,3,4, LIU Yu-Ping1,2,3,4, ZHOU Yong-Hui1,2,3,4, LIU Tao1,2,3,4, ZHANG Xiao-Yu1,2,3,4, SU Xu1,2,3,4   

  1. 1. School of Life Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008;
    2. Key Laboratory of Medicinal Animal and Plant Resources of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai Province, Xining 810008;
    3. Key Laboratory of Physical Geography and Environmental process in Qinghai Province, Xining 810008;
    4. Key Laboratory of Education Ministry on Environments and Resources in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Xining 810008
  • Received:2017-10-30 Online:2018-05-15 Published:2018-05-17
  • Supported by:
    Under the auspices of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41761009, 31260052);The National Natural Science Foundation of Qinghai Province(2017-ZJ-904);The Key Laboratory of Medicinal Animal and Plant Resources of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai Province(2017-Z-Y13)

Abstract: We comprehensively observed and analyzed the micromorphological characteristics of leaf epidermises from 50 representative populations of Psammochloa villosa through the light microscopic. We summarized the similarities and differences of leaf epidermis structures, and then systematically discussed the significance of taxonomy and ecological adaptability about micromorphological characteristics of leaf epidermises. The leaf epidermis was composed of long-cells, short-cells, stomatal cells and prickle-hairs, but they had no micro-hair, macro-hair and papillae, which belongs to the typical festucoid type. The obviously different characters, such as the shape of long-cells and curve extent of cell walls, form and distribution pattern of short-cells, volume and distribution of stomas, shape of subsidiary cells and pattern of prickle hair, existed among populations of P. villosa. They can delimitate P. villosa into two groups. Meanwhile, the stomatal density of leaf epidermises in P. villosa increases with the heavier environmental drought. The stomatal density of group Ⅰ is bigger that of group Ⅱ. This structure is very beneficial for P. villosa to reduce the loss of water, which possibly makes it adapt to arid deserts. Thus, it should be a kind of micromorphologically anatomical adaptation to arid deserts.

Key words: Psammochloa villosa, Poaceae, desert plant, leaf epidermis, ecological adaptation

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