Plant Biol (Stuttg) 2001; 3(1): 98-105
DOI: 10.1055/s-2001-11748
Original Paper
Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ·New York

Identification of Factors that Cause Heterophylly in Ludwigia arcuata Walt. (Onagraceae)

A. Kuwabara 1 , H. Tsukaya 2 , T. Nagata 1
  • 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo
  • 2 National Institute for Basic Biology, Center for Integrated Bioscience, Okazaki, Japan
Further Information

Publication History

August 10, 2000

December 4, 2000

Publication Date:
29 April 2004 (online)

Abstract

The submerged leaves of Ludwigia arcuata are much narrower than the terrestrial leaves. Such heterophyllous changes in leaf shape have been observed in other aquatic angiosperms, such as Callitriche heterophylla, Hippuris vulgaris and Ranunculus flabellaris, but the cause of the formation of heterophyllous leaves in L. arcuata seems to be quite different. In contrast to other species, in which the shapes of epidermal cells have been changed, the change of leaf shape in L. arcuata was found to be due to changes in the numbers of epidermal cells aligned in transverse sections. The susceptibility of leaves to changes in shape above and below the water is dependent on the developmental stages: leaves younger than the fourth leaf responded to a change in environment, while leaves older than the fifth leaf did not. Treatment with ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid), a precursor to ethylene, induced the formation of submerged-type leaves on terrestrial shoots, implying that ethylene might be the endogenous factor responsible for the change in leaf shape. The results are discussed with reference to the significance of the acclimation of plants to environmental changes.

Abbreviations

ABA: abscisic acid

ACC: 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid

BL: brassinolide

DMSO: dimethyl sulfoxide

GA3: gibberellic acid

LN: leaf number

P: primordium number

S-type: submerged type

T-type: terrestrial type

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A. Kuwabara

Department of Biological Sciences
Graduate School of Science
The University of Tokyo

7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku
Tokyo 113-0033
Japan

Email: asuka@biol.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Section Editor: L. A. C. J. Voesenek