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AOBPreview published online on February 7, 2006
Annals of Botany, doi:10.1093/aob/mcl014
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received July 15, 2005
Revised September 20, 2005
Accepted December 14, 2005

Article

Silica Deposition in Abaxial Epidermis before the Opening of Leaf Blades of Pleioblastus chino (Poaceae, Bambusoideae)

H. MOTOMURA 1 *, T. FUJII 2, and M. SUZUKI 1

1 The Botanical Garden, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-0862, Japan
2 Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba Norin PO Box 16, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
H. MOTOMURA, E-mail: hmochi{at}kahaku.go.jp


  Abstract

• Background and Aims Silica deposition is one of the important characteristics of the family Poaceae. The distribution, deposition process and physiology of silica in this family have been extensively investigated. Bamboos among members of Poaceae have leaves with a fairly long life span, and the leaves continuously accumulate silica in their tissues throughout their life, not only during the course of leaf opening, but also after opening. It has been revealed that the silica deposition process in relation to ageing of the bamboo leaf after opening differed depending on the cell types comprising the tissues. However, silica deposition has never been examined during the development and maturation periods of bamboo leaves. Hence, to clarify the silica deposition process in a developmental stage of the bamboo leaf, distribution of silica was observed in the abaxial epidermis before the opening of the leaf blades of Pleioblastus chino.

• Methods Abaxial epidermal tissues of leaves were examined using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray microanalyser.

• Key Results Among seven cell types comprising the abaxial epidermis, three types of cells, guard cells, prickle hairs and silica cells, deposited silica conspicuously, and another four types, cork cells, long cells, micro hairs and subsidiary cells, deposited only a little silica. Among the former group of cell types, silica cells and guard cells deposited silica over their entire surfaces, while prickle hairs deposited silica only in the point-tips. Silica deposition was detected firstly in prickle hairs, and then in silica cells and guard cells. Only silica cells were assumed to deposit silica conspicuously before leaf opening but not conspicuously after opening.

• Conclusions Cell types in leaf epidermis of bamboo are classified into three groups according to the silica deposition pattern. Silica deposition in silica cells may be positive as a part of the physiological activities of leaves.

Keywords: Pleioblastus chino, Poaceae, silica deposition, leaf opening, abaxial epidermis, guard cell, prickle hair, silica cell, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray microanalysis.
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