Publication Type | J |
Authors | Wilson, H., D. Mycock and I. M. Weiersbye |
Title | The salt glands of Tamarix usneoides E. Mey. ex Bunge (South African Salt Cedar) |
Source | International Journal of Phytoremediation |
Author Keywords | halophyte excretion salinity tolerance transfer cells transport ultrastructure plasmodesmata localization tolerance excretion aphylla growth sodium |
Abstract | Tamarix usneoides is a halophyte tree endemic to south-western Africa. This species is known to excrete a range of ions from specialized glandular structures on its leaves. To understand the mechanisms involved in the transport, sequestration and excretion of ions by the glands, a study was performed on salt gland distribution and ultrastructure. The glands are vesiculated trichomes, comprised of eight cells viz. two basal collecting cells and six excretory cells, partially bounded by a secondary cell wall that could serve as an impermeable barrier, forcing excess ions to move from the apoplast of the surrounding tissue into the cytoplasm of the basal excretory cells. It was hypothesized that the ions are moved across the excretory cells in endocytotic vesicles that fuse with the plasmalemma or form junctional complexes, allowing ion movement from one excretory cell to the next. In the apical cell, the vesicles fuse with the plasmalemma, releasing the ions into the network of cell wall ingrowths which channel the ions to the outside surface of the cell. This study shows that there are distinct structural adaptations for the processing of ions for excretion, although the mechanism by which ions enter the cells still needs to be determined. |
Author Address | [Wilson, Hayden; Mycock, David; Weiersbye, Isabel M.] Univ Witwatersrand, Fac Sci, Sch Anim Plant & Environm Sci, Private Bag 3 Wits, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa. Wilson, H (reprint author), Univ Witwatersrand, Fac Sci, Sch Anim Plant & Environm Sci, Private Bag 3 Wits, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa. Hayden.Wilson@students.wits.ac.za |
ISSN | 1522-6514 |
ISBN | 1522-6514 |
29-Character Source Abbreviation | Int. J. Phytoremediat. |
Year Published | 2017 |
Volume | 19 |
Issue | 6 |
Beginning Page | 587-595 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | 10.1080/15226514.2016.1244163 |
Unique Article Identifier | WOS:000396044300011 |
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