Morphological aspects of self-repair of lesions caused by internal growth stresses in stems of Aristolochia macrophylla and Aristolochia ringens.
This study reveals in detail the mechanism of self-repair during secondary growth in the vines Aristolochia macrophylla and Aristolochia ringens based on morphological data. For a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms during the self-repair of lesions in the sclerenchymatous cylinder of the stem, which are caused by internal growth stresses, a classification of morphological changes in the cells involved in the repair process is required. In an early stage of self-repair, we observed morphological changes as a mere extension of the turgescent cortex cells surrounding the lesion, whereby the cell wall extends locally through visco-elastic/plastic deformation without observable cell wall synthesis. Later stages involve typical cell growth and cell division. Several successive phases of self-repair were investigated by light microscopy of stained samples and confocal laser-scanning microscopy in fluorescence mode. The results indicate that A. macrophylla and A. ringens respond to lesions caused by internal growth stresses with a sophisticated self-repair mechanism comprising several phases of different repair modes.
Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanical Garden, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany. sebbusch@gmx.de
Sebastian
S
Busch
Robin
R
Seidel
Olga
O
Speck
Thomas
T
Speck
D030022:Aristolochia / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*