title: Origin of the subepidermal tissue in Piper L. leaves.
abstract: Studies on the anatomy of Piper leaves demonstrate the presence of a subepidermal tissue distinct from the adjacent epidermis, which cells show thin walls and hyaline contents. Some authors consider such cells a hypodermal tissue, while others refer to them as components of a multiple epidermis. In this study, the nature of this subepidermal tissue was investigated through the analysis of leaf ontogeny in three Piper species. The analysis showed that the referred tissue originates from the ground meristem and, thus, should be considered a hypodermis. The studied species suggests that the role of the hypodermis would be to protect the photosynthetic apparatus from excess light, regulating the intensity of light reaching the chlorophyll parenchyma.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Monte Carmelo, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Monte Carmelo, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Simão
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Torres
mesh_terms: D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000502:physiology; D005453:Fluorescence; D018519:Meristem / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000502:physiology; D031701:Piper / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D019441:Plant Epidermis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002734:Chlorophyll