The protective role of the leaf cuticle against water loss and mechanical damage during leaf development in Quercus ilex
Researcher:
Ferrio Díaz, Juan Pedro
Congress:
XVI Simposio Internacional Hispano-Portugués de Relaciones Hídricas en Plantas
Participation type:
Póster
Other authors:
David Alonso-Forn (speaker), Domingo Sancho-Knapik, José Mariano Escalona Lorenzo, Rubén Martín-Sánchez, Juan Pedro Ferrio, José Javier Peguero-Pina, Eustaquio Gil Pelegrín.
Year:
2024
Location:
Zaragoza
Publication:
David Alonso-Forn (speaker), Domingo Sancho-Knapik, José Mariano Escalona Lorenzo, Rubén Martín-Sánchez, Juan Pedro Ferrio, José Javier Peguero-Pina, Eustaquio Gil Pelegrín. 2024. The protective role of the leaf cuticle against water loss and mechanical damage during leaf development in Quercus ilex . Póster presentado en XVI Simposio Internacional Hispano-Portugués de Relaciones Hídricas en Plantas. Zaragoza, 14-16 Febrero 2024.
The cuticle is the outermost layer of leaves and is the first to interact with the environment. It is a key structural element at a func�onal and ecological level, mainly composed of cutin and cuticular waxes. The leaf cuticle acts as a barrier to water loss and provides mechanical resistance to biotic and abiotic damage. This layer is of utmost importance during leaf development, especially in stressful conditions such as high herbivore pressure or water scarcity common in Mediterranean regions. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the protective role of the cuticle in the expanding leaves of species living in Mediterranean environments. To understand the protective role of cuticle in developing leaves we studied physiological, morphological, and anatomical changes in expanding leaves of holm oak (Quercus ilex L.), a Mediterranean evergreen with a high sclerophylly degree. We focused on the changes in leaf minimum conductance (gmin) and leaf hardness, which are key parameters for water loss and mechanical resistance throughout the vegetative period. We also measured other parameters such as leaf dry mass per area (LMA), leaf surface and thickness, cuticle and epidermis thickness, and other anatomical parameters. We hypothesized that expanding leaves would differ from fully expanded leaves in these parameters, which would help to understand possible changes in gmin and leaf hardness and their relationship with the cuticle.
The cuticle is the outermost layer of leaves and is the first to interact with the environment. It is a key structural element at a func�onal and ecological level, mainly composed of cutin and cuticular waxes. The leaf cuticle acts as a barrier to water loss and provides mechanical resistance to biotic and abiotic damage. This layer is of utmost importance during leaf development, especially in stressful conditions such as high herbivore pressure or water scarcity common in Mediterranean regions. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the protective role of the cuticle in the expanding leaves of species living in Mediterranean environments. To understand the protective role of cuticle in developing leaves we studied physiological, morphological, and anatomical changes in expanding leaves of holm oak (Quercus ilex L.), a Mediterranean evergreen with a high sclerophylly degree. We focused on the changes in leaf minimum conductance (gmin) and leaf hardness, which are key parameters for water loss and mechanical resistance throughout the vegetative period. We also measured other parameters such as leaf dry mass per area (LMA), leaf surface and thickness, cuticle and epidermis thickness, and other anatomical parameters. We hypothesized that expanding leaves would differ from fully expanded leaves in these parameters, which would help to understand possible changes in gmin and leaf hardness and their relationship with the cuticle.