A comparative ultrastructural study of pit membranes with plasmodesmata associated thickenings in four angiosperm species

Plasmodesmatal pores in the torus of bordered pit membranes affect cavitation resistance of conifer xylem

The pit membrane in bordered pits of conifer tracheids is characterized by a porous margo and central thickening (torus), which is traditionally considered to function as an impermeable safety valve against air-seeding. However, electron microscopy based on 33 conifer species, including five families and 19 genera, reveals that pores occur in the torus of 13 of the species studied. The pores have a plasmodesmatal origin with an average diameter of 51 nm and grouped arrangement. Evidence for embolism spreading via pores in tori is supported by the pore sizes, which correspond relatively well with the pressure inducing cavitation. Predictions based on earlier correlations between pit structure and cavitation resistance were only weakly supported for species with punctured tori. Moreover, species with punctured tori are significantly less resistant to cavitation than species with non-punctured tori. Nevertheless, absolute pore diameters must be treated with caution and correlations between theoretical and measured air-seeding pressures are weak. Because most pores appear not to traverse the torus but are limited to one torus pad, only complete pores would trigger air-seeding. Embolism spreading through a leaky torus is not universal across gymnosperms and unlikely to represent the only air-seeding mechanism.

Heterogeneous distribution of pectin epitopes and calcium in different pit types of four angiosperm species

Intervessel pits act as safety valves that prevent the spread of xylem embolism. Pectin-calcium crosslinks within the pit membrane have been proposed to affect xylem vulnerability to cavitation. However, as the chemical composition of pit membranes is poorly understood, this hypothesis has not been verified. Using electron microscopy, immunolabeling, an antimonate precipitation technique, and ruthenium red staining, we studied the distribution of selected polysaccharides and calcium in the pit membranes of four angiosperm tree species. We tested whether shifts in xylem vulnerability resulting from perfusion of stems with a calcium chelating agent corresponded with the distribution of pectic homogalacturonans (HG) and/or calcium within interconduit pit membranes. No HG were detected in the main part of intervessel pit membranes, but were consistently found in the marginal membrane region known as the annulus. Calcium colocalized with HG in the annulus. In contrast to intervessel pits, the membrane of vessel-ray pits showed a high pectin content. The presence of two distinct chemical domains, the annulus and the actual pit membrane, can have substantial implications for pit membrane functioning. We propose that the annulus could affect the observed shift in xylem vulnerability after calcium removal by allowing increased pit membrane deflection.