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Biomechanical And Morphological Changes In Leaf Abscission Zones During The Ontogeny Of Kalanchoe Pinnatum, Jillian Hodge

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Kalanchoe pinnatum is able to asexually reproduce with the help of its leaves. In K. pinnatum, embryos are embedded in the notches of a leafs margin. Through the process of abscission, when the plant is disturbed a leaf with embryos falls to the ground and the embryos grow into new plants. Thus, as leaves mature, they face conflicting functional demands to stay on the plant and continue their role in photosynthesis or fall off the plant and asexually reproduce. To examine if there is a point in the leafs development where abscission occurs more readily, I examined breaking strength in …