Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Jeweled Armor Of Tillandsia—Multifaceted Or Elongated Trichomes Provide Photoprotection, Simon Pierce
The Jeweled Armor Of Tillandsia—Multifaceted Or Elongated Trichomes Provide Photoprotection, Simon Pierce
Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany
Foliar trichomes of gray-leaved Tillandsioideae (Bromeliaceae) are highly reflective, suggesting a role in protecting the leaf against direct sunlight in exposed niches. The performance of photosystem II, as denoted by the chlorophyll fluorescence characteristic Fv /Fm , was determined for seven Tillandsia species and Vriesea barclayana that were exposed to excessive light, with trichomes either present or removed. Additionally, trichome structure and interaction with light was recorded using extended depth-of-field photomicrography, and reflectance quantified using a novel photographic technique. Trichomes of mesomorphic Type IV life forms (T. cryptantha, T. cyanea) and of the intermediate life …