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Living jewels: iterative evolution of iridescent blue leaves from helicoidal cell walls.
Lundquist, Clive R; Rudall, Paula J; Sukri, Rahayu S; Conejero, María; Smith, Alyssa; Lopez-Garcia, Martin; Vignolini, Silvia; Metali, Faizah; Whitney, Heather M.
Afiliación
  • Lundquist CR; School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
  • Rudall PJ; Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK.
  • Sukri RS; Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK.
  • Conejero M; Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.
  • Smith A; Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK.
  • Lopez-Garcia M; Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, UK.
  • Vignolini S; Department of Nanophotonics, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal.
  • Metali F; Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
  • Whitney HM; Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.
Ann Bot ; 134(1): 131-150, 2024 Jun 07.
Article en En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38551515
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND

AIMS:

Structural colour is responsible for the remarkable metallic blue colour seen in the leaves of several plants. Species belonging to only ten genera have been investigated to date, revealing four photonic structures responsible for structurally coloured leaves. One of these is the helicoidal cell wall, known to create structural colour in the leaf cells of five taxa. Here we investigate a broad selection of land plants to understand the phylogenetic distribution of this photonic structure in leaves.

METHODS:

We identified helicoidal structures in the leaf epidermal cells of 19 species using transmission electron microscopy. Pitch measurements of the helicoids were compared with the reflectance spectra of circularly polarized light from the cells to confirm the structure-colour relationship.

RESULTS:

By incorporating species examined with a polarizing filter, our results increase the number of taxa with photonic helicoidal cell walls to species belonging to at least 35 genera. These include 19 monocot genera, from the orders Asparagales (Orchidaceae) and Poales (Cyperaceae, Eriocaulaceae, Rapateaceae) and 16 fern genera, from the orders Marattiales (Marattiaceae), Schizaeales (Anemiaceae) and Polypodiales (Blechnaceae, Dryopteridaceae, Lomariopsidaceae, Polypodiaceae, Pteridaceae, Tectariaceae).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our investigation adds considerably to the recorded diversity of plants with structurally coloured leaves. The iterative evolution of photonic helicoidal walls has resulted in a broad phylogenetic distribution, centred on ferns and monocots. We speculate that the primary function of the helicoidal wall is to provide strength and support, so structural colour could have evolved as a potentially beneficial chance function of this structure.
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Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Filogenia / Pared Celular / Hojas de la Planta / Evolución Biológica Idioma: En Revista: Ann Bot Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article Pais de publicación: Reino Unido
Texto completo
Añadir a Mi BVS
Imprimir
XML
PubMed Links
Buscar en Google

Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Filogenia / Pared Celular / Hojas de la Planta / Evolución Biológica Idioma: En Revista: Ann Bot Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article Pais de publicación: Reino Unido