Table 2.
The size of photosynthetic cells and relative intercellular air space in Bulnesia retama.
| Organ | Tissue region | Area per cell (µm2) | Relative IAS (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaf | Palisade | 1311 ± 68a | 26.0 ± 2.3a |
| Spongy | 1161 ± 79a | ||
| Stem | Cortex | 597 ± 31b | 8.2 ± 0.6b |
| Mean cell size and relative IAS (±s.e.m.) from Nelson et al. (2005) | |||
| Organ | Tissue region | Area per cell (µm2) | Relative IAS (%) |
| CAM leaf (n = 18 species) | Mesophyll | 3260 ± 550 | 14.8 ± 1.7 |
| C3 leaf (n = 6 species) | Mesophyll | 840 ± 230 | 31.6 ± 4.9 |
| C4 leaf (n = 4 species) | Mesophyll | 620 ± 150 | 28.7 ± 5.5 |
Cell size is estimated as cross-sectional area in leaf or stem. The percentage of intercellular air space (% IAS) is the percetnage area of the IAS in planar cross-sections divided by the corresponding area of leaf mesophyll or stem cortical tissue. Values are the mean ± s.e.m. Superscripted letters indicate statistically different groups at P < 0.05 via one-way ANOVA and a Tukey's post-hoc test. For comparison, leaf mesophyll cell area in cross-section and % IAS are shown for CAM, C3 and C4 values from Nelson et al. (2005).