Journal of Plant Sciences

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Visualization of Green and Red Leaf Structures in Flowering Pear Pyrus Calleryana Using Integrated Microscopy

Received: 20 September 2013    Accepted:     Published: 20 October 2013
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Abstract

Light and electron microscopy has become invaluable tools in plant science research and education. This project critically revisited both light and electron microscopy in the visualization of green and red leaves of flowering pear (Pyrus calleryana). Plant leaf color changes regularly occur in the fall, which is of both science and public interests. We used leaves of the flowering pear because this woody plant is commonly used in landscaping in many cities around the world. In order to visualize and compare the structures of green and red leaves, we prepared hand-sections from both green and red leaves. Sections were examined and imaged with a compound microscope and a laser scanning confocal microscope, respectively. Our data indicated that chlorophyll fluorescence intensity was significantly reduced in the red leaf compared to that of the green leaf. Histological data also showed that the pigment, which is called anthocyanin and makes the leaf red, was located in the leaf palisade and sponge parenchyma cells. Scanning electron microscopy provided detailed cellular pattern and stomatal distribution on leaf lower surfaces. And transmission electron microscopy data clearly revealed the chloroplast ultrastructure in the green leaf and its derivative – gerontoplast structure in the red leaf. This study provides us a new microscopic viewing of the outstanding natural phenomenon in the leaf color change in flowering pear and the microscopic methods described in this paper are useful for plant science research and education in general.

DOI 10.11648/j.jps.20130103.12
Published in Journal of Plant Sciences (Volume 1, Issue 3, October 2013)
Page(s) 28-32
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Flowering Pear, Leaf Structure, Confocal Microscopy, Electron Microscopy

References
[1] Rost T L, Barbour M G, Stocking C R and Murphy T M. 1998. Plant Biology. Wadsworth Publishing Company, USA; pp. 145-163.
[2] Feild T S, Lee D W and Holbrook N M. 2001. Why Leaves Turn Red in Autumn. The Role of Anthocyanins in Senescing Leaves of Red-Osier Dogwood. Plant Physiology 127, 566-574.
[3] Matile P and Hörtensteiner S. 1999. Chlorophyll Degradation. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 50, 67-95.
[4] Dawes C J. 1979. Biological Techniques for Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Ladd Research Industries, Inc., USA; pp. 147-170.
[5] Stephens D J and Allan V J. 2003. Light Microscopy Techniques for Live Cell Imaging. Science 300, 82-86.
[6] Bozzola J J and Russell L D. 1999. Electron Microscopy. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Boston; pp. 1-670.
Author Information
  • Department of Biology and Dewel Microscopy Facility, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina

  • Department of Biology and Dewel Microscopy Facility, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina

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  • APA Style

    Guichuan Hou, Samuel S. Littlejohn. (2013). Visualization of Green and Red Leaf Structures in Flowering Pear Pyrus Calleryana Using Integrated Microscopy. Journal of Plant Sciences, 1(3), 28-32. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20130103.12

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    ACS Style

    Guichuan Hou; Samuel S. Littlejohn. Visualization of Green and Red Leaf Structures in Flowering Pear Pyrus Calleryana Using Integrated Microscopy. J. Plant Sci. 2013, 1(3), 28-32. doi: 10.11648/j.jps.20130103.12

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    AMA Style

    Guichuan Hou, Samuel S. Littlejohn. Visualization of Green and Red Leaf Structures in Flowering Pear Pyrus Calleryana Using Integrated Microscopy. J Plant Sci. 2013;1(3):28-32. doi: 10.11648/j.jps.20130103.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jps.20130103.12,
      author = {Guichuan Hou and Samuel S. Littlejohn},
      title = {Visualization of Green and Red Leaf Structures in Flowering Pear Pyrus Calleryana Using Integrated Microscopy},
      journal = {Journal of Plant Sciences},
      volume = {1},
      number = {3},
      pages = {28-32},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jps.20130103.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20130103.12},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jps.20130103.12},
      abstract = {Light and electron microscopy has become invaluable tools in plant science research and education. This project critically revisited both light and electron microscopy in the visualization of green and red leaves of flowering pear (Pyrus calleryana). Plant leaf color changes regularly occur in the fall, which is of both science and public interests. We used leaves of the flowering pear because this woody plant is commonly used in landscaping in many cities around the world. In order to visualize and compare the structures of green and red leaves, we prepared hand-sections from both green and red leaves. Sections were examined and imaged with a compound microscope and a laser scanning confocal microscope, respectively. Our data indicated that chlorophyll fluorescence intensity was significantly reduced in the red leaf compared to that of the green leaf. Histological data also showed that the pigment, which is called anthocyanin and makes the leaf red, was located in the leaf palisade and sponge parenchyma cells. Scanning electron microscopy provided detailed cellular pattern and stomatal distribution on leaf lower surfaces. And transmission electron microscopy data clearly revealed the chloroplast ultrastructure in the green leaf and its derivative – gerontoplast structure in the red leaf. This study provides us a new microscopic viewing of the outstanding natural phenomenon in the leaf color change in flowering pear and the microscopic methods described in this paper are useful for plant science research and education in general.},
     year = {2013}
    }
    

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    T1  - Visualization of Green and Red Leaf Structures in Flowering Pear Pyrus Calleryana Using Integrated Microscopy
    AU  - Guichuan Hou
    AU  - Samuel S. Littlejohn
    Y1  - 2013/10/20
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.jps.20130103.12
    T2  - Journal of Plant Sciences
    JF  - Journal of Plant Sciences
    JO  - Journal of Plant Sciences
    SP  - 28
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    PB  - Science Publishing Group
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    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20130103.12
    AB  - Light and electron microscopy has become invaluable tools in plant science research and education. This project critically revisited both light and electron microscopy in the visualization of green and red leaves of flowering pear (Pyrus calleryana). Plant leaf color changes regularly occur in the fall, which is of both science and public interests. We used leaves of the flowering pear because this woody plant is commonly used in landscaping in many cities around the world. In order to visualize and compare the structures of green and red leaves, we prepared hand-sections from both green and red leaves. Sections were examined and imaged with a compound microscope and a laser scanning confocal microscope, respectively. Our data indicated that chlorophyll fluorescence intensity was significantly reduced in the red leaf compared to that of the green leaf. Histological data also showed that the pigment, which is called anthocyanin and makes the leaf red, was located in the leaf palisade and sponge parenchyma cells. Scanning electron microscopy provided detailed cellular pattern and stomatal distribution on leaf lower surfaces. And transmission electron microscopy data clearly revealed the chloroplast ultrastructure in the green leaf and its derivative – gerontoplast structure in the red leaf. This study provides us a new microscopic viewing of the outstanding natural phenomenon in the leaf color change in flowering pear and the microscopic methods described in this paper are useful for plant science research and education in general.
    VL  - 1
    IS  - 3
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