Structural and Functional Organization of Photosynthetic Apparatus in Wild Halophites

Abstract

The structural and molecular parameters of photosynthetic apparatus in plants with different strategies for the accumulation of salts were investigated. The objects of the study were euhalophytes (Salicornia perennans, Suaeda salsa, Halocnemum strobilaceum), a crynohalophyte (Limonium gmelinii) and a glycohalophyte (Artemisia santonica). The euhalophytes S. perennans and S. salsa belong to plants of the halosucculent type, while the other three species represent the xerophilic type. Larger cells with a great number of chloroplasts, a high content of membrane glycerolipids and unsaturated C18:3 fatty acid and smaller pigment and light-harvesting complexes characterize the features of euhalophytes with a succulent leaf type. Therefore, the features of the halophyte photosynthetic apparatus structure are closely related to its functional indicators and are defined by a strategy in both the accumulation of salts and the method of water regime regulation.