Leaf Mesophyll Structure and Photosynthetic Activity in Calla palustris L. from Natural Habitats with Different Level of Technogenic Pollution

Abstract

A study of leaf structure and CO 2 assimilation rate was conducted on the emergent plant Calla palustris L. from natural habitats with different levels of technogenic pollution (the Sak-Elga River, upstream and downstream of the Karabash copper smelter, Chelyabinsk region, Russia). It was found that both chlorophyll a content and the rate of CO 2 assimilation decreased twofold in plants from the downstream site. No significant changes were observed in leaf mesophyll structure and the volume of aerenchyma in the leaf. It was shown that in plants from strongly contaminated site, the decrease in spongy mesophyll cell volume was compensated by the increase in their number, whereas the decrease in the number of chloroplasts per cell was accompanied by a growth in volume. It is concluded that the changes in the numerical and dimensional characteristics of mesophyll cells and chloroplasts provide for the viability of C. palustris under prolonged technogenic impact and demonstrate the plasticity of the photosynthetic apparatus.