Spatial organization and correlation properties quantify structural changes on mesoscale of parenchymatous plant tissue

• Published in: Journal of applied physics Vol. 115; no. 6
• Main Authors: Valous, N. A., Delgado, A., Drakakis, K., Sun, D.-W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melville American Institute of Physics 14.02.2014
• Subjects: 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; ANATOMY; Applied physics; Chemical reactions; Complex systems; Complexity; COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY; CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; Correlation analysis; CORRELATIONS; FLUCTUATIONS; Freeze thaw cycles; FREEZING; FRUITS; Histograms; Inhomogeneity; Numerical methods; Organic chemistry; PHYSIOLOGY; PLANT TISSUES; SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION; Variation; X RADIATION
• ISSN: 0021-8979; 1089-7550
• DOI: 10.1063/1.4862641

The study of plant tissue parenchyma's intercellular air spaces contributes to the understanding of anatomy and physiology. This is challenging due to difficulty in making direct measurements of the pore space and the complex mosaic of parenchymatous tissue. The architectural complexity of pore space has shown that single geometrical measurements are not sufficient for characterization. The inhomogeneity of distribution depends not only on the percentage content of phase, but also on how the phase fills the space. The lacunarity morphometric, as multiscale measure, provides information about the distribution of gaps that correspond to degree of spatial organization in parenchyma. Additionally, modern theories have suggested strategies, where the focus has shifted from the study of averages and histograms to the study of patterns in data fluctuations. Detrended fluctuation analysis provides information on the correlation properties of the parenchyma at different spatial scales. The aim is to quantify (with the aid of the aforementioned metrics), the mesostructural changes—that occur from one cycle of freezing and thawing—in the void phase of pome fruit parenchymatous tissue, acquired with X-ray microcomputed tomography. Complex systems methods provide numerical indices and detailed insights regarding the freezing-induced modifications upon the arrangement of cells and voids. These structural changes have the potential to lead to physiological disorders. The work can further stimulate interest for the analysis of internal plant tissue structures coupled with other physico-chemical processes or phenomena.