Correlation between leaf growth variables suggest intrinsic and early controls of leaf size in Arabidopsis thaliana

• Published in: Plant, cell and environment Vol. 28; no. 11; pp. 1355 - 1366
• Main Authors: Cookson, S.J, Lijsebettens, M. van, Granier, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.11.2005; Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis thaliana; Biological and medical sciences; cell division; cell growth; conceptual model; Ecology, environment; epidermal cells; epidermis (plant); Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes. Genome; kinematic analysis; leaf area; leaf development; Life Sciences; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; mutants; phenotypic variation; plant ecology; plant genetics; plant morphology; plant physiology; shade; Growth; Arabidopsis; epidermal cells; shade; Environmental factor; Plant leaf; Leaf area; Arabidopsis thaliana; Cruciferae; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Development; conceptual model; Spermatophyta; Mutation; kinematic analysis; leaf development; EPIDERMAL CELLS; MORPHOGENESE; KINEMATIC ANALYSIS; LEAF DEVELOPMENT; SHADE; CONCEPTUAL MODEL; ECOPHYSIOLOGIE
• ISSN: 0140-7791; 1365-3040
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3040.2005.01368.x

Leaf development is affected by both internal (genetic) and external (environmental) regulatory factors. The aim of this work was to investigate how leaf growth variables are related to one another in a range of environments. The leaf growth variables of wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana and leaf development mutants (ang4, ron2-1, elo1, elo2 and elo4) were studied under different incident light treatments (light and shade). The leaves studied were altered in various leaf development variables, such as the duration of expansion, relative and absolute expansion rates, epidermal cell size, epidermal cell number and initiation rate. Final leaf area was correlated to maximal absolute leaf expansion rate and cell number, but not to duration of leaf expansion or cell size. These relationships were common to all studied genotypes and light conditions, suggesting that leaf size is determined early in development. In addition, the early variables involved in leaf development were correlated to one another, and initial relative expansion rate was negatively correlated to the duration of expansion. These relationships between the leaf development variables were used to construct a conceptual model of leaf size control.