Root anatomical plasticity contributes to the different adaptive responses of two Phragmites species to water-deficit and low-oxygen conditions

Takaki Yamauchi; Kurumi Sumi; Hiromitsu Morishita; Yasuyuki Nomura

doi:10.1071/FP23231

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Root anatomical plasticity contributes to the different adaptive responses of two Phragmites species to water-deficit and low-oxygen conditions

Takaki Yamauchi

^A ^* , Kurumi Sumi ^B , Hiromitsu Morishita ^B and Yasuyuki Nomura ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.

^B Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.

^C Research Office, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Shiga, Japan.

^* Correspondence to: atkyama@agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp

Handling Editor: Angelika Mustroph

Functional Plant Biology 51, FP23231 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP23231

Submitted: 3 October 2023 Accepted: 22 February 2024 Published: 14 March 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

The runner reed (Phragmites japonica) is the dominant species on riverbanks, whereas the common reed (Phragmites australis) thrives in continuously flooded areas. Here, we aimed to identify the key root anatomical traits that determine the different adaptative responses of the two Phragmites species to water-deficit and low-oxygen conditions. Growth measurements revealed that P. japonica tolerated high osmotic conditions, whereas P. australis preferred low-oxygen conditions. Root anatomical analysis revealed that the ratios of the cortex to stele area and aerenchyma (gas space) to cortex area in both species increased under low-oxygen conditions. However, a higher ratio of cortex to stele area in P. australis resulted in a higher ratio of aerenchyma to stele, which includes xylem vessels that are essential for water and nutrient uptakes. In contrast, a lower ratio of cortex to stele area in P. japonica could be advantageous for efficient water uptake under high-osmotic conditions. In addition to the ratio of root tissue areas, rigid outer apoplastic barriers composed of a suberised exodermis may contribute to the adaptation of P. japonica and P. australis to water-deficit and low-oxygen conditions, respectively. Our results suggested that root anatomical plasticity is essential for plants to adapt and respond to different soil moisture levels.

Keywords: aerenchyma, cortex, exodermis, Phragmites, root anatomical plasticity, suberin, wild Poaceae species, xylem.

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