We studied the distribution and relationship with the indigenous supra-littoral species of the North Atlantic species Cakile edentula (Bigelow) Hook. along the eastern coast of Primorye Territory. The C. edentula annual community usually occupies sandy beaches and outer ribs of front dunes free of vegetation. This species is also associated with different plant communities of beaches and dunes: Salsoletum komarovii, Elymo–Caricetum kobomugi, Elymo–Caricetum pumilae, Artemisio stellerianae–Leymetum mollis, and Leymo mollis–Glehnietum littoralis. Furthermore, it forms short-lived communities with Jacobea psedoarnica, Lathyrus japonicus, and Rosa rugosa in some parts of the coast, and also communities with Phragmites australis on salt marshes in the Tumen River estuarine zone. We investigated the functional traits of C. edentula leaves: volume of mesophyll cell, the number of chloroplasts per mm2 of leaf surface, the ratio of the total surface area cells to the unit leaf area (Ames/A), the total number of chloroplasts per cell. The high values of the integral parameters of С. edentula leaf mesophyll are quite comparable to those of desert halophytes and 1.5–4 times higher than the values reported for several of the Northeast Asian coastal species such as Artemisia stelleriana, Chorisis repens, Glehnia littoralis, Jacobea pseudoarnica, Lathyrus japonicus, et al. According to its ecological strategy, C. edentula can be attributed to ruderal–stress-tolerant (RS) species. This study was based on standard phytosociological and physiological methods with examination of quantitative leaf anatomy.

The plants from two populations (P1 and P2) of xero-halophyte Sedobassia sedoides (Pall.) Freitag & G. Kadereit (Chenopodiaceae) with С3–С4 intermediate type of photosynthesis were examined. Morphophysiological parameters were determined: dry biomass of the above-ground organs, maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII), ultra- and mesostructure of the leaf, carbon isotope discrimination (δ13С) in plants grown under normal conditions and exposed to moderate salinization (0 and 200 mM NaCl). By the values of δ13С and efficiency of PSII, we did not detect significant differences between the populations. Under control conditions, the chloroplasts and mitochondria were located in Kranz-like cells of the bundle sheath of both populations in the region adjacent to vascular bundle, which is characteristic of С2 type of photosynthesis (with photorespiratory СО2 concentrating mechanism). P2 plants were notable for a greater volume of Kranz-like cells of the bundle sheath and more numerous, larger chloroplasts and mitochondria than in P1 plants. By structural leaf parameters, P1 plants may be attributed to a proto-Kranz type of photosynthesis (intermediate between С3 and С2 types) and P2 plants to С2 photosynthesis. Under salinization, the accumulation of dry biomass was reduced in both populations but more considerably in P1. The ultrastructure of organelles in both populations showed different responses to salinization, which was especially pronounced in Kranz-like cells of the bundle sheath. In P1 plants, the area of chloroplasts and mitochondria rose, whereas the area and number of chloroplasts under stress did not change in P2 plants but the area and number of mitochondria decreased. In the cells of plants from both populations, signs of degradation were observed (more pronounced in P1 plants); they were shown in chloroplasts twisting and a disturbance of their granal stacking. In P2 plants, Kranz-like cells of the bundle sheath preserved safer organelles but there occurred the cells with complete degradation of a vacuolar type. Thus, intraspecific ultra- and mesostructural differences were detected in plants from two populations of С3–С4 intermediate species S. sedoides, which reflect different stages of development of photorespiratory СО2 concentrating mechanism. Under salinization, the plants from two different populations showed unlike strategies of adaptation on the level of leaf ultra- and mesostructure.

The seasonal course of the water potential in branch xylem reflects the dynamics of photosynthetic СО 2 /Н 2 О exchange in the forest stand. Long-term figures of water potential in the branches of major wood species growing in East Siberia—larch ( Larix cajanderi Mayr), pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) and birch ( Betula platyphylla Sukaczev)—have been analyzed. The seasonal dynamics of the water potential showed its minimum in the first half of the vegetation period. The time when the minimum of water potential was observed concurred with the earlier determined peak in seasonal dynamics of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of C/СО 2 in the forests of East Siberia. Statistical analysis of a long-term time series of atmospheric СО 2 concentration along the latitudinal zone (43°07′–55°45′ N) of the transcontinental transect from Moscow (55°45′ N, 37°34′ E) to Vladivostok (43°07′ N, 135°54′ E) corroborated the existence of the seasonal minimum of atmospheric СО 2 in the first half of the vegetation period. However, this transcontinental Eurasian minimum of atmospheric СО 2 was reached a month before such a minimum in the region of East Siberia (Yakutsk, 62°05′ N, 129°33′09″ E). It was concluded that the minimum of atmospheric СО 2 concentration is a seasonal signal of photosynthesis in the regional forest ecosystems, and time shift of this signal might serve as an indicator of modification in the regional biogenic cycle of carbon caused by climate fluctuation.

Kali komarovii is a representative of C4 NADP-ME annual species of sect. Kali (subfam. Salsoloideae of fam. Amaranthaceae). This species is genetically close (Ney's distance is 0.16-0.17) to K. paulsenii and K. tragus, which are similar species of this section of the Central Asian desert flora. The difference is that K. komarovii inhabits Japanese Sea coasts and occurs at 9000-10,000 km away from Central Asia. Comparative analysis of K. komarovii and arid NADP-ME xero-halophytes (K. paulsenii, K. tragus) and NAD-ME halophytes (Caroxylon incanescens, Climacoptera lanata) was carried out using anatomical, physiological and population genetic methods aimed to reveal structural and functional rearrangements, which provide the adaptation of NADP-ME species to saline, wet and cool conditions of sea coasts. The analysis of changes in Na' and IC accumulations, the Na'/IC ratio, water content and quantitative parameters of photosynthetic apparatus in K. komarovii showed less expressed NADP-ME, but more expressed NAD-ME features. A unique characteristic of K. komarovii is the formation of specific structural-functional subtype C4 photosynthesis related to adaptation to low temperatures, which differs from desert ancient NAD-ME subtype. Thus K. komarovii is identified as a species with a facultative NADP-ME or intermediate NADP-ME NAD-ME subtype C4 photosynthesis based on anatomical, biochemical and genetic characteristics. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Дикорастущий женьшень (Panax ginseng C.A. Mey., сем. Araliaceae Juss.) крайне редкое лекарственное растение. Биохимический со-став «корня жизни» исследован достаточно хорошо, в то время как данные по элементно-му составу остаются крайне ограниченными. Целью настоящего исследования было выяв-ление видовой специфичности элементного состава женьшеня и первичная оценка уровня его пластичности. Изучение элементного со-става листьев дикорастущего женьшеня было выполнено на основе фактического материа-ла, полученного из природных местообитаний Спасского и Хасанского районов Приморского края. Химический анализ состава листьев вы-полнен энергодисперсионным рентгенофлуо-ресцентным методом. Обнаружены значи-тельные различия между образцами листьев из сравниваемых районов в содержании мар-ганца, фосфора и цинка. Установлено, что в листьях растений Спасского района отсут-ствует титан. В то же время отличия между двумя выборками из Спасского района были несущественными, за исключением несколько большего содержания Mg (в 1,6 раза) в расте-ниях охраняемого лесного участка. Элемент-ный состав листьев дикорастущего женьшеня в сравнении с другими лекарственными рас-тениями отличается высоким содержанием меди и цинка, низким содержанием марганца. Полученные результаты свидетельствуют о перспективности дальнейших исследований по разработке элементного метода для иден-тификации происхождения образцов женьшеня и их медико-биологической оценки. Для более полной характеристики видовой специфики элементного состава женьшеня и его пла-стичности необходимы дальнейшие исследо-вания с привлечением большей выборки образ-цов из различных частей ареала вида.

The structure of assimilative tissues of several Araliaceae species that grow in the Russian Far East is studied. Considering the specifics of the area, life forms, and quantitative leaf anatomy, a comparative description of their adaptivity relative to light and water modes is given.

There are significant changes in the structure of the upper tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) leaves systemically infected with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) especially in the light green tissue (LGT). Dark green areas (DGI) had intermediate status between healthy tissue and LGT. DGI contained significantly less infectious TMV and viral antigen than the LGT. The DGI, LGT and healthy tissues did not differ in the permeability of cell membranes and in the set of acidic pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins but the total content of PR-proteins in the healthy plants was higher than in the infected ones with the DGI being intermediate between healthy tissue and LGT. The crude leaf extracts from DGI and LGT showed less total ribonuclease activity and ribonuclease isozymes in comparison with control.

The data on leaf mesostructure and productive characteristics in the ontogenesis of Panax ginseng of Spasskaya population in the unnatural plantations conditions (the Spasskiy region, Primorskiy region) are given in the article. In the unnatural population conditions Panax ginseng keeps some features of photosinthetic apparatus mesostructure which are typical for the wild ginseng and considerably differs from the plantational.

Mesostructure of the photosynthetic apparatus was investigated in the wild plants of ginseng ( Panax ginseng C.A. Mey, Araliaceae) taken from various habitats. The revealed features of the structure of phototrophic tissues (large cells, small number of photosynthesizing cells and chloroplasts per leaf area unit, low values of membrane indices of the cells and chloroplasts) point to stress-tolerant type of ecological strategy ginseng pursues in Nature.

The results of studies on the biomorphological features of 22 plant species growing on the southern coast of the Russian Far East provide evidence for the diversity of pathways of their adaptation to stressful habitat conditions. An analysis of the anatomical and mesostructural characteristics of their leaves has revealed representatives of euhalophytes, crinohalophytes, and glycohalophytes among these plants. Adaptation is achieved by means of halomorphosis, haloxerophytism, and development of some heliophilic features accounted for by species-specific manifestations of succulence, the presence of salt excreting trichomes, and thick pubescence. The similarity of these adaptations to those of desert plants is discussed. Along with plants characterized by a high germination rate, species that counterbalance a low efficiency of seed reproduction by active vegetative propagation have also successfully established themselves on the coast. Adaptation to coastal habitats is also achieved due to the diversity of life forms characterized mainly by tap root systems with laterally extending branch roots, creeping shoots, and a high vegetative mobility.

У растений дикорастущего женьшеня (Panax ginseng C.A. Mey, сем. Araliaceae), взятых из разных мест обитания, исследовали мезоструктуру фотосинтетического аппарата. Выявленные основные черты структуры фототрофных тканей – крупные клетки, низкая концентрация фотосинтезирующих клеток и хлоропластов в единице площади листа, низкие значения мембранных индексов клеток и хлоропластов, свидетельствуют о стресс-толерантном типе экологической “стратегии” женьшеня в природных условиях.

The ontogeny of perennial polycarpic herb Panax ginseng C.A. Mey. (Araliaceae) under plantation conditions was described. Three periods (latent, pregenerative, and generative) and eight age stages have been identified in the ontogeny of cultivated P. ginseng . The generative period of this species is the longest ontogenetic period, which determines the timing of its cultivation in plantations.