Neutral lipids and phospholipids in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) sapwood and heartwood.

Variations in the concentration and composition of triacylglycerols, free fatty acids and phospholipids were analyzed in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees at five sites. Disks were taken at breast height or at a height of 4 m from the stems of 81 trees differing in diameter and growth rate. The mean concentration of triacylglycerols in sapwood was 26 mg g(-1) dry mass; however, variation among trees was large (16-51 mg g(dm)(-1)). The concentration of triacylglycerols was slightly larger at 4 m height in the stem than at breast height. Concentrations of triacylglycerols did not differ between the sapwood of young and small-diameter stems (DBH < 12 cm) and the sapwood of old stems (DBH > 36 cm). Concentrations of free fatty acids were negligible in the outer sapwood, but ranged between 5 and 18 mg g(dm)(-1) in the heartwood. The most abundant fatty acids of triacylglycerols were oleic (18:1), linoleic (18:2omega6, 18:2Delta5,9), linolenic (pinolenic, 18:3Delta5,9,12 and 18:3omega3) and eicosatrienoic acid (20:3Delta5,11,14 and 20:3omega6). The concentration of linoleic acid comprised 39-46% of the triacylglycerol fatty acids and the concentration was higher in the slow-growing stem from northern Finland than in the stems from southern Finland. Major phospholipids were detected only in sapwood, and only traces of lipid phosphorus were detected in heartwood.

Structural variation of tracheids in Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.).

The orientation of cellulose microfibrils in the cell wall and the shape and the dimensions of the cells of earlywood of four Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) stems grown in Finland were studied by X-ray diffraction and optical microscopy. The average microfibril angle (MFA) decreased and the diameter of the cell increased rapidly up to rings 5-10 from the pith and remained at the same level after that. The average MFA close to the pith was over 20 degrees and decreased to about 8 degrees after ring 10 from the pith. The average diameter of the cells was 35 microm in the outer rings. The shape of the cross section of the lumen changed from circular to rectangular from the pith to the bark. The tracheid length increased also as a function of the distance from the pith. The thickness of the cell wall varied between 2.8 and 3.5 microm. Automatic cell lumen and cell wall recognition procedures were developed for the analysis of the images of the cross sections of the cells.

The cell walls of Chara aspera Willd. (Charophyta) vegetative cells.

The ultrastructure of the vegetative cell walls of the charophyte Chara aspera Willd was studied with TEM. Thallus cells, rhizoid bulbil and rhizoidal node cells were investigated. The internodal cells transverse walls contained plasmodesmata. The longitudinal walls of the internodal cells were uniform, fibrillar, with two thin structurally distinct layers with different structure facing the cytoplasm. The outermost layers of internodal, cortical and rhizoid bulbil cells were composed of randomly orientated fibrils. The longitudinal walls of the cortical cells were helicoidal in structure. In the rhizoid bulbil cell walls, six different layers could be distinguished, but their occurrence seemed to depend on the fixation, staining and cutting procedures. A middle lamella and osmophilic deposits were found in the wall between rhizoidal node cells. The cytoplasmic structure of the internodal and cortical cells was not found to differ from other species of Chara. Charasomes were observed only in cortical cells.