Paper Details

PJB-2024-468

Root degradation of the epiphytic plant Tillandsia ionantha and its exclusion against four heavy metals

Yuanyuan Liu, Shuo Han, Zhen Tang, Guiling Zheng and Peng Li
Abstract

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Epiphytic Tillandsia mainly uses its leaves to absorb water and nutrients from the air, so its root structure and function is rare studied. In this study, T. ionantha was used as the material to study the structure changes from the primary root to mature root, and to assess whether the roots have retention capacity of the heavy metals like the leaves. Results showed that the basic structure of the mature root system is the same as that of the primary root, composing of epidermal cells, the cortex, and vascular columns. With the maturity of the root system, these root structures change significantly. The epidermis thickens, the epidermal cells are broken, the cortical tissue begins to harden, the vascular column and the cortical cells are broken, an obvious hollow appears, and the inside of the cell changes from containing many organelles to having almost no organelles. These phenomena indicate that there is a gradual degradation process from vital to non-vital during the root growth of T. ionantha. The root surface of the mature roots of T. ionantha showed a certain degree of adsorption of the four metals, whereas the metal element content in the roots was not significantly different from the control. The results indicated that the root system of Tillandsia had an obvious exclusion capacity for the four metals, which was closely related to the degradation of the root system and the loss of its ability to transport nutrients

To Cite this article: Liu, Y., S. Han, Z. Tang, G. Zheng and P. Li. 2026. Root degradation of the epiphytic plant Tillandsia ionantha and its exclusion against four heavy metals. Pak. J. Bot., 58(2): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2026-2(10)  
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