Morphometric Analysis ofLimoniumSalt Glands in Relation to Ion Efflux

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Abstract
Faraday, C. D. and Thomson, W. W. 1986. Morphometric analysis of Limonium salt glands in relation to ion efflux.—J exp. Bot. 37: 471–481. Surface areas and volumes of compartments within rapidly secreting and slowly secreting Limonium perezii salt glands were determined to be similar. Molecular and volume efiluxes of secreted salt solutions were calculated by the application of secretion rates to plasmalemma surface areas. If ion efflux from the glands was a transmembrane phenomenon, fluxes of 1·04×l0−5 equivalents m−2 s−1 would have been necessary to match secretion rates. These fluxes were a thousand times higher than fluxes estimated for most plant cells. Correlated with these high membrane fluxes was the fact that mitochondria occupied 10% of the protoplast volume. Thirty-two percent of the plasmalemma available for efflux was associated with wall protuberances. Wall protuberances amplified the plasmalemma surface area by a factor of 1·6.