Anatomical and ultrastructural adaptations of seagrass leaves: an evaluation of the southern Atlantic groups.

Seagrasses, which form an integral part of the worldwide coastal habitat, are considered highly relevant from an ecological point of view. Due to the scarcity of anatomical information, the present study analyzed the morphoanatomy, histochemistry, and ultrastructure of Halophila decipiens, Halodule wrightii, and Ruppia maritima leaves, discussing their adaptations to the marine environments observed throughout the southwestern tropical and subtropical Atlantic coast. The leaves of these three species feature a uniseriate epidermis with the presence of chloroplasts in large quantities and absence of stomata. The vascular system consists of a central vascular bundle with sieve tube elements of the phloem and protoxylem lacunae, as well as small vascular bundles near the leaf margins. The leaves of H. decipiens possess trichomes, but no mesophyll in the leaf margins. The mesophyll of H. wrightii and R. maritima is homogeneous with chlorenchyma cells and air lacunae scattered throughout the leaf. The histochemistry analysis revealed the absence of amyloplasts and the presence of proteins in the outer periclinal walls of ordinary epidermal cells of the three species. It was also possible to detect the presence of idioblasts containing phenolic compounds in H. decipiens and R. maritima. The ultrastructural analysis of the three species revealed many elliptical chloroplasts, with organized thylakoids, expansion of the epidermal cell wall into the cytoplasm, and a thin cuticle. Hydropoten were also observed in the three specimens. The results show that the species analyzed have important adaptations which enable their survival in the marine environment.