Surface Structures and Chemical Composition of Epicuticular Waxes during Leaf Development of Fagus sylvatica L.

Abstract

Abstract The surface structures of beech ( Fagus sylvatica) leaf waxes were studied by SEM and correlated with chemical compositions of the extracted wax lipids during one vegetation period. The very young leaflets just unfolding from buds contained already a wax layer without any wax sculptures or crystalloids. This wax layer is quite different in yield and composition to that of mature leaves. With the unfolding of beech leaves, a dynamic biosynthesis of several wax lipids was started, but the biosynthesis of wax esters was not continued further. Ten days after leaf unfolding the de novo biosynthesis of aldehydes could be detected for the first time. Aldehyde amount increased rapidly to about 13% of the wax. The predominant individual wax lipids synthesized were aldehydes, alcohols and fatty acids with C28 and hydrocarbons with C27 chain lengths, respectively. The biosynthesis of wax lipids in beech leaves was completed at the end of May and remained nearly constant in quantity and com position during the remaining season. At the same time when aldehydes were found for the first time, wax sculptures were observed on beech leaf waxes coming out of the continuous wax layer, exclusively on the upper leaf side. These wax sculptures increased in size and quantity in the following time and were present on the upper leaf side all over the season, only some wax sculptures show a trend to crystalline forms.