Structural features of the bark in young stems of Betula ermanii Cham. in the conditions of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsky mud volcano (Sakhalin Island)

Abstract

In the present paper, the results of the study of the structural peculiarities of Betula ermanii growing in the setting of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsky mud volcano are presented. A statistical analysis of the structural parameters of young stem bark has been conducted, which has made it possible to distinguish features dependent on extreme environmental conditions. Parameters of young stem bark have been elicited, which have higher than normal values: the thickness of periderm and phellem, the diameter and length of sieve tube elements, the specific number of crystals in bark parenchyma, the specific area of sclerenchyma in the bark. The structural response of the young stem bark of Betula ermanii is likely to have an adaptive nature.