Effect of drought on leaf anatomical characteristics of four Artemisia species in the Loess Plateau

Leaf anatomical characteristics of 4 Artemisia species under drought conditions were investigated to reveal the drought-resistant strategies of vegetation at early stage of ecological succession in the Loess Plateau. Three dominant species as Artemisia scoparia Waldst. et Kit., Artemisia giraldii Pamp. and Artemisia gmelinii Web. cx Stechm. and one common specie, Arternisia annua Linn. during early succession in the Loess Plateau were selected to investigate the leaf anatomical adaptation of Artemisia to soil drought stresses. Pot experiment was adopted to control the soil water content. And 75%, 55% and 35% of field moisture capacity were set as control, moderate water stress and severe water stress, respectively. The latest mature leaves were freshly collected and fixed at the end of their vegetation growth period for SEM, TEM and the optical microscope. We analyzed the difference among leaf epidermis characteristics of the four Artemisia species according to the sub-cellular micro characteristic and the organizational anatomical structure. The three dominant species had stronger ability to adapt to drought stress than the common species-Artemisia annua.