Comparative ecological anatomical characteristics of generative and vegetative organs of the medicinally important plant Fragaria vesca L. (Rosaceae Juss.) under in situ and ex situ conditions

In this research, the anatomical structure of different parts of plants belonging to the species Fragaria vesca grown in two different regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan was studied, and the comparative study of the internal structure of these ecotypes was set as the objective. The plant samples collected from the regions were processed with reagents under laboratory conditions and subjected to anatomical investigations. Transverse sections from in situ and ex situ specimens of Fragaria vesca were examined through microscopic analyses. During the microscopic analyses, photomicrographs of the complete view of the specimens and at the level of individual tissues were taken using all magnification levels of the objective lens. The analyses carried out on vegetative and generative organs made it possible to determine the types of tissues constituting them, the relationship between their localization within the organ and their function, as well as the similar and different anatomical structures formed in the samples from the two different regions. As examples of such different characteristics, one can mention ecological anatomical adaptations such as the presence of capitate trichomes on the petiole in the in situ sample, the formation of aerenchyma in the flower stalk, the more intensive development of polyderm tissue in the root and rhizome, etc. Another difference can be exemplified by the presence of druse crystals and other biologically active substances accumulated in the parenchyma tissue of other vegetative organs (leaf, rosette, root) in different concentrations in samples from different regions. The comparative analysis performed allows determining how the anatomical structure of individuals of the same species will be expressed in various ecotopes. This, in turn, plays an important role in identifying potential anatomical structures that will form under the influence of ecological factors in plants growing in different ecological conditions. Keywords: Collenchyma, druses, aerenchyma, abaxial epidermis, polyderm