scholarly journals How Do Plants Respond Biochemically to Fire? The Role of Photosynthetic Pigments and Secondary Metabolites in the Post-Fire Resprouting Response

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
Ana Carolina Santacruz-García ◽  
Sandra Bravo ◽  
Florencia del Corro ◽  
Elisa Mariana García ◽  
Domingo M. Molina-Terrén ◽  
...  

Resprouting is one of the main regeneration strategies in woody plants that allows post-fire vegetation recovery. However, the stress produced by fires promotes the biosynthesis of compounds which could affect the post-fire resprouting, and this approach has been poorly evaluated in fire ecology. In this study, we evaluate the changes in the concentration of chlorophylls, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and tannins as a result of experimental burns (EB). We asked whether this biochemical response to fire could influence the resprouting responses. For that, we conducted three EB in three successive years in three different experimental units. Specifically, we selected six woody species from the Chaco region, and we analyzed their biochemical responses to EB. We used spectrophotometric methods to quantify the metabolites, and morphological variables to estimate the resprouting responses. Applying a multivariate analysis, we built an index to estimate the biochemical response to fire to EB per each species. Our results demonstrate that photosynthetic pigment concentration did not vary significantly in burnt plants that resprout in response to EB, whereas concentrations of secondary metabolites (phenolic compounds and tannins) increased up to two years after EB. Our main results showed that phenolic compounds could play a significant role in the resprouting responses, while photosynthetic pigments seem to have a minor but significant role. Such results were reaffirmed by the significant correlation between the biochemical response to fire and both resprouting capacity and resprouting growth. However, we observed that the biochemical response effect on resprouting was lower in tree species than in shrubby species. Our study contributes to the understanding of the biochemical responses that are involved in the post-fire vegetation recovery.

2018 ◽  
pp. 70-72
Author(s):  
M. S. Gins ◽  
A. F. Agafonov ◽  
V. K. Gins ◽  
A. A. Baikov ◽  
V. S. Romanov ◽  
...  

Food and pharmacological value in onion leaves is mainly represented by ascorbic acid, chlorophylls and secondary metabolites: carotenoids, phenolic compounds. At the same time, their quantity depends on the conditions of cultivation and treatment with biostimulants. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse on sod-podzolic soil in the Moscow region under conditions of natural insolation at a temperature of 20 ... 25 ° C in March using varieties of VNIISSOK selection – Chernyj princ and Zolotnichok. The effect of Albit and Amir biostimulants on the content of antioxidants and photosynthetic pigments in the leaves of onion was studied. The work shows the promise of using growth-stimulating plant and bacterial preparations for foliar treatment of onion leaves, which allow increasing the yield of leaves and the content of antioxidants. In the leaves of the Chernyj princ variety, an increase in the content of ascorbic acid by 30% was observed when treated with biostimulant Amir, as well as an increase in leaf weight by 8% when treated with Amir and by 14% when treated with biostimulant Albit. Foliar treatment of onion leaves with biostimulants Albit and Amir resulted in an increase in the amount of ethanol-soluble antioxidants.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1349
Author(s):  
Ahlam Khalofah ◽  
Mona Kilany ◽  
Hussein Migdadi

Heavy metals are primarily generated and deposited in the environment, causing phytotoxicity. This work evaluated fenugreek plants’ morpho-physiological and biochemical responses under mercury stress conditions toward Ag nanoparticles and Sphingobacterium ginsenosidiumtans applications. The fabrication of Ag nanoparticles by Thymus vulgaris was monitored and described by UV/Vis analysis, FTIR, and SEM. The effect of mercury on vegetative growth was determined by measuring the root and shoots length, the number and area of leaves, the relative water content, and the weight of the green and dried plants; appraisal of photosynthetic pigments, proline, hydrogen peroxide, and total phenols content were also performed. In addition, the manipulation of Ag nanoparticles, S. ginsenosidiumtans, and their combination were tested for mercury stress. Here, Ag nanoparticles were formed at 420 nm with a uniform cuboid form and size of 85 nm. Interestingly, the gradual suppression of vegetal growth and photosynthetic pigments by mercury, Ag nanoparticles, and S. ginsenosidiumtans were detected; however, carotenoids and anthocyanins were significantly increased. In addition, proline, hydrogen peroxide, and total phenols content were significantly increased because mercury and S. ginsenosidiumtans enhance this increase. Ag nanoparticles achieve higher levels by the combination. Thus, S. ginsenosidiumtans and Ag nanoparticles could have the plausible ability to relieve and combat mercury’s dangerous effects in fenugreek.


1999 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. P. Torzilli ◽  
P. A. Mikelson ◽  
J. D. Lawrey

AbstractIt has been suggested that the host specificity exhibited by some lichenicolous fungi depends on their ability to tolerate the secondary chemistry of potential host lichens. For example, the lichen parasite Marchandiomyces corallinus is able to degrade the tissues of the lichen Flavoparmelia baltimorensis irrespective of the presence or absence of endogenous phenolic compounds. In contrast, the degradation of tissues from the lichen Lasallia papulosa is suppressed when endogenous phenolics are not removed. We have investigated the physiological basis of this inhibition in order to understand more about how lichen chemistry infiuences host preference in lichenicolous fungi. Results showed that the secondary compounds from L. papulosa inhibit the overall growth of M. corallimis, but not the catalytic activity of its tissue-degrading polysaccharidases. This effect is different from that shown by another lichen parasite, Nectria parmeliae, where lichen compounds specifically inhibited polysaccharidase activity. Compared with the compounds of L. papulosa, the endogenous phenolics of F. baltimorensis inhibited the growth of M. corallimis substantially less and exhibited little or no inhibition of polysaccharidases. For M. corallimis, host preference appears to be associated with physiological adaptation to the chemistry of F. baltimorensis.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (18) ◽  
pp. 4146
Author(s):  
Javad Mottaghipisheh ◽  
Marcello Iriti

Flavonoids are considered one of the most diverse phenolic compounds possessing several valuable health benefits. The present study aimed at gathering all correlated reports, in which Sephadex® LH-20 (SLH) has been utilized as the final step to isolate or purify of flavonoid derivatives among all plant families. Overall, 189 flavonoids have been documented, while the majority were identified from the Asteraceae, Moraceae, and Poaceae families. Application of SLH has led to isolate 79 flavonols, 63 flavones, and 18 flavanones. Homoisoflavanoids, and proanthocyanidins have only been isolated from the Asparagaceae and Lauraceae families, respectively, while the Asteraceae was the richest in flavones possessing 22 derivatives. Six flavones, four flavonols, three homoisoflavonoids, one flavanone, a flavanol, and an isoflavanol have been isolated as the new secondary metabolites. This technique has been able to isolate quercetin from 19 plant species, along with its 31 derivatives. Pure methanol and in combination with water, chloroform, and dichloromethane have generally been used as eluents. This comprehensive review provides significant information regarding to remarkably use of SLH in isolation and purification of flavonoids from all the plant families; thus, it might be considered an appreciable guideline for further phytochemical investigation of these compounds.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 146
Author(s):  
Maruthaiya Arivalagan ◽  
Ramamurthy Somasundaram

Present investigation was focused on the response and regulation of the antioxidant defense system and photosynthetic pigment variation effect of two important fungicides or plant growth regulators Hexaconazole (HEX) and Tebuconazole (TBZ) on drought stressed tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants. Drought stress was imposed for 30 Days after sowing (DAS) of tomato plant. The water was irrigated by 4 Days Interval Drought (DID) and the control plants were regularly irrigated. Triazole treatment like HEX at 15 mg L-1 and TBZ at 10 mg L-1 imposed on 30, 40 and 50 DAS. The plant samples were collected on 40, 50 and 60 DAS. The photosynthetic pigments like chlorophyll – a, chlorophyll – b and total chlorophyll were estimated. The drought stress reduced the photosynthetic pigments and increased the antioxidant contents and antioxidant enzymes activities. The combined drought stress with triazole treatments increased the photosynthetic pigments then reduced the ascorbic acid (AA), α-tocopherol, catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, when compared to drought stressed plants. It can be concluded that the triazole treatment partially mitigated the adverse effects of drought stress in L. esculentum.


Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1626
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Bayoumi Abdel-Farid ◽  
Marwa Radawy Marghany ◽  
Mohamed Mahmoud Rowezek ◽  
Mohamed Gabr Sheded

Seeds germination and seedlings growth of Cucumis sativus and Solanum lycopersicum were monitored in in vitro and in vivo experiments after application of different concentrations of NaCl (25, 50, 100 and 200 mM). Photosynthetic pigments content and the biochemical responses of C. sativus and S. lycopersicum were assessed. Salinity stress slightly delayed the seeds germination rate and significantly reduced the percentage of germination as well as shoot length under the highest salt concentration (200 mM) in cucumber. Furthermore, root length was decreased significantly in all treatments. Whereas, in tomato, a prominent delay in seeds germination rate, the germination percentage and seedlings growth (shoot and root lengths) were significantly influenced under all concentrations of NaCl. Fresh and dry weights were reduced prominently in tomato compared to cucumber. Photosynthetic pigments content was reduced but with pronounced decreasing in tomato compared to cucumber. Secondary metabolites profiling in both plants under stress was varied from tomato to cucumber. The content of saponins, proline and total antioxidant capacity was reduced more prominently in tomato as compared to cucumber. On the other hand, the content of phenolics and flavonoids was increased in both plants with pronounced increase in tomato particularly under the highest level of salinity stress. The metabolomic profiling in stressful plants was significantly influenced by salinity stress and some bioactive secondary metabolites was enhanced in both cucumber and tomato plants. The enhancement of secondary metabolites under salinity stress may explain the tolerance and sensitivity of cucumber and tomato under salinity stress. The metabolomic evaluation combined with multivariate data analysis revealed a similar mechanism of action of plants to mediate stress, with variant level of this response in both plant species. Based on these results, the effect of salinity stress on seeds germination, seedlings growth and metabolomic content of plants was discussed in terms of tolerance and sensitivity of plants to salinity stress.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adane Tilahun Getachew ◽  
Charlotte Jacobsen ◽  
Susan Løvstad Holdt

Natural phenolic compounds are important classes of plant, microorganism, and algal secondary metabolites. They have well-documented beneficial biological activities. The marine environment is less explored than other environments but have huge potential for the discovery of new unique compounds with potential applications in, e.g., food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. To survive in a very harsh and challenging environment, marine organisms like several seaweed (macroalgae) species produce and accumulate several secondary metabolites, including marine phenolics in the cells. Traditionally, these compounds were extracted from their sample matrix using organic solvents. This conventional extraction method had several drawbacks such as a long extraction time, low extraction yield, co-extraction of other compounds, and usage of a huge volume of one or more organic solvents, which consequently results in environmental pollution. To mitigate these drawbacks, newly emerging technologies, such as enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) have received huge interest from researchers around the world. Therefore, in this review, the most recent and emerging technologies are discussed for the extraction of marine phenolic compounds of interest for their antioxidant and other bioactivity in, e.g., cosmetic and food industry. Moreover, the opportunities and the bottleneck for upscaling of these technologies are also presented.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 2735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Min ◽  
Yinqiu Bao ◽  
Baixue Zhou ◽  
Yang Yi ◽  
Limei Wang ◽  
...  

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn) is a wetland vegetable famous for its nutritional and medicinal value. Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites that play important roles in the browning of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, and chemical constituents are extracted from lotus for medicine due to their high antioxidant activity. Studies have explored in depth the changes in phenolic compounds during browning, while little is known about their synthesis during the formation of lotus rhizome. In this study, transcriptomic analyses of six samples were performed during lotus rhizome formation using a high-throughput tag sequencing technique. About 23 million high-quality reads were generated, and 92.14% of the data was mapped to the reference genome. The samples were divided into two stages, and we identified 23,475 genes in total, 689 of which were involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. A complex genetic crosstalk-regulated network involved in the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds was found during the development of lotus rhizome, and 25 genes in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway, 18 genes in the pentose phosphate pathway, and 30 genes in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway were highly expressed. The expression patterns of key enzymes assigned to the synthesis of phenolic compounds were analyzed. Moreover, several differentially expressed genes required for phenolic compound biosynthesis detected by comparative transcriptomic analysis were verified through qRT-PCR. This work lays a foundation for future studies on the molecular mechanisms of phenolic compound biosynthesis during rhizome formation.


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