Physiological and morphological characterisation of Limonium species in their natural habitats: Insights into their abiotic stress responses

Background and aims Morphological and biochemical traits of four halophytes of the genus Limonium were analysed in plants sampled from salt marshes in SE Spain. This work aimed to explore the mechanism(s) behind the adaptation of these species to stressful habitats, with particular emphasis on respo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant and soil 2020-04, Vol.449 (1-2), p.267-284
Main Authors: González-Orenga, Sara, Llinares, Josep V., Al Hassan, Mohamad, Fita, Ana, Collado, Francisco, Lisón, Purificación, Vicente, Oscar, Boscaiu, Monica
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Analysis
Aridity
Betaine
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Calcium
Calcium ions
Correlation analysis
Drought resistance
Ecology
Fructose
Glycine
Halophytes
Life Sciences
Limonium
Morphology
Multivariate analysis
Physical characteristics
Physiological aspects
Plant Physiology
Plant Sciences
Proline
Regular Article
Salt marshes
Soil layers
Soil moisture
Soil Science & Conservation
Soils
Species
Spectrophotometry
Stress response
Sucrose
Sugar
Tidal marshes
Topology
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Summary:Background and aims Morphological and biochemical traits of four halophytes of the genus Limonium were analysed in plants sampled from salt marshes in SE Spain. This work aimed to explore the mechanism(s) behind the adaptation of these species to stressful habitats, with particular emphasis on responses to drought. Methods Plants of each species together with soil samples were collected in summer, which is the most stressful season in the Mediterranean. Soil parameters and plant morphological traits were determined, and the levels of several biochemical stress markers in plants were measured using spectrophotometric assays. A multivariate analysis was performed to correlate soil and plant data. Results Morphological characteristics regarding the underground system topology and several biochemical traits (higher foliar Ca 2+ , sucrose and glucose, and lower proline, glycine-betaine and fructose) clearly separate L. santapolense individuals from plants of the other three species. Conclusions Drought tolerance of L. santapolense in the field is mostly dependent on morphological adaptations: when growing in an arid location, plants of this species develop long taproots that can extract water from the deep, moist layers of the soil.
ISSN:0032-079X
1573-5036
DOI:10.1007/s11104-020-04486-4