New insight into pectin effects on mesophyll conductance in four species of deciduous Forest.

The amount of pectin in the cell wall is considered a critical element regulating cell wall porosity. Thus, it is likely to influence the diffusional processes particularly that from the substomatal cavities to the carboxylation sites in the chloroplast stroma (i.e.

Analysis of mesophyll conductance in five understory herbaceous species.

Mesophyll conductance ( ) has received over time much less attention than stomatal conductance ( ), although it affects leaf photosynthesis to about the same extent as stomatal conductance does. The objective of this study was to analyze the trend in five understory herbaceous species growing in a close-canopy forest in the north-west of Italy. In particular, three of analyzed species were monocots: Lam.

Secondary metabolites profile and physiological leaf traits in wild and cultivated under different nutritional .

Leaf secondary metabolites production and physiological leaf traits were analyzed in wild type (WT) and ( 'Tonda Gentile Trilobata', TGT) under different nutrient supplies. Three treatments were applied: control treatment with no fertilizer supply (WT and TGT), low nutrient treatment (WT and TGT) and high nutrient treatment (WT and TGT). The analysis of leaf extracts showed a higher concentration of Quercitrin and Myricitrin, with the highest concentrations of both the compounds in WT than TGT.

Short-term physiological plasticity: Trade-off between drought and recovery responses in three Mediterranean species.

Short-term physiological plasticity allows plants to thrive in highly variable environments such as the Mediterranean ecosystems. In such context, plants that maximize physiological performance under favorable conditions, such as spp., are generally reported to have a great cost in terms of plasticity (i.

Cistus creticus subsp. eriocephalus as a Model for Studying Plant Physiological and Metabolic Responses to Environmental Stress Factors.

Variations in physiology and metabolic products of Cistus creticus subsp. eriocephalus along an altitudinal gradient (350-750 m.a.

Morphological, anatomical and physiological leaf traits of Q. ilex, P. latifolia, P. lentiscus, and M. communis and their response to Mediterranean climate stress factors.

Background: Limitations to plant growth imposed by the Mediterranean climate are mainly due to carbon balance in response to stress factors. In particular, water stress associated to high air temperature and irradiance in summer causes a marked decrease in CO assimilation. Air temperature sensitivity of photosynthesis (P) differs from that of leaf respiration (R).

Quercus ilex L. carbon sequestration capability related to shrub size.

CO(2) sequestration capacity of Quercus ilex L., an evergreen species developing in shrub and forest communities widely distributed in the Mediterranean Basin, was analysed. Experiments were carried out in the period of January to December 2009 on 20 shrubs of different size, growing at the Botanical Garden of Rome.