The differential effects of UV-B on the inhibition or activation of protective mechanisms to maintain cells photosynthetically active were investigated in native microalgae. Four strains were used, including two strains, F4 and LG1, isolated from a Mediterranean inland swamp and a recycled cigarette butt's substrate, respectively, and two isolates from an Ecuadorian highland lake related to (PEC) and (ETI). Monocultures were exposed to acute UV-B (1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, the potential of ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation to alleviate the effects of pollutants in cigarette butt wastewater (CBW) was investigated using different strains (F4, R1 and LG1). Microalgae were treated with UV-B (1.7 W m) for 3 days prior to their exposure to CBW and then incubated for 4 days in the absence or presence of UV-B.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroalgal-based remediation is an ecofriendly and cost-effective system for wastewater treatment. This study evaluated the capacity of microalgae in the remediation of wastewater from cleaning process of smoked cigarette butts (CB). At laboratory scale, six strains (one from the family Scenedesmaceae, two Chlamydomonas debaryana and three Chlorella sorokiniana) were exposed to different CB wastewater dilutions to identify toxicity levels reflected in the alteration of microalgal physiological status and to determine the optimal conditions for an effective removal of contaminants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUbiquitination is a post-translational modification involving the reversible attachment of the small protein ubiquitin to a target protein. Ubiquitination is involved in numerous cellular processes, including the membrane trafficking of cargo proteins. However, the ubiquitination of the trafficking machinery components and their involvement in environmental responses are not well understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysiological studies conducted mainly in metropolitan areas demonstrated that urban environments generate stressful conditions for plants. However, less attention has been paid to plant response to urban conditions in small cities. Here, we evaluated to what extent the health and physiological functions of some Mediterranean urban species [Quercus ilex L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreased ultraviolet-B (UV-B) due to global change can affect plant development and metabolism. Quinoa tolerates extreme conditions including high UV levels. However, the physiological mechanisms behind its abiotic stress tolerance are unclear, especially those related to UV-B.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTurfgrasses are monocotyledonous plants from the family Poaceae. They are widely used in green spaces and are considered one of the most economically important horticultural crops in the world. Turfgrass quality is affected by several environmental factors including light, which is involved in the quality decline of transplanted sod.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUltraviolet (UV) radiation is a small fraction of the solar spectrum, which acts as a key environmental modulator of plant function affecting metabolic regulation and growth. Plant species endemic to the Andes are well adapted to the harsh features of high-altitude climate, including high UV radiation. Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walpers) is a member of Brassicaceae family native to the central Andes of Peru, which grows between 3500 and 4500 m of altitude, where only highland grasses and few hardy bushes can survive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring the last decades, many studies investigated the effects of UV-B on the above-ground organs of plants, directly reached by the radiation but, to the best of our knowledges, the influence of mild UV-B doses on root hormones was not explored. Consequently, this research aimed at understanding whether low, not-stressful doses of UV-B radiation applied above-ground influenced the hormone concentrations in leaves and roots of Micro-Tom tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants during 11 days of treatment and after 3 days of recovery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation can affect several aspects ranging from plant growth to metabolic regulation. Maca is a Brassicaceae crop native to the Andes growing in above 3500 m of altitude. Although maca has been the focus mainly due to its nutraceutical properties, it remains unknown how maca plants tolerate to harsh environments, such as strong UV-B.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPromotion of nonfood species production to marginal, degraded lands abandoned by mainstream agriculture is affected by extremes of water availability (droughts and floods), which have increased in frequency and intensity and account for severe yield reduction. L., known as giant cane or giant reed, spontaneously grows in different kinds of environments with limitation to low temperature and is thus widespread in temperate and hot areas around the world.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnvironmental cues modulate the balance of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) which are essential elements for plant metabolism and growth. In Arabidopsis, photochemical efficiency of PSII, phosphorylation status and localization of many enzymes, and the level of total soluble sugars were affected by an unbalanced C/N ratio. Since differences in C/N affect these parameters, here we checked whether different sources of N have different effects when a high C/N ratio is imposed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreased ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation due to global change can affect plant growth and metabolism. Here, we evaluated the capacity of quinoa to resist under short acute UVB irradiation. Quinoa was daily exposed for 30 or 60 min to 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLow oxygen conditions occur in grass sites due to high and frequent precipitation, poor soil quality, and over-irrigation followed by slow drainage. Three warm-season and one cool-season grass were analyzed at metabolic level during a time-course experiment performed in a controlled anoxic environment. Prolonged oxygen depletion proved detrimental by leading to premature death to all the species, with the exception of seashore paspalum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLandraces represent an important part of the biodiversity well-adapted under limiting environmental conditions. We investigated the response of two Southern Italy tomato landraces, the well-known San Marzano (our commercial standard) and a local accession called "Ciettaicale", to different levels of sodium chloride in water irrigation (from 0 up to 600 mM) for a short-time exposure (one week). The combination of the chlorophyll a fluorescence and gas exchange analyses suggested that Ciettaicale maintained a higher efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry and CO utilization at high salinity concentrations than San Marzano.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbon (C) and nitrogen (N) nutrient sources are essential elements for metabolism, and their availability must be tightly coordinated for the optimal growth and development in plants. Plants are able to sense and respond to different C/N conditions via specific partitioning of C and N sources and the regulation of a complex cellular metabolic activity. We studied how the interaction between C and N signaling could affect carbohydrate metabolism, soluble sugar levels, photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) and the ability to drive the excess energy in Arabidopsis seedlings under moderated and disrupted C/N-nutrient conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArabidopsis ubiquitin ligases ATL31 and homologue ATL6 control the carbon/nitrogen nutrient and pathogen responses. A mutant with the loss-of-function of both atl31 and atl6 developed light intensity-dependent pale-green true leaves, whereas the single knockout mutants did not. Plastid ultrastructure and Blue Native-PAGE analyses revealed that pale-green leaves contain abnormal plastid structure with highly reduced levels of thylakoid proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are essential elements for metabolism, and their availability, called the C/N balance, must be tightly coordinated for optimal growth in plants. Previously, we have identified the ubiquitin ligase CNI1/ATL31 as a novel C/N regulator by screening plants grown on C/N stress medium containing excess sugar and limited N. To elucidate further the effect of C/N balance on plant growth and to determine the physiological function of ATL31, we performed C/N response analysis using an atmospheric CO2 manipulation system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF