Genetic and Environmental Factors Jointly Impact Leaf Phenolic Profiles of L.

A plant's main mechanism to diminish the effects caused by high free radical levels generated during high irradiance is the synthesis of various secondary metabolites. In addition to interspecies differences, their concentrations may be influenced by genetic, ontogenic, morphogenetic or environmental factors. We investigated the influence of genetic (genotypes from different natural habitats) and environmental (contrasting light regimes as well as successive parts of the vegetation period) variability on the accumulation of 10 selected phenolic compounds (phenolic acids, flavonoids, and xanthones) in genotypes.

Fluctuating asymmetry in Robinia pseudoacacia leaves--possible in situ biomarker?

In this study, we analyzed fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) leaf traits as a measure of developmental instability in polluted and unpolluted habitats. We aimed to evaluate the potential of this method as a biomarker and its applicability on widely distributed species under in situ conditions. Leaf samples were taken from seven sites--three categorized as unpolluted (natural protected and rural) and four categorized as polluted covering the broad spectrum of intense pollution (industrial and traffic), from 1,489 individual trees in total.