Chronic Ionizing Radiation of Plants: An Evolutionary Factor from Direct Damage to Non-Target Effects.

ABSTRACT: In present times, the levels of ionizing radiation (IR) on the surface of Earth are relatively low, posing no high challenges for the survival of contemporary life forms. IR derives from natural sources and naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), the nuclear industry, medical applications, and as a result of radiation disasters or nuclear tests. In the current review, we discuss modern sources of radioactivity, its direct and indirect effects on different plant species, and the scope of the radiation protection of plants. We present an overview of the molecular mechanisms of radiation responses in plants, which leads to a tempting conjecture of the evolutionary role of IR as a limiting factor for land colonization and plant diversification rates. The hypothesis-driven analysis of

SUBMITTER: Duarte GT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10005729 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature