External aluminium supply regulates photosynthesis and carbon partitioning in the Al-accumulating tropical shrub Melastoma malabathricum.

ABSTRACT: Aluminium (Al) is toxic to most plants, but recent research has suggested that Al addition may stimulate growth and nutrient uptake in some species capable of accumulating high tissue Al concentrations. The physiological basis of this growth response is unknown, but it may be associated with processes linked to the regulation of carbon assimilation and partitioning by Al supply. To test alternative hypotheses for the physiological mechanism explaining this response, we examined the effects of increasing Al concentrations in the growth medium on tissue nutrient concentrations and carbon assimilation in two populations of the Al-accumulator Melastoma malabathricum. Compared to seedlings grown in a control nutrient solution containing no Al, mean rates of photosynthesis and respiration increa

SUBMITTER: Mahmud K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10954143 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature