Ammonium intensifies CAM photosynthesis and counteracts drought effects by increasing malate transport and antioxidant capacity in Guzmania monostachia.

ABSTRACT: Guzmania monostachia (Bromeliaceae) is a tropical epiphyte capable of up-regulating crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in its photosynthetic tissues in response to changing nutrient and water availability. Previous studies have shown that under drought there is a gradient of increasing CAM expression from the basal (youngest) to the apical (oldest) portion of the leaves, and additionally that nitrogen deficiency can further increase CAM intensity in the leaf apex of this bromeliad. The present study investigated the inter-relationships between nitrogen source (nitrate and/or ammonium) and water deficit in regulating CAM expression in G. monostachia leaves. The highest CAM activity was observed under ammonium nutrition in combination with water deficit. This was associated with enhanced act

SUBMITTER: Pereira PN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6018993 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature