Dataset Information
Ultraviolet radiation changes plant color.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Plant absorption of ultraviolet (UV) radiation can result in multiple deleterious effects to plant tissues. As a result, plants have evolved an array of strategies to protect themselves from UV radiation, particularly in the UV-B range (280-320?nm). A common plant response to UV exposure is investment in phenolic compounds that absorb damaging wavelengths of light. However, the inverse phenomenon - plant reflectance of UV to protect plant tissues - has not previously been explored. In a paired experiment, we expose half of our sample (N?=?108) of insect-pollinated plants of the cultivar Zinnia Profusion Series to UV radiation, and protect the other half from all light ResultsWe find that plants protected from UV exposure downregulate UV-B reflectance, and that plants exposed to increased levels of UV show trends of increased UV-B reflectance.Conclusions
Our results indicate that upregulation of UV-B reflecting pigments or structures may be a strategy to protect leaves against highly energetic UV-B radiation.
SUBMITTER: Valenta K
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7268463 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Ultraviolet radiation changes plant color.
BMC plant biology 20200603 1
<h4>Background</h4>Plant absorption of ultraviolet (UV) radiation can result in multiple deleterious effects to plant tissues. As a result, plants have evolved an array of strategies to protect themselves from UV radiation, particularly in the UV-B range (280-320 nm). A common plant response to UV exposure is investment in phenolic compounds that absorb damaging wavelengths of light. However, the inverse phenomenon - plant reflectance of UV to protect plant tissues - has not previously been expl ...[more]
