Species-Level Differences in Osmoprotectants and Antioxidants Contribute to Stress Tolerance of <i>Quercus robur</i> L., and <i>Q. cerris</i> L. Seedlings under Water Deficit and High Temperatures
2022
Marko Kebert | Vanja Vuksanović | Jacqueline Stefels | Mirjana Bojović | Rita Horák | Saša Kostić | Branislav Kovačević | Saša Orlović | Luisa Neri | Massimiliano Magli | Francesca Rapparini
The general aim of this work was to compare the leaf-level responses of different protective components to water deficit and high temperatures in <i>Quercus cerris</i> L. and <i>Quercus robur</i> L. Several biochemical components of the osmotic adjustment and antioxidant system were investigated together with changes in hormones. <i>Q. cerris</i> and <i>Q. robur</i> seedlings responded to water deficit and high temperatures by: (1) activating a different pattern of osmoregulation and antioxidant mechanisms depending on the species and on the nature of the stress; (2) upregulating the synthesis of a newly-explored osmoprotectant, dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP); (3) trading-off between metabolites; and (4) modulating hormone levels. Under water deficit, <i>Q. cerris</i> had a higher antioxidant capacity compared to <i>Q. robur</i>, which showed a lower investment in the antioxidant system. In both species, exposure to high temperatures induced a strong osmoregulation capacity that appeared largely conferred by DMSP in <i>Q. cerris</i> and by glycine betaine in <i>Q. robur</i>. Collectively, the more stress-responsive compounds in each species were those present at a significant basal level in non-stress conditions. Our results were discussed in terms of pre-adaptation and stress-induced metabolic patterns as related to species-specific stress tolerance features.
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