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Photosynthetic compensation of non-leaf organ stems of the invasive species Sphagneticola trilobata (L.) Pruski at low temperature

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Abstract

Biological invasion is a hot topic in ecological research. Most studies on the physiological mechanisms of plants focus on leaves, but few studies focus on stems. To study the tolerance of invasive plant (Sphagneticola trilobata L.) to low temperature, relevant physiological indicators (including anthocyanin and chlorophyll) in different organs (leaves and stems) were analyzed, using a native species (Sphagneticola calendulacea L.) as the control. The results showed that, upon exposure to low temperature for 15 days, the stems of two Sphagneticola species were markedly reddened, their anthocyanin content increased, chlorophyll and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters decreased, and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species in the stem increased. The percentage increases of antioxidants and total antioxidant capacities in stems were significantly higher in S. trilobata than in S. calendulacea. This showed that S. trilobata had higher cold tolerance in stems while leaves were opposite. To further verify the higher cold tolerance of the stem of S. trilobata, a defoliation experiment was designed. We found that the defoliated stem of S. trilobata reduced anthocyanin accumulation and increased chlorophyll content, while alleviating membrane lipid damage and electrical conductivity, and the defoliated stem still showed an increase in stem diameter and biomass under low temperature. The discovery of the physiological and adaptive mechanisms of the stem of S. trilobata to low temperature will provide a theoretical basis for explaining how S. trilobata maintains its annual growth in South China. This is of great significance for predicting the future spread of cloned and propagated invasive plants.

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Data availability

All datasets for this study are included in the manuscript and/or the Supplementary Files.

Abbreviations

Chl a (b):

Chlorophyll a (b)

Chl:

Total chlorophyll

DAB:

Diaminobenzidine

DPPH:

1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl

ETR:

Electron transport rate

F 0 :

Minimum fluorescence

F m :

Maximum fluorescence yield of the dark-adapted state

F m :

Maximum fluorescence yield of the light-adapted state

F s :

Steady-state fluorescence

F v/F m :

Maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

NBT:

Nitroblue tetrazolium

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

TBA:

Thiobarbituric acid

TCA:

Trichloroacetic acid

Φ PSII :

Actual quantum yield of PSII

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Acknowledgements

We thank all the colleagues in our laboratory for providing useful discussions and technical assistance. We are very grateful to the editor and reviewers for critically evaluating the manuscript and providing constructive comments for its improvement. This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31870374) and the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFC1200105). The study was also supported by the Innovation Project of Graduate School of South China Normal University.

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Minling Cai carried out the experiments, analyzed the data, and the drafted the whole manuscript. Wenqiao Ding and Junjie Zhai participated in the experiments. Wenqiao Ding and Xiaoting Zheng participated in the preparation of the Figures. Zhengchao Yu, Qilei Zhang, and Xiaohua Lin contributed to sample collection. Wah Soon Chow modified the grammar and checked the form of manuscript. Changlian Peng designed the research and experiments.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chang-lian Peng.

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Cai, Ml., Ding, Wq., Zhai, Jj. et al. Photosynthetic compensation of non-leaf organ stems of the invasive species Sphagneticola trilobata (L.) Pruski at low temperature. Photosynth Res 149, 121–134 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-020-00748-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-020-00748-5

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