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Physiological, biochemical, and genome‐wide transcriptional analysis reveals that elevated CO 2 mitigates the impact of combined heat wave and drought stress in Arabidopsis thaliana at multiple organizational levels
Author(s) -
Zinta Gaurav,
AbdElgawad Hamada,
Domagalska Malgorzata A.,
Vergauwen Lucia,
Knapen Dries,
Nijs Ivan,
Janssens Ivan A.,
Beemster Gerrit T.S.,
Asard Han
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/gcb.12626
Subject(s) - photorespiration , photosynthesis , arabidopsis thaliana , biomass (ecology) , plant physiology , arabidopsis , oxidative stress , chlorophyll fluorescence , biology , photosystem ii , chemistry , biochemistry , botany , ecology , gene , mutant
Climate changes increasingly threaten plant growth and productivity. Such changes are complex and involve multiple environmental factors, including rising CO 2 levels and climate extreme events. As the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying plant responses to realistic future climate extreme conditions are still poorly understood, a multiple organizational level analysis (i.e. eco ‐ physiological, biochemical, and transcriptional) was performed, using Arabidopsis exposed to incremental heat wave and water deficit under ambient and elevated CO 2 . The climate extreme resulted in biomass reduction, photosynthesis inhibition, and considerable increases in stress parameters. Photosynthesis was a major target as demonstrated at the physiological and transcriptional levels. In contrast, the climate extreme treatment induced a protective effect on oxidative membrane damage, most likely as a result of strongly increased lipophilic antioxidants and membrane ‐ protecting enzymes. Elevated CO 2 significantly mitigated the negative impact of a combined heat and drought, as apparent in biomass reduction, photosynthesis inhibition, chlorophyll fluorescence decline, H 2 O 2 production, and protein oxidation. Analysis of enzymatic and molecular antioxidants revealed that the stress ‐ mitigating CO 2 effect operates through up‐regulation of antioxidant defense metabolism, as well as by reduced photorespiration resulting in lowered oxidative pressure. Therefore, exposure to future climate extreme episodes will negatively impact plant growth and production, but elevated CO 2 is likely to mitigate this effect.