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Morpho‐anatomical, physiological and biochemical adjustments in response to root zone salinity stress and high solar radiation in two Mediterranean evergreen shrubs, Myrtus communis and Pistacia lentiscus
Author(s) -
Tattini Massimiliano,
Remorini Damiano,
Pinelli Patrizia,
Agati Giovanni,
Saracini Erica,
Traversi Maria Laura,
Massai Rossano
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01723.x
Subject(s) - pistacia lentiscus , myrtus communis , biology , evergreen , botany , salinity , mediterranean basin , pistacia , mediterranean climate , ecology , essential oil
Summary• Salt‐ and light‐induced changes in morpho‐anatomical, physiological and biochemical traits were analysed in Myrtus communis and Pistacia lentiscus with a view to explaining their ecological distribution in the Mediterranean basin. • In plants exposed to 20 or 100% solar radiation and supplied with 0 or 200 m m NaCl, measurements were conducted for ionic and water relations and photosynthetic performance, leaf morpho‐anatomical and optical properties and tissue‐specific accumulation of tannins and flavonoids. • Net carbon gain and photosystem II (PSII) efficiency decreased less in P. lentiscus than in M. communis when exposed to salinity stress, the former having a superior ability to use Na + and Cl − for osmotic adjustment. Morpho‐anatomical traits also allowed P. lentiscus to protect sensitive targets in the leaf from the combined action of salinity stress and high solar radiation to a greater degree than M. communis . Salt and light‐induced increases in carbon allocated to polyphenols, particularly to flavonoids, were greater in M. communis than in P. lentiscus , and appeared to be related to leaf oxidative damage. • Our data may conclusively explain the negligible distribution of M. communis in open Mediterranean areas suffering from salinity stress, and suggest a key antioxidant function of flavonoids in response to different stressful conditions.