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Maternal Effects of Temperature on Metabolism in the C_4 Weed Echinochloa Crus‐Galli
Author(s) -
Potvin Catherine,
Charest Christiane
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1941552
Subject(s) - echinochloa , biology , photosynthesis , inflorescence , respiration , weed , echinochloa crus galli , phloem , starch , botany , respiration rate , agronomy , sugar , horticulture , food science
This study illustrates the physiological and biochemical responses to temperature of maternal phenotypes of plants of Echinochloa acrus—galli that result in different progeny phenotypes. Our results provide a physiological scenario that accounts for strong, nongenetic, maternal effects. At low temperature, the photosynthetic rates of flag leaves were reduced, while concentrations of sugars and starch were increased. These physiological modifications suggest reduced phloem translocation to the reproductive structures in plants grown under cold conditions. At high temperature, high respiration rates of inflorescences were observed during seed development. To offset the effect of ear (fruit) respiration, mother—plants grown under warm conditions would have to translocate some 30% more carbohydrates than at low temperature. Our study therefore suggests that environmentally induced modifications in simple physiological traits can account for an important reduction in resources available to reproduction. Changes in leaf starch, reducing sugars, and protein contents induced by temperature persist through the life of a second generation of plants. Biochemical modifications due to maternal effects may influence overall plant performance. For example, the higher protein concentration of seedlings grown from cold—matured seeds may enhance their cold tolerance.