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Diurnal adjustment in ultraviolet sunscreen protection is widespread among higher plants

  • Physiological ecology – original research
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Abstract

The accumulation of ultraviolet (UV)-absorbing compounds (flavonoids and related phenylpropanoids) in the epidermis of higher plants reduces the penetration of solar UV radiation to underlying tissues and is a primary mechanism of acclimation to changing UV conditions resulting from ozone depletion and climate change. Previously we reported that several herbaceous plant species were capable of rapid, diurnal adjustments in epidermal UV transmittance (T UV), but how widespread this phenomenon is among plants has been unknown. In the present study, we tested the generality of this response by screening 37 species of various cultivated and wild plants growing in four locations spanning a gradient of ambient solar UV and climate (Hawaii, Utah, Idaho and Louisiana). Non-destructive measurements of adaxial T UV indicated that statistically significant midday decreases in T UV occurred in 49 % of the species tested, including both herbaceous and woody growth forms, and there was substantial interspecific variation in the magnitude of these changes. In general, plants in Louisiana exhibited larger diurnal changes in T UV than those in the other locations. Moreover, across all taxa, the magnitude of these changes was positively correlated with minimum daily air temperatures but not daily UV irradiances. Results indicate that diurnal changes in UV shielding are widespread among higher plants, vary both within and among species and tend to be greatest in herbaceous plants growing in warm environments. These findings suggest that plant species differ in their UV protection “strategies” though the functional and ecological significance of this variation in UV sunscreen protection remains unclear at present.

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Acknowledgments

The research described here was supported, in part, by funds from the Louisiana Board of Regents [SURE/NSF grant LEQSF-EPS (2013)-SURE-85 to Loyola University], the US Department of Agriculture UV-Monitoring Program (USDA-CSREES no. 2008-34263-19485 to Utah State University via subcontract with Colorado State University), the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Loyola University J. H. Mullahy Endowment in Environmental Biology. We thank M. Grabner, D. Hackenburg, I. Bottger, and B. Burnet for their assistance. The authors declare no competing financial or other interests.

Author contribution statement

P. W. B., S. D. F. and R. J. R. conceived and designed the experiments. S. D. F., M. A. T. and R. J. R. performed the experiments. P. W. B., S. D. F. and M. A. T. analyzed the data; P. W. B. wrote the manuscript; other authors provided editorial advice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences and Environment Program, Loyola University New Orleans, 6363 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA

    Paul W. Barnes & Mark A. Tobler

  2. Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences, UIPO 441135, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844-1135, USA

    Stephan D. Flint

  3. Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, 5230 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322-5230, USA

    Ronald J. Ryel

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  1. Paul W. Barnes
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  3. Mark A. Tobler
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  4. Ronald J. Ryel
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Correspondence to Paul W. Barnes.

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Communicated by Caroline Müller.

Ronald J. Ryel: Deceased 20 October 2015.

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Barnes, P.W., Flint, S.D., Tobler, M.A. et al. Diurnal adjustment in ultraviolet sunscreen protection is widespread among higher plants. Oecologia 181, 55–63 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-016-3558-9

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