Castañeda Presa, Verónica

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https://academica-e.unavarra.es/handle/2454/48820

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Castañeda Presa

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Verónica

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Ciencias del Medio Natural

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IMAB. Research Institute for Multidisciplinary Applied Biology

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0000-0001-5773-1988

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751318

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810679

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Author: Artetxe, Unai × End date: 2019 ×

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    PublicationOpen Access
    Ecophysiological roles of abaxial anthocyanins in a perennial understorey herb from temperate deciduous forests
    (Oxford University Press, 2015) Fernández Marín, Beatriz; Esteban Terradillos, Raquel; Míguez, Fátima; Artetxe, Unai; Castañeda Presa, Verónica; Pintó Marijuan, Marta; Becerril, José María; García Plazaola, José Ignacio; Natura Ingurunearen Zientziak; Ciencias del Medio Natural; IdAB. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología / Agrobioteknologiako Institutua
    Accumulation of abaxial anthocyanins is an intriguing leaf trait particularly common among deeply shaded understorey plants of tropical and temperate forests whose ecological significance is still not properly understood. To shed light on it, possible ecophysiological roles of abaxial anthocyanins were tested in the perennial understorey herb of temperate deciduous forests Saxifraga hirsuta, chosen as a model species due to the coexistence of green and anthocyanic leaves and the presence of an easily removable lower anthocyanic epidermis. Anthocyanins accumulated during autumn, which temporally matched the overstorey leaf fall. Patterns of development of abaxial anthocyanins and direct measurements of photochemical efficiency under monochromatic light were not consistent with a photoprotective hypothesis. Enhancement of light capture also seemed unlikely since the back-scattering of red light towards the lower mesophyll was negligible. Seed germination was similar under acyanic and anthocyanic leaves. A relevant consequence of abaxial anthocyanins was the dramatic reduction of light transmission through the leaf. The dark environment generated underneath the Saxifraga canopy was enhanced by the horizontal repositioning of leaves, which occurs in parallel with reddening. This might play a role in biotic interactions by inhibiting vital processes of competitors, which may be of especial importance in spring before the overstorey leaves sprout.