Authors: Luka Zajec David Gradinjan Katja Klančnik Alenka Gaberščik
Publish Date: 2016/07/19
Volume: 30, Issue: 6, Pages: 2143-2152
Abstract
Human activities and global changes to the environment result in increased concentrations of mineral dust in the atmosphere This can have an impact on light harvesting in plants and their energy balance and water management The horizontally oriented hypostomatal leaves of Fagus sylvatica present an efficient trap for dust particles Twoyearold seedlings were treated for 3 weeks with two different concentrations of limestone dust from a quarry median particle size 2 µm and then leaf optical properties and selected morphological biochemical and physiological traits were examined Their adaxial and abaxial cuticle thickness and palisade/spongy parenchyma ratio were negatively correlated with dust concentration For leaf biochemistry chlorophyll levels were positively correlated with dust concentration while the correlations of UV absorbing substances with dust concentration were negative Highdust treatment positively affected the potential photochemical efficiency of photosystem II in the leaves potentially due to lower leaf temperature The reflectance spectra of the leaves following different dust treatments differed significantly along the visible and UVA spectral regions while they were most affected in the near infrared The dust concentration explained 74 p = 0001 of the variability of the reflectance spectra and only 20 p = 0024 of the transmittance spectra The present shortterm study reveals that limestone dust can have positive effects on leaves with abaxial stomata although the reduced photoprotection presents a risk of photoinhibition if the dust is removed by wind or water
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