Abstract
Variations in elevation limit the growth and distribution of alpine plants because multiple environmental stresses impact plant growth, including sharp temperature shifts, strong ultraviolet radiation exposure, low oxygen content, etc. Alpine plants have developed special strategies to help survive the harsh environments of high mountains, but the internal mechanisms remain undefined. Kobresia pygmaea, the dominant species of alpine meadows, is widely distributed in the Southeastern Tibet Plateau, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. In this study, we mainly used comparative proteomics analyses to investigate the dynamic protein patterns for K. pygmaea located at four different elevations (4600, 4800, 4950 and 5100 m). A total of 58 differentially expressed proteins were successfully detected and functionally characterized. The proteins were divided into various functional categories, including material and energy metabolism, protein synthesis and degradation, redox process, defense response, photosynthesis, and protein kinase. Our study confirmed that increasing levels of antioxidant and heat shock proteins and the accumulation of primary metabolites, such as proline and abscisic acid, conferred K. pygmaea with tolerance to the alpine environment. In addition, the various methods K. pygmaea used to regulate material and energy metabolism played important roles in the development of tolerance to environmental stress. Our results also showed that the way in which K. pygmaea mediated stomatal characteristics and photosynthetic pigments constitutes an enhanced adaptation to alpine environmental stress. According to these findings, we concluded that K. pygmaea adapted to the high-elevation environment on the Tibetan Plateau by aggressively accumulating abiotic stress-related metabolites and proteins and by the various life events mediated by proteins. Based on the species'lexible physiological and biochemical processes, we surmised that environment change has only a slight impact on K. pygmaea except for possible impacts to populations on vulnerable edges of the species' range.
Highlights
High elevation areas have always attracted the attention of ecologists, especially in light of global climate change
K. pygmaea is subjected to different environmental conditions at various elevations across its range on the south-facing slope of the Nyainqentanglha Mountains, it is well acclimated to the alpine environment
We found several split-new strategies for K. pygmaea to adapt to environmental pressure resulting from the elevational gradient by a comparative proteomics and physiological approach
Summary
High elevation areas have always attracted the attention of ecologists, especially in light of global climate change. The unique alpine environments affect biological survival and evolution [1] and high-elevation regions are considered to be more sensitive to climate change than other areas [2,3]. Previous studies demonstrate that alpine plants use several morphological strategies to adapt to the high-elevation environment, but the underlying proteome and physiological mechanisms of the adaptation remain undefined [6]. Physiological and biochemical characteristics are more sensitive to environmental change when compared with more stable morphology characteristics. Studies in these directions are essential because the impact of climate change on alpine plants may be predictable
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