Juvenile plants of an epiphytic bromeliad exhibit rapid changes in carbohydrate content and antioxidant capacity to cope with water withholding

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Global warming reduces water availability, exposing plants to more pronounced wet/dry cycles during their lifetime. Under these circumstances, epiphytic bromeliads can be more responsive due to their lack of contact with soil and high dependence on atmospheric water, especially in the case of juvenile individuals, which lose water more intensely than conspecific adults. In this study, we hypothesized that juvenile plants of Acanthostachys strobilacea (Schult. & Schult.f.) Klotzsch would exhibit rapid metabolic defense mechanisms to tolerate the leaf water loss caused by short-term water withholding (i.e. mild to moderate stress). We exposed plants to an 8-day water restriction and assessed their enzymatic antioxidant capacity and carbohydrate content. At 4 days of water restriction, A. strobilacea plants showed starch mobilization and increased the soluble carbohydrate content. After 8 days, carbohydrate reserves were depleted and the antioxidant enzyme activity was stimulated. Our results demonstrated that juvenile epiphytic bromeliads exhibit rapid metabolic adjustments to short-term water deficiency, which might be crucial for their survival in the face of the expected intensification of drought.