Responses of Sphagneticola trilobata, Sphagneticola calendulacea and Their Hybrid to Drought Stress.

Qilei Zhang,Minling Cai,Jundong Huang,Weiqian Ke,Changlian Peng,Guangxin Chen

doi:10.3390/ijms222011288

Qilei Zhang, Minling Cai + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222011288

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Abstract

Sphagneticola trilobata is an invasive plant in South China. A hybrid between S. trilobata and Sphagneticola calendulacea (a native related species) has also been found in South China. The drought resistance of S. calendulacea, S. trilobata and their hybrid was studied in this paper. Under drought stress, the leaves of S. trilobata synthesized more abscisic acid (ABA) than those of the other species to reduce stomatal opening and water loss. The activities of antioxidant enzymes were the highest in S. trilobata and the lowest in S. calendulacea. The leaves of S. calendulacea suffered the most serious damage, and their maximum photochemical efficiency was the lowest. RNA-sequencing ware used to analyze the expression levels of genes in ABA, antioxidant enzyme, sugar and proline synthesis and photosynthesis pathways. Further real-time PCR detection verified the RNA-sequence results, and the results were in accordance with the physiological data. The results showed that S. trilobata was the most drought tolerant, and the drought tolerance of the hybrid did not show heterosis but was higher than S. calendulacea. Therefore, compared with S. trilobata and the hybrid, the population number and distribution of S. calendulacea may be less in arid areas.

Highlights

Under the influence of global climate change, extremely harsh environments are becoming more frequent and serious, including arid environments
The results showed that S. trilobata and the hybrid could recover completely, while S. calendulacea could not (Figure 1F)
The results showed that the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD), CAT and POD was upregulated after drought treatment (Figure 6A)

Summary

Introduction

Under the influence of global climate change, extremely harsh environments are becoming more frequent and serious, including arid environments. Some studies have shown that arid, semi-arid and dry sub humid areas account for about 41% of the global land area, and the arid areas will gradually increase with global warming [1]. Soil moisture is one of the most important components of soil, and it is the basic condition for the survival of terrestrial plants. The distribution pattern of water determines the spatial pattern of vegetation. In arid areas, it is the main environmental factor restricting plant growth. Soil moisture affects the richness, species and distribution of vegetation [2]

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