The pro-oxidant-antioxidant ratio in the cells of plant seedlings from various ecological and geographical growth locations

Abstract

The balance of pro-antioxidants within the cells of common fir (Abies alba) and mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) seedlings cultivated across eight distinct climatogeographical regions of Russia and Kharkov (Ukraine) was investigated. The intensity of lipid peroxidation processes was recorded as a pro-oxidant response, and the antioxidant response was measured by assessing the total content of low-molecular-weight antioxidants and the activity of superoxide dismutase. An assessment of the pro-antioxidant balance within the cellular structures of seedlings, originating from seeds of plants grown in diverse climatogeographical environments, was performed. This evaluation included the analysis of seedling survival rates, the degree of lipid peroxidation, and the activity of the antioxidant system, utilizing the coefficient method for measurement. The results suggest that the regions from which plant seeds were collected can be classified into three distinct zones according to the values of the extremity coefficient. A significant positive correlation was identified between the activity of superoxide dismutase in the cells of the examined seedlings and the levels of solar insolation in the regions where the seeds were collected. Adaptation changes in wild plants to temperature, humidity, and light conditions lead to the activation of antioxidant systems. The seedlings of plants whose seeds were formed in environments characterized by high insolation and low precipitation (such as Yakutsk, Ulan-Ude, and Srednekolymsk) exhibited a low total antioxidant content, accompanied by a compensatory increase in superoxide dismutase activity. Our research indicates that the survival rates of seedlings of common fir and mugwort are contingent upon the pro-antioxidant balance that has developed in response to the climatic conditions experienced by the plants. This relationship is characterized by species specificity, nonlinear dynamics, and is predominantly affected by the volume of precipitation received during the active growing season of the maternal plants.