Understanding desiccation tolerance and sex-specific responses in Bryum argenteum: insights from phenological phases and physiological analyses

Autor(es)

dos Santos, Wagner Luiz ; Medina-Ramos, Andrea ; Greenwood, Joshua ; Porto, Katia Cavalcanti ; Pinheiro, Fabio ; Stark, Lloyd R.

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: ANNALS OF BOTANY; v. 134, n. 2, p. 14-pg., 2024-05-04.

Resumo

Background and Aims Desiccation tolerance (DT) is crucial for survival in arid environments, where organisms develop strategies in reproduction, maintenance and defence to cope with water scarcity. Therefore, investigating the relationship between reproduction and DT is essential to understand the ecology and adaptive strategies of species. This study explores the connection between the development of male and female gametangia in the moss Bryum argenteum and the decrease in DT during the progression of phenological phases in gametangia and protonema.Methods Samples collected from a dry tropical forest in Brazil were cultivated, cloned and subjected to desiccation. Subsequently, the physiological parameters of shoots and protonemata were analysed. Shoot and protonema regeneration were monitored for 28 d after the physiological analyses. Both phases were subjected to control and desiccation treatments.Key Results Significant effects of desiccation and sex on the physiological parameters and regeneration capacity of shoots and protonemata were found. Male shoots generally exhibited lower values of Fv/Fm (quantum efficiency of photosystem II) and phi PSII (effective quantum yield of photosystem II), while females demonstrated higher values and better recovery after desiccation. Protonemata also showed variation in Fv/Fm over time and with sex, with no significant differences in phi PSII between them. Desiccated male shoots had higher mortality rates and produced fewer new shoots. For females, the regeneration patterns varied between the desiccation-exposed groups and the control, with decreased shoot production, and some protonemata growing into filaments without forming shoots.Conclusion These findings improve our understanding of the ecological responses of bryophytes to desiccation stress and provide insights into their adaptive strategies in challenging environments, such as the possible rarity of males in dioicous moss populations. (AU)

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• Beneficiário: Fábio Pinheiro
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 21/10639-5 - Centro de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade e Mudanças do Clima
• Beneficiário: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Centros de Pesquisa, Inovação e Difusão - CEPIDs
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• Beneficiário: Wagner Luiz dos Santos
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Exterior - Estágio de Pesquisa - Doutorado
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• Beneficiário: Wagner Luiz dos Santos
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado