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Interactive effects of UV radiation and drought on the accumulation of flavonols in selected herbs and grass in a mountain grassland ecosystem
Veselá, Barbora ; Surá, Kateřina ; Rajsnerová, Petra ; Klem, Karel ; Holub, Petr ; Urban, Otmar
The main objective of this 4-year experiment conducted in a mountain grassland ecosystem was to investigate the interactive effects of ultraviolet (UV) treatment and drought on changes in accumulation of UV-screening compounds (flavonols) in selected herbs (Hypericum maculatum Crantz, Rumex obtusifolius L.) and grass (Agrostis tenuis Sibth.). Inasmuch as drought and UV radiation induce similar protective mechanisms, we tested the hypothesis that UV radiation and drought elicit synergistic effects on flavonol accumulation. The experimental plots were manipulated using rainout shelters enabling the exclusion and transmission of incident precipitation and UV radiation. Generally, UV and drought treatments had similar effects on flavonol accumulation. For R. obtusifolius, UV exclusion resulted in a substantial reduction of UV-screening compounds, particularly under ambient precipitation conditions, while for H. maculatum and A. tenuis UV exclusion caused only a slight reduction of flavonol content. Similarly, the drought treatment caused an increase in flavonol accumulation.
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