| Abstract Detail
Reproductive Processes del Valle, Jose Carlos [1], Narbona, Eduardo [2], Arista, Montserrat [3], Ortiz, Pedro [4], Buide, Marisa [5], Whittall, Justen [6], Rodríguez-Castañeda, Nancy [4], De Camargo, Gabriela [7], Morellato, Patricia [8]. Ubiquitous presence of invisible UV-absorbing flavonoids in flowering plants irrespective of flower color. Flower color is crucial for pollinator attraction, however abiotic selection agents may be involved in driving flower color evolution as well. Flowers are exposed to several environmental stressors (e.g. extreme temperature, solar radiation, etc.) that may cause serious negative effects on plant reproduction. Non-anthocyanin flavonoids such as flavonols, flavones and flavanones are important to modulate flower color and pollinator attraction, but given their known protective role in vegetative organs, they also may have a dual role protecting flowers against stresses. Thus, a widespread concurrence of non-anthocyanin flavonoids in flowers would be expected regardless of the presence of other pigments. We analyzed pigment composition of flowers of 382 species from Mediterranean vegetation of Spain and 107 species from Campo rupestre vegetation of Brazil. Spectrophotometric analyses of floral tissues were performed to know the presence of three major pigment classes: chlorophylls, carotenoids, and flavonoids (this latter subcategorized in aurones-chalcones, non-anthocyanin flavonoids and anthocyanins). We found that UV-absorbing flavonoids were omnipresent in flowers of practically all studied species. In the Mediterranean vegetation, flowers accumulating anthocyanins represented about a half of the flora (53.1%), whereas carotenoids were present in approximately one-third of the species (31.7%); the other two main floral pigments, chlorophylls and aurones-chalcones, had a lower incidence (18.3 and 3.1%, respectively). Interestingly, the frequency of the main floral pigment groups of the Campo rupestre species was statistically similar to those of the Mediterranean, despite differences in the evolutionary history of the two floras. Additionally, the quantification of anthocyanins and non-anthocyanin flavonoids synthesized in the same metabolic pathway, showed that UV-absorbing flavonoids had higher concentrations than anthocyanins by 1.64-fold and 1.72-fold (Log10FC) in the Mediterranean and Campo rupestre floras, respectively. Results suggest a ubiquitous presence of non-anthocyanin flavonoids in angiosperm flowers irrespective of color that can be evolutionarily advantageous to cope with abiotic stressors.
1 - University Of Seville, Apdo. 1095, Sevilla, SE, 41080, Spain
2 - Universidad Pablo De Olavide (CIF: Q9150016E), Biología Molecular E Ingeniería Bioquímica, Carretera De Utrera Km 1, Seville, 41013, Spain
3 - University Of Seville, Vegetal Biology And Ecology, Apdo. 1095, Sevilla, SE, 41080, Spain
4 - University of Seville, Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Seville, Spain
5 - Ctra. De Utrera, Km 1, Sevilla, 41013, Spain
6 - Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, 500 El Camino Real, Biology Department, Santa Clara, CA, 95053, United States
7 - UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista, Department of Botany, Sao Paulo, Brazil
8 - UNESP, DEPT BIODIVERSITY, Av. 24A, 1515 - Bela Vista, Cp. 199, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil
Keywords:
Flower color
pigments
Flavonoids
mediterranean
Brazil
chlorophylls
carotenoids
Campo rupestre
Spain
Abiotic stress
Anthocyanins
non-pollinator agents of selection.
Presentation Type: Poster
Number: PRP010
Abstract ID:582
Candidate for Awards:None |
