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Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Differential growth of Spartina densiflora populations under saline flooding is related to adventitious root formation and innate root ion regulation

Carla E. Di Bella A B G , Agustín A. Grimoldi A B , María S. Rossi Lopardo A , Francisco J. Escaray C , Edmundo L. Ploschuk D and Gustavo G. Striker A E F
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A IFEVA, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET. Av. San Martín 4453 (CPA 1417 DSE) Buenos Aires, Argentina.

B Cátedra de Forrajicultura, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Av. San Martín 4453 (CPA 1417 DSE) Buenos Aires, Argentina.

C IIB-INTECh, UNSAM-CONICET CC 164 (7130), Chascomús, Argentina.

D Cátedra de Cultivos Industriales, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Av. San Martín 4453 (CPA 1417 DSE) Buenos Aires, Argentina.

E Cátedra de Fisiología Vegetal, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Av. San Martín 4453 (CPA 1417 DSE) Buenos Aires, Argentina.

F School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

G Corresponding author. Email: dibella@agro.uba.ar

Functional Plant Biology 43(1) 52-61 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP15149
Submitted: 3 June 2015  Accepted: 27 October 2015   Published: 25 November 2015

Abstract

Global change anticipates scenarios of sea level rise that would provoke long lasting floods, especially in lowland areas of salt marshes. Our aim was to evaluate the morpho-physiological adjustment ability to deal with continuous saline flooding of Spartina densiflora Brogn. plants from lowlands and uplands along a subtle topographical gradient (0.2 m differential altitude). Plants from both origins were subjected to continuous saline flooding (300 mM NaCl) for 35 days. Responses associated to adventitious rooting, aerenchyma formation, concentration of Na+, K+ and Cl in roots and shoots tissues, tillering and growth were assessed. Root responses differentiated populations given that lowland plants showed higher ability for adventitious root formation and innate superior root ion regulation than upland plants. High constitutive K+ concentration plus high Na+ exclusion in root tissues led to significant low values of Na+ : K+ ratios in lowland plants. Better root functioning was, in turn, related with more consistent shoot performance as lowland plants maintained plant tiller number and shoot relative growth rate unaltered while upland plants decreased both parameters by 35 and 18%, respectively, when in saline flooding. The superior performance of lowland plants indicates that locally adapted populations can be promoted in salt marsh habitats with subtle differences at topographic level.

Additional keywords: aerenchyma, leaf gas exchange, Na+ : K+ ratio, salt marsh, tillering.


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