Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Age and sex-related changes in cytokinins, auxins and abscisic acid in a centenarian relict herbaceous perennial
AU - Onate Gutierrez, Marta
AU - Garcia, Maria B.
AU - Munne-Bosch, Sergi
PY - 2012/2
Y1 - 2012/2
N2 - It is still an unsolved question of fundamental biology if, and how, perennial plants senesce. Here, age- and sex-related changes in phytohormones were tested in Borderea pyrenaica, a small dioecious geophyte relict of the Tertiary with one of the longest lifespan ever recorded for any non-clonal herb (more than 300 years). Biomass allocation, together with levels of cytokinins, auxins and absicisic acid, and other indicators of leaf physiology (chlorophylls, lipid peroxidation and F (v)/F (m) ratio) were measured in juvenile and mature plants, including both males and females of three age classes (up to 50 years, 50-100 years, and over 100 years). Plants maintained intact capacity of their vegetative growth and reproductive potential. Cytokinin levels decreased with age, but only in females. Such sex-related differences, however, were not associated with symptoms of physiological deterioration in leaves, but with an increased reproductive effort in females. It is concluded that B. pyrenaica does not show clear signs of senescence at the organism level. Altered cytokinin levels in females were associated with their reproductive effort, rather than to a degenerative process. The alternate use of five meristematic points in the tuber could explain the extraordinary longevity of this species.
AB - It is still an unsolved question of fundamental biology if, and how, perennial plants senesce. Here, age- and sex-related changes in phytohormones were tested in Borderea pyrenaica, a small dioecious geophyte relict of the Tertiary with one of the longest lifespan ever recorded for any non-clonal herb (more than 300 years). Biomass allocation, together with levels of cytokinins, auxins and absicisic acid, and other indicators of leaf physiology (chlorophylls, lipid peroxidation and F (v)/F (m) ratio) were measured in juvenile and mature plants, including both males and females of three age classes (up to 50 years, 50-100 years, and over 100 years). Plants maintained intact capacity of their vegetative growth and reproductive potential. Cytokinin levels decreased with age, but only in females. Such sex-related differences, however, were not associated with symptoms of physiological deterioration in leaves, but with an increased reproductive effort in females. It is concluded that B. pyrenaica does not show clear signs of senescence at the organism level. Altered cytokinin levels in females were associated with their reproductive effort, rather than to a degenerative process. The alternate use of five meristematic points in the tuber could explain the extraordinary longevity of this species.
KW - Ageing
KW - Cytokinins
KW - Dioecy
KW - Perennial herb
KW - Hormones
KW - Senescence
KW - PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY
KW - MEDITERRANEAN SHRUB
KW - BIOMASS ALLOCATION
KW - LEAF SENESCENCE
KW - FEMALE PLANTS
KW - PINUS-RADIATA
KW - CISTUS-CLUSII
KW - LIFE-HISTORY
KW - EVOLUTION
KW - ANIMALS
U2 - 10.1007/s00425-011-1513-x
DO - 10.1007/s00425-011-1513-x
M3 - Journal article
VL - 235
SP - 349
EP - 358
JO - Planta
JF - Planta
SN - 0032-0935
IS - 2
ER -