Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel, (phone: +972 4 8240448).
Chem Biodivers. 2013 Sep;10(9):1696-705. doi: 10.1002/cbdv.201300133.
Biosynthesis of tocols (vitamin E isoforms) is linked to response to temperature in plants. 'Evolution Canyon', an ecogeographical microcosm extending over an average of 200 meters (range 100-400) wide area in the Carmel Mountains of northern Israel, has been suggested as a model for studying global warming. Both domestic (Hordeum vulgare) and wild (Hordeum spontaneum) barley compared with wheat, oat, corn, rice, and rye show high tocotrienol/tocopherol ratios. Therefore, we hypothesized that tocol distribution might change in response to global warming. α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherol, and α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocotrienol concentrations were measured in wild barley (H. spontaneum) seeds harvested from the xeric (African) and mesic (European) slopes of Evolution Canyon over a six-year period from 2005-2011. Additionally, we examined seeds from areas contiguous to and distant from the part of the Canyon severely burned during the Carmel Fire of December 2010. Increased α-tocotrienol (p<0.01) was correlated with 1) temperature increases, 2) to the hotter 'African' slope in contrast to the cooler 'European' slope, and 3) to propinquity to the fire. The study illustrates the role of α-tocotrienol in both chronic and acute temperature adaptation in wild barley and suggests future research into thermoregulatory mechanisms in plants.
生育酚（维生素 E 异构体）的生物合成与植物对温度的反应有关。“进化峡谷”是以色列北部卡梅尔山脉中一个延伸约 200 米（范围为 100-400 米）的生态地理微观世界，它被认为是研究全球变暖的模型。与小麦、燕麦、玉米、水稻和黑麦相比，国产（大麦）和野生（野生大麦）大麦表现出较高的生育三烯酚/生育酚比值。因此，我们假设生育酚的分布可能会因全球变暖而发生变化。2005 年至 2011 年的六年期间，我们从进化峡谷的干旱（非洲）和湿润（欧洲）坡地上收获的野生大麦（H. spontaneum）种子中测量了α-、β-、γ-和δ-生育酚以及α-、β-、γ-和δ-生育三烯酚的浓度。此外，我们还检查了来自与峡谷部分严重燃烧的 Carmel 火灾（2010 年 12 月）相邻和远离该地区的种子。α-生育三烯酚（p<0.01）与以下因素呈正相关：1）温度升高，2）与较热的“非洲”坡相比，与较冷的“欧洲”坡相比，3）与火灾的接近程度。该研究说明了α-生育三烯酚在野生大麦慢性和急性温度适应中的作用，并建议未来对植物的温度调节机制进行研究。
