Department of Botany, University of Jammu, Jammu, 180-006, India.
Biodiversity and Applied Botany Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu, 180001, India.
Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 9;11(1):3369. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-73441-1.
Bryophytes are potent metal absorbers, thriving well on heavy metal (HM)-polluted soils. Mechanisms controlling uptake, compartmentalization and impacts of HMs on bryophytes life cycle are largely unknown. The current study is an effort to decipher mechanisms of nickel (Ni) excess-induced effects on the phenological events of two bryophytes, Asterella wallichiana and Plagiochasma apendiculatum growing in natural habitats. Observations revealed Ni-excess induced negative impacts on abundance, frequency of occurrence of reproductive organs, population viability and morphological traits, spore viability and physiological attributes of both the liverworts. Results led us conclude that P. appendiculatum survived better with the lowest impact on its life cycle events than A. wallichiana under Ni excess in natural habitats. Our findings collectively provide insights into the previously unknown mechanisms of Ni-induced responses in liverworts with respect to phenological attributes, as well as demonstrate the potential of P. appendiculatum to survive better in Ni excess habitats.
苔藓植物是强效的金属吸收体，在重金属（HM）污染的土壤中生长良好。然而，控制其吸收、区室化以及重金属对苔藓植物生命周期影响的机制在很大程度上尚不清楚。本研究旨在解析镍（Ni）过量对两种自然栖息地生长的苔藓植物，即壁钱属（Asterella wallichiana）和羽苔属（Plagiochasma appendiculatum）物候事件的影响机制。研究结果表明，Ni 过量对这两种苔藓植物的数量、生殖器官出现频率、种群活力和形态特征、孢子活力和生理特性都产生了负面影响。结果表明，与壁钱属相比，羽苔属在 Ni 过量的自然栖息地中对其生命周期事件的影响更小，生存能力更强。总的来说，这些发现深入了解了 Ni 诱导苔藓植物物候特征的未知机制，并证明了羽苔属在 Ni 过量生境中更好地生存的潜力。
