The analysis of the effects of cadmium (Cd) on plant cells is crucial to understand defense mechanisms and adaptation strategies of plants against Cd toxicity. In this study, we examined stress-related enzyme activities after one and seven days of Cd application and the ultrastructure of roots of Pisum sativum L. after seven days of Cd treatment (10, 50, 100, and 200 μM CdSO4). Our results showed that phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity and the amount of Cd accumulated in the roots were significantly positively correlated with the Cd concentration used in our experiment. However, Cd caused a decrease of all studied antioxidative enzyme activities (i.e., catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX)). The analysis of the ultrastructure (TEM) showed various responses to Cd, depending on Cd concentrations. In general, lower Cd concentrations (50 and 100 μM CdSO4) mostly resulted in increased amounts of oil bodies, plastolysomes and the accumulation of starch granules in plastids. Meanwhile, roots treated with a higher concentration of Cd (200 μM CdSO4) additionally triggered protective responses such as an increased deposition of suberin lamellae in the endodermal cell walls. This indicates that Cd induces a complex defense response in root tissues.
Tourism pressure on protected areas with attractive landscapes leads to environmental modifications. Eutrophication poses the main threat to the quality of water in alpine lakes. Even small inflows of biogenic elements can disrupt the ecological balance of these ecosystems. The aim of this study was to verify the hypothesis that recreational activities and easy access to alpine lakes contribute to changes in their ecological status. This hypothesis was verified by analyzing the presence of hydromacrophytes in two lakes of the Tatra National Park (Poland). The analysis was carried out along segments of hiking trails which were evaluated for accessibility to the studied lakes. Underwater surveys were carried out during scuba diving expeditions in 2012–2016. Submerged vegetation was evaluated in both lakes. This is the first study in Poland and one of the few projects in the world to have relied on such extensive support from scuba divers to generate highly accurate measurements. The study demonstrated that lake bottoms were extensively covered by Potamogeton friesii in the vicinity of trail segments with easy access to lakes. Our results show that tourism pressure contributes to the growth of aquatic vegetation in some areas of alpine lakes. We relied on our findings to propose several modifications to the routes of the evaluated tourist trails to minimize the impact of anthropogenic pressure on the studied lakes.
Eutrophication is one of the major threats to the quality of water in high mountain lakes. The inflow of elements having biological origin may significantly aggravate the ecological status of those ecosystems. For this reason, the aim of this study was to map and assess the impact of anthropogenic pressure on alpine lakes in the valley of Dolina Pięciu Stawów Polskich (known in English as the Valley of Five Polish Lakes) in the Tatra National Park in Poland. The effects of tourism and easy access to alpine lakes on changes in their ecological status were determined. Tourist trails were evaluated based on the difficulty of access to the water surface of analyzed alpine lakes, with a method developed for assessing anthropogenic pressure on aquatic ecosystems. The method, deployed for the first time in 2019, was modified and adapted to the local environmental conditions in the research area. The results of this study indicate that tourism pressure contributes to the growth of submerged vegetation in alpine lakes. The presence of aquatic plants (including vascular plants) shows ecosystem response to water enrichment with biogenic substances. The present findings were used to formulate practical recommendations and propose modifications to the evaluated hiking trails. The research method developed in the study can support analysis and control of tourist traffic, thus reducing anthropogenic pressure on alpine lakes in national parks located in mountain areas.
This article analyzes the applicability of spatial data for evaluating and monitoring changes in land use and their impact on the local landscape. The Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) Land Cover database was used to develop a procedure and an indicator for analyzing changes in land cover, and the continuity of different land use types. Changes in land use types were evaluated based on land cover data. The results were analyzed over time to track changes in the evaluated region. The studied area was the Region of Warmia and Mazury in Poland. The preservation of homogeneous land cover plays a particularly important role in areas characterized by high natural value and an abundance of forests and water bodies. The study revealed considerable changes in land cover and landscape fragmentation in the analyzed region.
Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) constitutes an important first reaction under many stress conditions in plants. We demonstrate that Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Bright Yellow 2 (TBY-2) cells in suspension cultures, generate superoxide radical and hydrogen peroxide upon treatment with cadmium and zinc. Addition of catalase and N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) decreased the level of H 2 O 2 , whereas superoxide dismutase (SOD) induced a slight increase of the H 2 O 2 production. The effects of catalase, DDC and SOD on the heavy metal-induced ROS production indicate that it occurs outside of the cells, and that at least part of the hydrogen peroxide is produced by dismutation of the superoxide radical (O 2 Á-). The effect of pretreatment of the cell cultures with commonly used mammalian NADPH oxidase inhibitors was also tested. Strong inhibitions of cadmium and zinc-mediated ROS production were obtained with the flavoprotein inhibitorsdiphenylene iodonium (DPI) and quinacrine and with an inhibitor of b-type cytochromes-imidazol. Membrane permeable-N-ethyl maleimide (NEM) and iodoacetate, and membrane non-permeable thiol reagents-para-chloromercuribenzoic acid (pCMBS) also inhibited the ROS production. These results suggested that the enzyme responsible for cadmium and zinc-induced ROS production in tobacco cells contains a flavocytochrome. They also show the importance of intra-and extracellular thiol groups in the observed stress reaction. The induction of ROS production with heavy metals showed properties comparable to the elicitor-induced oxidative burst in other plant cells.
Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie Streszczenie. Zadrzewienia przydrożne są ważnym i charakterystycznym elementem krajobrazu gmin województwa warmińsko-mazurskiego. Brakuje jednak dokładnych danych na temat aktualnego stanu zachowania poszczególnych alej oraz propozycji ich ochrony. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań terenowych dotyczących inwentaryzacji i syntetycznej charakterystyki alej występujących w gminie Dywity oraz rodzaju i liczby drzew potrzebnych do uzupełnienia poszczególnych zadrzewień przydrożnych. Zauważono, że na badanym terenie, pomimo zaawansowanego wieku drzew oraz niewłaściwie prowadzonych zabiegów pielęgnacyjnych, zachowała się do dzisiaj stosunkowo liczna i zwarta sieć zadrzewień liniowych z dużym bogactwem dendroflory, ze zdecydowaną przewagą gatunków rodzimych. Dodatkowo wyznaczono aleje, w których występowały tak zwane "miejsca konfliktowe" oraz aleje wykazujące dodatkową wartość kulturową. Prezentowane wyniki zaowocowały stworzeniem "Lokalnego programu kształtowania zadrzewień przydrożnych na terenie gminy Dywity", przekazanego gminie do realizacji. Otrzymane wyniki ułatwią również monitorowanie zmian zachodzących w obrębie poszczególnych alej i podejmowanie odpowiednich działań. Słowa kluczowe: zadrzewienia przydrożne, zadrzewienia linowe, województwo warmińsko-mazurskie WSTĘP W ostatnich latach obserwuje się znaczny wzrost zainteresowania tematem roli drzew i zadrzewień (w tym alej przydrożnych) w przestrzeni miejskiej i podmiejskiej w racjonalnym gospodarowaniu przestrzenią, jak również w planowaniu zrównoważonej infrastruktury miejskiej i zrównoważonym rozwoju gmin [
A b s t r a c tVicia hirsuta (L.) Gray S.F. (tiny vetch) is a common and persistent segetal weed. Tiny vetch seeds and pods reach different stages of maturity during the crop harvest season. Some seeds that mature before cereal harvest are shed in the field and deposited in the soil seed bank, while others become incorporated into seed material.The objective of this study was to describe selected aspects of tiny vetch seed ecology: to determine the rate of individual reproduction of vetch plants growing in winter and spring grain crops and to evaluate the germination of seeds at different stages of maturity, subject to storage conditions.The seeds and pods of V. hirsuta were sorted according to their development stages at harvest and divided into two groups. The first group was stored under laboratory conditions for two months. In the autumn of the same year, the seeds were subjected to germination tests. The remaining seeds were stored in a storeroom, and were planted in soil in the spring. The germination rate was evaluated after 8 months of storage.Potential productivity (developed pods and flowers, fruit buds) was higher in plants fruiting in winter wheat than in spring barley. Vetch plants produced around 17-26% more pods (including cracked, mature, greenish-brown and green pods) and around 25% less buds in winter wheat than in spring barley.Immature seeds were characterized by the highest germination capacity. Following storage under laboratory conditions and stratification in soil, mature seeds germinated at a rate of several percent. After storage in a storeroom, seeds at all three development stages broke dormancy at a rate of 72-75%. The high germination power of tiny vetch seeds stored in a storeroom indicates that this plant can be classified as an obligatory speirochoric weed species.
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