title: Short-term changes of fructans in ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum 'Lema') in response to urban air pollutants and meteorological conditions.
abstract: We investigated whether the fructan content, a storage carbohydrate, of Lolium multiflorum 'Lema' plants grown in a subtropical urban environment characterized by typical diurnal profiles of air pollutants and meteorological conditions changed over the course of a day during different seasons. Plants were collected every 2h on the last day of each two-month seasonal field experiment and separated into shoot (stubble or stubble+leaf blades) and roots for carbohydrate analyses and biomass determination. Diurnal contents of total fructose in the stubbles increased with high temperatures. In the roots, fructose accumulation showed a positive relation with hourly variations of both temperature and particulate matter and a negative relation with irradiance and SO2. Seasonal variation in shoot and root biomasses coincided with the seasonal variation of total fructose and were negatively affected by relative humidity and SO2, respectively. We concluded that hourly changes of fructans over the course of a day may increase the ability of L. multiflorum to tolerate short-term oscillations in weather and air pollution commonly observed in the subtropical urban environment, increasing its efficiency in monitoring air quality.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Botânica, Caixa Postal 68041, 04045-972 São Paulo, SP, Brazil. carla.zuliani@bol.com.br
authors.forename: Carla Zuliani
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Sandrin
authors.forename: Rita de Cássia Leone
authors.initials: Rde C
authors.lastname: Figueiredo-Ribeiro
authors.forename: Welington Braz Carvalho
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Delitti
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Domingos
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005630:Fructans / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008129:Lolium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D012621:Seasons; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D014505:Urban Population; D014887:Weather
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D005630:Fructans; D013458:Sulfur Dioxide
keywords: Biomass; Carbohydrate; Nitrogen dioxide; Relative humidity; Sulphur dioxide; Temperature