title: Responses of five Mediterranean halophytes to seasonal changes in environmental conditions.
abstract: In their natural habitats, different mechanisms may contribute to the tolerance of halophytes to high soil salinity and other abiotic stresses, but their relative contribution and ecological relevance, for a given species, remain largely unknown. We studied the responses to changing environmental conditions of five halophytes (Sarcocornia fruticosa, Inula crithmoides, Plantago crassifolia, Juncus maritimus and J. acutus) in a Mediterranean salt marsh, from summer 2009 to autumn 2010. A principal component analysis was used to correlate soil and climatic data with changes in the plants' contents of chemical markers associated with stress responses: ions, osmolytes, malondialdehyde (MDA, a marker of oxidative stress) and antioxidant systems. Stress tolerance in S. fruticosa, I. crithmoides and P. crassifolia (all succulent dicots) seemed to depend mostly on the transport of ions to aerial parts and the biosynthesis of specific osmolytes, whereas both Juncus species (monocots) were able to avoid accumulation of toxic ions, maintaining relatively high K(+)/Na(+) ratios. For the most salt-tolerant taxa (S. fruticosa and I. crithmoides), seasonal variations of Na(+), Cl(-), K(+) and glycine betaine, their major osmolyte, did not correlate with environmental parameters associated with salt or water stress, suggesting that their tolerance mechanisms are constitutive and relatively independent of external conditions, although they could be mediated by changes in the subcellular compartmentalization of ions and compatible osmolytes. Proline levels were too low in all the species to possibly have any effect on osmotic adjustment. However-except for P. crassifolia-proline may play a role in stress tolerance based on its 'osmoprotectant' functions. No correlation was observed between the degree of environmental stress and the levels of MDA or enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, indicating that the investigated halophytes are not subjected to oxidative stress under natural conditions and do not, therefore, need to activate antioxidant defence mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (UPV-CSIC), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.affiliation: ReForest, Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Medio Ambiente, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Inmaculada
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bautista
authors.affiliation: Instituto Agroforestal Mediterráneo (IAM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boscaiu
authors.affiliation: ReForest, Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Medio Ambiente, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lidón
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (UPV-CSIC), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Shantanu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wankhade
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (UPV-CSIC), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Héctor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación para la Gestión Integral de Zonas Costeras (IGIC), Universitat Politècnica de València, C/Paranimf 1, 46730 Grao de Gandia, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Llinares
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (UPV-CSIC), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain ovicente@ibmcp.upv.es.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vicente
keywords: Drought; Inula crithmoides; Juncus acutus; Juncus maritimus; Mediterranean climate; Plantago crassifolia; Sarcocornia fruticosa; littoral salt marsh; oxidative stress; soil salinity.