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Age-specific responses to elevated salinity in the coastal marsh plant black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus Scheele) as determined through polyphasic chlorophyll a fluorescence transients (OJIP)

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Abstract

This study employed polyphasic chlorophyll a fluorescence transients (OJIP), a non-invasive marker of environmental stress in plants, to evaluate salt tolerance in three different Juncus roemerianus age classifications (6-, 24-, and 60-months). Following exposure to elevated salts (30 psu), the younger plants sustained growth, which was comparable to freshwater controls. While older (60-month) plants receiving only freshwater also grew over the 8-week study, the older salt-treated plants did not increase in size. Similarly, there were significant declines in variable chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters (F v/F m and F v/F o), electron transport flux per reaction center (ETo/RC), and photosystem II performance index (PIABS) for 60-month J. roemerianus following salt treatment. These responses were not evident in the two younger salt-treated age classifications. Our results suggest that older J. roemerianus are less tolerant to rapid and sudden increases in salinity relative to younger plants and that this age-specific response may help explain observed discrepancies in salt tolerance in J. roemerianus.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was generously provided by the North Carolina Sea Grant (NCSG). We are grateful to S. Rebach (NCSG) for the continued support of our research on coastal marsh systems. G. Burn kindly provided laboratory and greenhouse assistance. We would also like to thank two anonymous reviewers for providing important insights that strengthen our original manuscript.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All experiments described in this paper comply with the laws of the country in which they were performed.

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  1. Emily C. Adams

    Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA

  2. Parker Laimbeer

    Present address: Molecular Plant Sciences Program, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Environmental Studies, Elon University, Elon, NC, 27244, USA

    Brant W. Touchette, Emily C. Adams & Parker Laimbeer

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  1. Brant W. Touchette
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Correspondence to Brant W. Touchette.

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Communicated by K. Bischof.

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Touchette, B.W., Adams, E.C. & Laimbeer, P. Age-specific responses to elevated salinity in the coastal marsh plant black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus Scheele) as determined through polyphasic chlorophyll a fluorescence transients (OJIP). Mar Biol 159, 2137–2147 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2000-z

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