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The effects of altered levels of UV-B radiation on an Antarctic grass and lichen

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Responses of Plants to UV-B Radiation

Part of the book series: Advances in Vegetation Science ((AIVS,volume 18))

Abstract

We report a long-term experiment on the photosynthetic response of natural vegetation of Deschampsia antarctica (Poaceae) and Turgidosculum complicatulum (Lichenes) to altered UV-B levels on Léonie Island, Antarctica.

UV-B above the vegetation was reduced by filter screens during two seasons. Half of the screens were transparent to UV-A and UV-B (ambient treatment) or absorbing UV-B and part of the UV-A (below-ambient treatment). Half of the wedge-shaped filters had side walls leading to an enhancement of the daily mean temperature in summer by 2–4 °C, simulating rising mean air temperature on the Antarctic Peninsula. The other half of the filters were without side walls resulting in close-to-ambient temperature underneath. Plots without filters served as controls.

UV-B supplementation of an extra 1.3 kJ UV-BBE was achieved using UV-mini-lamp systems during 15 days in the second season.

We found no evidence that altered incident UV-B levels and temperature had an effect on maximum photosystem II efficiency (F v /F m ) and effective photosystem II efficiency (∆F/F m ′) in both species. UV-B reduction did not influence contents of chlorophyll, carotenoids and methanol-soluble UV absorbing compounds in D. antarctica.

Flowering shoot length of D. antarctica was not affected by UV-B reduction. Temperature enhancement tended to result in longer inflorescence axes. Results of two austral summer seasons of UV- reduction in natural stands of D. antarctica and T complicatulum suggest that current ambient levels of UV-B do not have a direct effect on the photosynthetic performance and pigment contents of these species. Cumulative effects on growth have not been recorded after two years but can not be excluded on a longer term.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Netherlands Institute of Ecology, P.O. Box 140, 4400 AC, Yerseke, The Netherlands

    D. Lud, A. H. L. Huiskes & T. C. W. Moerdijk

  2. Centre for Estuarine and Coastal Ecology, P.O. Box 140, 4400 AC, Yerseke, The Netherlands

    D. Lud, A. H. L. Huiskes, T. C. W. Moerdijk & J. Rozema

  3. Department of Systems Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    J. Rozema

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  1. D. Lud
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  2. A. H. L. Huiskes
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  3. T. C. W. Moerdijk
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Systems Ecology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Jelte Rozema

  2. Department of Biology, School of Science, University of Patras, Greece

    Yiannis Manetas

  3. Department of Plant Physiology, Lund University, Sweden

    Lars-Olof Björn

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© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Lud, D., Huiskes, A.H.L., Moerdijk, T.C.W., Rozema, J. (2001). The effects of altered levels of UV-B radiation on an Antarctic grass and lichen. In: Rozema, J., Manetas, Y., Björn, LO. (eds) Responses of Plants to UV-B Radiation. Advances in Vegetation Science, vol 18. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2892-8_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2892-8_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5353-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-2892-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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