UV-B absorbing pigments in spores: biochemical responses to shade in a high-latitude birch forest and implications for sporopollenin-based proxies of past environmental change
Current attempts to develop a proxy for Earth's surface ultraviolet-B (UV-B) flux focus on the organic chemistry of pollen and spores because their constituent biopolymer, sporopollenin, contains UV-B absorbing pigments whose relative abundance may respond to the ambient UV-B flux. Fourier tran...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Norwegian Polar Institute
2011-08-01
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| Series: | Polar Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/8312/pdf_223 |
| _version_ | 1811287282571804672 |
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| author | Terry V. Callaghan Charles H. Wellman David I. James Barry H. Lomax Stephen Self Jonathan S. Watson Mark A. Sephton Wesley T. Fraser David J. Beerling |
| author_facet | Terry V. Callaghan Charles H. Wellman David I. James Barry H. Lomax Stephen Self Jonathan S. Watson Mark A. Sephton Wesley T. Fraser David J. Beerling |
| author_sort | Terry V. Callaghan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Current attempts to develop a proxy for Earth's surface ultraviolet-B (UV-B) flux focus on the organic chemistry of pollen and spores because their constituent biopolymer, sporopollenin, contains UV-B absorbing pigments whose relative abundance may respond to the ambient UV-B flux. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy provides a useful tool for rapidly determining the pigment content of spores. In this paper, we use FTIR to detect a chemical response of spore wall UV-B absorbing pigments that correspond with levels of shade beneath the canopy of a high-latitude Swedish birch forest. A 27% reduction in UV-B flux beneath the canopy leads to a significant (p<0.05) 7.3% reduction in concentration of UV-B absorbing compounds in sporopollenin. The field data from this natural flux gradient in UV-B further support our earlier work on sporopollenin-based proxies derived from sedimentary records and herbaria collections. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:16:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2c7b65a3e7f84fd8be9f16c299f74483 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0800-0395 1751-8369 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:16:11Z |
| publishDate | 2011-08-01 |
| publisher | Norwegian Polar Institute |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polar Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-2c7b65a3e7f84fd8be9f16c299f744832022-12-22T03:04:54ZengNorwegian Polar InstitutePolar Research0800-03951751-83692011-08-013001610.3402/polar.v30i0.8312UV-B absorbing pigments in spores: biochemical responses to shade in a high-latitude birch forest and implications for sporopollenin-based proxies of past environmental changeTerry V. CallaghanCharles H. WellmanDavid I. JamesBarry H. LomaxStephen SelfJonathan S. WatsonMark A. SephtonWesley T. FraserDavid J. BeerlingCurrent attempts to develop a proxy for Earth's surface ultraviolet-B (UV-B) flux focus on the organic chemistry of pollen and spores because their constituent biopolymer, sporopollenin, contains UV-B absorbing pigments whose relative abundance may respond to the ambient UV-B flux. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy provides a useful tool for rapidly determining the pigment content of spores. In this paper, we use FTIR to detect a chemical response of spore wall UV-B absorbing pigments that correspond with levels of shade beneath the canopy of a high-latitude Swedish birch forest. A 27% reduction in UV-B flux beneath the canopy leads to a significant (p<0.05) 7.3% reduction in concentration of UV-B absorbing compounds in sporopollenin. The field data from this natural flux gradient in UV-B further support our earlier work on sporopollenin-based proxies derived from sedimentary records and herbaria collections.http://www.polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/8312/pdf_223FTIRsporesferulic acidp-coumaric acidshadesporopollenin. |
| spellingShingle | Terry V. Callaghan Charles H. Wellman David I. James Barry H. Lomax Stephen Self Jonathan S. Watson Mark A. Sephton Wesley T. Fraser David J. Beerling UV-B absorbing pigments in spores: biochemical responses to shade in a high-latitude birch forest and implications for sporopollenin-based proxies of past environmental change Polar Research FTIR spores ferulic acid p-coumaric acid shade sporopollenin. |
| title | UV-B absorbing pigments in spores: biochemical responses to shade in a high-latitude birch forest and implications for sporopollenin-based proxies of past environmental change |
| title_full | UV-B absorbing pigments in spores: biochemical responses to shade in a high-latitude birch forest and implications for sporopollenin-based proxies of past environmental change |
| title_fullStr | UV-B absorbing pigments in spores: biochemical responses to shade in a high-latitude birch forest and implications for sporopollenin-based proxies of past environmental change |
| title_full_unstemmed | UV-B absorbing pigments in spores: biochemical responses to shade in a high-latitude birch forest and implications for sporopollenin-based proxies of past environmental change |
| title_short | UV-B absorbing pigments in spores: biochemical responses to shade in a high-latitude birch forest and implications for sporopollenin-based proxies of past environmental change |
| title_sort | uv b absorbing pigments in spores biochemical responses to shade in a high latitude birch forest and implications for sporopollenin based proxies of past environmental change |
| topic | FTIR spores ferulic acid p-coumaric acid shade sporopollenin. |
| url | http://www.polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/8312/pdf_223 |
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