Plant Stress and Response

Plant Stress and Response

• Decrease in photosynthetic activity is a common phenotype indicative of plant stress.
• Plants generally respond to abiotic stress through genetic adaptation.
• A direct consequence of oxidative stress in plants is DNA mutations.
• Abscisic acid is the hormone primarily involved in the plant response to abiotic stress.

Plant Mechanisms for Dealing with Drought

• Plants store water in stems to conserve water.
• Dropping leaves is a mechanism used by plants to conserve water during drought.
• Closing stomata reduces water loss in plants.

Heat Shock Proteins

• Heat shock proteins protect against protein aggregation in plants.
• Heat stress triggers the production of heat shock proteins.

Photobiology

• Photobiology is the study of the interaction of light with living organisms.
• Blue light is involved in the photoreduction of cryptochromes.

Phytochromes

• Phytochromes regulate plant growth in response to light.

Microalgae

• Microalgae contribute 30% of the world's oxygen production.
• Heterotrophic microalgae obtain nutrients by consuming other organisms.
• The Redfield ratio is significant in microalgae as it indicates the optimal nutrient ratio for growth.

Plant Adaptations

• Xerophytes specialize in surviving in arid conditions.
• Reducing leaf size is a method used by plants to adapt to high temperatures.
• CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) is a method used by plants to adapt to high temperatures.

Plant Processes

• Rhizodeposition is the process by which roots deposit organic compounds into the soil.
• Laccase is an enzyme that degrades pollutants in plants.
• Photomorphogenesis is the process by which plants adapt to the light environment.