JXB Advance Access originally published online on January 5, 2006
Journal of Experimental Botany 2006 57(3):675-683; doi:10.1093/jxb/erj057
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RESEARCH PAPER |
Species-dependent changes in stomatal sensitivity to abscisic acid mediated by external pH
1Department of Agrochemistry and Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Nemanjina 6, Zemun 11080 Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
2Department of Biological Science, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
3Center for Multidisciplinary Studies, Kneza Viseslava 1a, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ljprokic{at}agrifaculty.bg.ac.yu
The direct effects of pH changes and/or abscisic acid (ABA) on stomatal aperture were examined in epidermal strips of Commelina communis L. and Arabidopsis thaliana. Stomata were initially opened at pH 7 or pH 5. The stomatal closure induced by changes in external pH and/or ABA (10 µM or 10 nM) was monitored using video microscopy and quantified in terms of changes in stomatal area using image analysis software. Measurements of aperture area enabled stomatal responses and, in particular, small changes in stomatal area to be quantified reliably. Both plant species exhibited a biphasic closure response to ABA: an initial phase of rapid stomatal closure, followed by a second, more prolonged, phase during which stomata closure proceeded at a slower rate. Changes in stomatal sensitivity to ABA were also observed. Comparison of these effects between C. communis and A. thaliana demonstrate that this differential sensitivity of stomata to ABA is species-dependent, as well as being dependent on the pH of the extracellular environment.
Key words: ABA, aperture area, Arabidopsis thaliana, Commelina communis, pH, stomatal closure