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Distinctive Features and Role of Sulfur-Containing Compounds in Marine Plants, Seaweeds, Seagrasses and Halophytes, from an Evolutionary Point of View

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Sabkha Ecosystems

Part of the book series: Tasks for Vegetation Science ((TAVS,volume 47))

Abstract

Many seaweeds, seagrasses and many halophytes, grow in the tidal zone in similar environments. Their every-day-life and their life cycle are influenced by regular flooding during high tide and exposure to the air at low tide. Therefore they are confronted with similar daily changes in the osmotic potential and need to take up nutrients from the water and/or from the sediment. In addition, coastal zones and estuaries are often contaminated with high loads of some nutrients and heavy metals. Sulfur-deficiency is a major issue for land-based agriculture, whereas seawater act as a global sulfur reservoir and sulfur does not limit growth of marine plants. Sulfur-containing compounds and proteins seem to play a pivotal in the adaptation to these environmental conditions. This review highlights the putative roles of sulfur-containing compounds in a comparative way in seaweeds, seagrasses and halophytes. Can we observe similar metabolic and proteomic adaptations in regularly flooded coastal plants? The role of sulfur-containing proteins and of sulfur-containing secondary metabolites and their responsible set of enzymes will be analyzed from an evolutionary point of view. New strategies to increase salt-tolerance in higher plants based on sulfur-containing compounds are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Institute of Oceanography, 01 Cau-Da, Nha Trang City, Vietnam

    Xuan-Vy Nguyen

  2. Institute of Botany, Leibniz University Hannover, Herrenhäuserstr. 2, 30419, Hannover, Germany

    Marion Klein, Anja Riemenschneider & Jutta Papenbrock

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  1. Xuan-Vy Nguyen
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  2. Marion Klein
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  3. Anja Riemenschneider
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  4. Jutta Papenbrock
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jutta Papenbrock .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Sustainable Halophyte Utilization (ISHU), University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan

    M. Ajmal Khan  & Bilquees Gul  & 

  2. Ecological Sciences Advisor – Ethiopia and African Union UNESCO Liaison Office in Addis Ababa with the African Union and the Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Benno Böer

  3. Botany Department & Center for Environmental Studies, Ege University, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey

    Münir Öztürk

  4. Environmental Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) Marine Environment Research Centre, Abu Dhabi, UAE

    Thabit Zahran Al Abdessalaam

  5. Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences, UNESCO Headquarters Natural Sciences Sector, Paris, Cedex, France

    Miguel Clüsener-Godt

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Nguyen, XV., Klein, M., Riemenschneider, A., Papenbrock, J. (2014). Distinctive Features and Role of Sulfur-Containing Compounds in Marine Plants, Seaweeds, Seagrasses and Halophytes, from an Evolutionary Point of View. In: Khan, M.A., Böer, B., Öztürk, M., Al Abdessalaam, T.Z., Clüsener-Godt, M., Gul, B. (eds) Sabkha Ecosystems. Tasks for Vegetation Science, vol 47. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7411-7_21

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