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UV-B radiation arising from stratospheric ozone depletion influences the pigmentation of the Antarctic moss Andreaea regularis

  • Ecophysiology
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Abstract

Changes to the radiative environment arising from stratospheric ozone (O3) depletion and subsequent associations between these changes and the pigmentation of the moss Andreaea regularis were measured in late austral spring and early summer 1998 at Rothera Point on the western Antarctic Peninsula (67°S, 68°W). A strong relationship between O3 column depth and the ratio of UV-B to PAR irradiance (F uv-b/F par) was recorded at ground level (r 2=92%, P<0.001). Weaker, but significant, associations between O3 column depth and ground level unweighted and biologically effective UV-B radiation (UV-Bbe) were also found. Regression analyses indicated that F uv-b/F par was the best predictor for concentrations of UV-B screening pigments and total carotenoids extracted from plant tissues. Concentrations of these pigments were loosely (r 2= ca. 30%) but significantly (P<0.01) positively associated with F uv-b/F par. Concentrations of UV-B screening pigments were also positively associated with irradiances and daily doses of unweighted UV-B and UV-Bbe radiation. The concentrations of chlorophylls a and b were apparently unaffected by O3 depletion. The data derived from this study suggest that changes to the radiative environment associated with stratospheric O3 depletion influence the pigmentation of A. regularis. As a corollary, flavonoids are shown to be present in tissues of A. regularis.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. O3 data were supplied gratis by the NASA/GSFC TOMS O3 Processing Team. Paul Geissler and Andrew Rossaak maintained the Bentham spectroradiometer, Helen Peat processed spectroradiometer data, Dom Hodgson helped with HPLC analyses and Pete Convey, Ron Lewis-Smith and two anonymous referees supplied helpful comments. Martyn Caldwell and colleagues provided preprints of papers. All are gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK

    K. K. Newsham

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  1. K. K. Newsham
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Correspondence to K. K. Newsham.

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Newsham, K.K. UV-B radiation arising from stratospheric ozone depletion influences the pigmentation of the Antarctic moss Andreaea regularis . Oecologia 135, 327–331 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-003-1191-x

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