Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on plant physiology and growth on the Tibetan Plateau: a meta-analysis

  • Review
  • Published:
Acta Physiologiae Plantarum Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Uncertainties about the response of plant physiology and growth to enhanced UV-B radiation cause uncertainty to predict how plant production will vary under future radiation change on the Tibetan Plateau. Here, we used a meta-analysis approach to test the influence of UV-B radiation on plant physiology and growth. This hypothesis was tested by investigating the response of plants, which was expressed by some measurable variables. Enhanced UV-B radiation decreased plant biomass, plant height, basal diameter, leaf area index, maximal PSII efficiency, and Chl a+b, but increased intercellular CO2 concentration, malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion radical, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, proline and UV-B absorbing compounds. The effect of enhanced UV-B radiation on net photosynthesis rate (P n ) increased with mean annual precipitation and experimental duration. The effect of enhanced UV-B radiation on MDA decreased with experimental duration. The effect of enhanced UV-B radiation on superoxide dismutase (SOD) increased with the magnitude of enhanced UV-B radiation. Forests rather than grasslands exhibited a positive response of SOD and a negative response of P n to enhanced UV-B radiation. Therefore, the effect of enhanced UV-B radiation on alpine plants varied with ecosystem types. Local climate conditions may regulate effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on alpine plants.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agrawal SB, Rathore D (2007) Changes in oxidative stress defense system in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) cultivars grown with and without mineral nutrients and irradiated by supplemental ultraviolet-B. Environ Exp Bot 59:21–33. doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2005.09.009

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Albert KR, Mikkelsen TN, Ro-Poulsen H, Arndal MF, Michelsen A (2011) Ambient UV-B radiation reduces PSII performance and net photosynthesis in high Arctic Salix arctica. Environ Exp Bot 73:10–18. doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2011.08.003

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Antonelli F, Grifoni D, Sabatini F, Zipoli G (1997) Morphological and physiological responses of bean plants to supplemental UV radiation in a Mediterranean climate. Plant Ecol 128:127–136. doi:10.1023/a:1009702729514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Awada T, Radoglou K, Fotelli MN, Constantinidou HIA (2003) Ecophysiology of seedlings of three Mediterranean pine species in contrasting light regimes. Tree Physiol 23:33–41

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bai E, Li SL, Xu WH, Li W, Dai WW, Jiang P (2013) A meta-analysis of experimental warming effects on terrestrial nitrogen pools and dynamics. New Phytol 199:441–451. doi:10.1111/nph.12252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell MM et al (2003) Terrestrial ecosystems increased solar ultraviolet radiation and interactions with other climatic change factors. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2:29–38. doi:10.1039/b211159b

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell MM, Bornman JF, Ballare CL, Flint SD, Kulandaivelu G (2007) Terrestrial ecosystems, increased solar ultraviolet radiation, and interactions with bother climate change factors. Photochem Photobiol Sci 6:252–266. doi:10.1039/b700019g

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Day TA, Neale PJ (2002) Effects of UV-B radiation on terrestrial and aquatic primary producers. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 33:371–396. doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolysis.33.010802.150434

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dormann CF, Woodin SJ (2002) Climate change in the Arctic: using plant functional types in a meta-analysis of field experiments. Funct Ecol 16:4–17. doi:10.1046/j.0269-8463.2001.00596.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farquhar GD, Sharkey TD (1982) Stomatal conductance and photosynthesis. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 33:317–345. doi:10.1146/annurev.pp.33.060182.001533

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fedina I, Georgieva K, Velitchkova M, Grigorova I (2006) Effect of pretreatment of barley seedlings with different salts on the level of UV-B induced and UV-B absorbing compounds. Environ Exp Bot 56:225–230. doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2005.02.006

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fu et al (2013) Experimental warming does not enhance gross primary production and above-ground biomass in the alpine meadow of Tibet. J Appl Remote Sens. doi:10.1117/1.JRS.7.073505

    Google Scholar 

  • Fu G, Shen ZX, Sun W, Zhong ZM, Zhang XZ, Zhou YT (2015) A meta-analysis of the effects of experimental warming on plant physiology and growth on the Tibetan Plateau. J Plant Growth Regul 34:57–65. doi:10.1007/s00344-014-9442-0

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Girotti AW (1985) Mechanisms of lipid peroxidation J. Free Radic Biol Med 1:87–95

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Han C, Liu Q, Yang Y (2009) Short-term effects of experimental warming and enhanced ultraviolet-B radiation on photosynthesis and antioxidant defense of Picea asperata seedlings. Plant Growth Regul 58:153–162. doi:10.1007/s10725-009-9363-2

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Han C, Shen HY, Liu Q (2012) Responses of seed germination and seedling growth of Picea asperata to climate warming and enhanced UV-B radiation. Acta Bot Boreali-Occident Sin 32:1632–1638

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Han C, Shen HY, Liu Q (2014) Photosynthetic responses of Picea asperata seedlings to climate warming and enhanced ultraviolet-B radiation. Acta Bot Boreali-Occident Sin 34:820–827

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He ZS, Zhan SF, Wu SL (2014) Interactive effects of increased UV-B and rainfall on the growth and physiology of Tibetan Barley on the Tibetan Plateau. Ekoloji 23:18–26. doi:10.5053/ekoloji.2014.933

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hedges LV, Gurevitch J, Curtis PS (1999) The meta-analysis of response ratios in experimental ecology. Ecology 80:1150–1156. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(1999)080[1150:tmaorr]2.0.co;2

  • Jansen MA, Gaba V, Greenberg BM (1998) Higher plants and UV-B radiation: balancing damage, repair and acclimation. Trends Plant Sci 3:131–135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kiesecker JM, Blaustein AR, Belden LK (2001) Complex causes of amphibian population declines. Nature 410:681–684. doi:10.1038/35070552

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koricheva J, Gurevitch J (2014) Uses and misuses of meta-analysis in plant ecology. J Ecol 102:828–844. doi:10.1111/1365-2745.12224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kulandaivelu G, Maragatham S, Nedunchezhian N (1989) On the possible control of ultraviolet-B induced response in growth and photosynthetic activities in higher plants. Physiol Plant 76:398–404

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li FR, Peng SL, Chen BM, Hou YP (2010) A meta-analysis of the responses of woody and herbaceous plants to elevated ultraviolet-B radiation. Acta Oecol 36:1–9. doi:10.1016/j.actao.2009.09.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Q, Yao XQ, Zhao CZ, Cheng XY (2011) Effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on growth and photosynthetic responses of four species of seedlings in subalpine forests of the eastern Tibet plateau. Environ Exp Bot 74:151–156. doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2011.05.013

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lu M et al (2013) Responses of ecosystem carbon cycle to experimental warming: a meta-analysis. Ecology 94:726–738

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, Grp P (2009) Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. PLoS Med. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan PB, Ainsworth EA, Long SP (2003) How does elevated ozone impact soybean? A meta-analysis of photosynthesis, growth and yield. Plant Cell Environ 26:1317–1328. doi:10.1046/j.0016-8025.2003.01056.x

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Newsham KK, Robinson SA (2009) Responses of plants in polar regions to UVB exposure: a meta-analysis. Glob Change Biol 15:2574–2589. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.01944.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phoenix GK, Gwynn-Jones D, Callaghan TV, Sleep D, Lee JA (2001) Effects of global change on a sub-Arctic heath: effects of enhanced UV-B radiation and increased summer precipitation. J Ecol 89:256–267. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2745.2001.00531.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ros J, Tevini M (1995) Interaction of UV-radiation and IAA during growth of seedlings and hypocotyl segments of sunflower. J Plant Physiol 146:295–302

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz-Vera UM et al (2013) Global warming can negate the expected CO2 stimulation in photosynthesis and productivity for soybean grown in the Midwestern United States (1W OA). Plant Physiol 162:410–423. doi:10.1104/pp.112.211938

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Searles PS, Flint SD, Caldwell MM (2001) A meta analysis of plant field studies simulating stratospheric ozone depletion. Oecologia 127:1–10. doi:10.1007/s004420000592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shang YX, Zhang B, Zhu PJ, Shi SB (2010) Response of Gentiana straminea to UV-B radiation by analysis of photosynthetic pigment contents and leaf thickness. Acta Bot Boreali-Occident Sin 30:2472–2478

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shi SB, Zhu WY, Li HM, Zhou DW, Han F, Zhao XQ, Tang YH (2004) Photosynthesis of Saussurea superba and Gentiana straminea is not reduced after long-term enhancement of UV-B radiation. Environ Exp Bot 51:75–83. doi:10.1016/s0098-8472(03)00062-5

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shi FS, Wu Y, Wu N, Luo P (2010a) Different growth and physiological responses to experimental warming of two dominant plant species Elymus nutans and Potentilla anserina in an alpine meadow of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Photosynthetica 48:437–445. doi:10.1007/s11099-010-0058-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi SB, Shang YX, Zhu PJ, Zhang DG (2010b) Effect of enhanced UV-B radiation on photosynthesis and photosynthetic pigments in alpine plants Saussurea superba. Acta Agrestia Sin 18:607–614

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shindell DT, Rind D, Lonergan P (1998) Increased polar stratospheric ozone losses and delayed eventual recovery owing to increasing greenhouse-gas concentrations. Nature 392:589–592. doi:10.1038/33385

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith JL, Burritt DJ, Bannister P (2000) Shoot dry weight, chlorophyll and UV-B-absorbing compounds as indicators of a plant’s sensitivity to UV-B radiation. Ann Bot Lond 86:1057–1063

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Strid A, Porra RJ (1992) Alterations in pigment content in leaves of Pisum sativum after exposure to supplementary UV-B. Plant Cell Physiol 33:1015–1023

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z, Luo TX, Li RC, Tang YH, Du MY (2013) Causes for the unimodal pattern of biomass and productivity in alpine grasslands along a large altitudinal gradient in semi-arid regions. J Veg Sci 24:189–201. doi:10.1111/j.1654-1103.2012.01442.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang YQ, Yao Y, Xu G, Li CY (2005) Growth and physiological responses to drought and elevated ultraviolet-B in two contrasting populations of Hippophae rhamnoides. Physiol Plantarum 124:431–440. doi:10.1111/j.1399-3054.2005.00517.x

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Y, Wang GX, Yang LD, Guo JY (2013) Effects of drought and warming on biomass, nutrient allocation, and oxidative stress in Abies fabri in Eastern Tibetan Plateau. J Plant Growth Regul 32:298–306. doi:10.1007/s00344-012-9298-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yao XQ, Liu Q (2006) Changes in morphological, photosynthetic and physiological responses of Mono Maple seedlings to enhanced UV-B and to nitrogen addition. Plant Growth Regul 50:165–177. doi:10.1007/s10725-006-9116-4

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yao XQ, Liu Q (2009) The effects of enhanced ultraviolet-B and nitrogen supply on growth, photosynthesis and nutrient status of Abies faxoniana seedlings. Acta Physiol Plant 31:523–529. doi:10.1007/s11738-008-0261-4

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yin HJ, Liu Q, Lai T (2008) Warming effects on growth and physiology in the seedlings of the two conifers Picea asperata and Abies faxoniana under two contrasting light conditions. Ecol Res 23:459–469. doi:10.1007/s11284-007-0404-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu CQ, Shen ZX, Zhang XZ, Sun W, Fu G (2014) Response of soil C and N, dissolved organic C and N, and inorganic N to short-term experimental warming in an Alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. Sci World J. doi:10.1155/2014/152576

    Google Scholar 

  • Zavala JA, Scopel AL, Ballare CL (2001) Effects of ambient UV-B radiation on soybean crops: impact on leaf herbivory by Anticarsia gemmatalis. Plant Ecol 156:121–130. doi:10.1023/a:1012672226811

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang XZ, Zhang YG, Zhoub YH (2000) Measuring and modelling photosynthetically active radiation in Tibet Plateau during April–October. Agr For Meteorol 102:207–212. doi:10.1016/s0168-1923(00)00093-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang XZ, Shen ZX, Fu G (2015) A meta-analysis of the effects of experimental warming on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics on the Tibetan Plateau. Appl Soil Ecol 87:32–38. doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2014.11.012

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the editor and reviewers for their insightful and valuable comments, which greatly improved the quality of this manuscript. This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 31600432, 41171084), the National Key Research Projects of China (2016YFC0502005; 2016YFC0502006), Chinese Academy of Science Western Light Talents Program (Response of livestock carrying capability to climatic change and grazing in the alpine meadow of Northern Tibetan Plateau), the Science and Technology Plan Projects of Tibet Autonomous Region (Forage Grass Industry) and the National Science and Technology Plan Project of China (Nos. 2013BAC04B01, 2011BAC09B03, 2007BAC06B01).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lhasa Plateau Ecosystem Research Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Gang Fu & Zhen-Xi Shen

Authors
  1. Gang Fu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zhen-Xi Shen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhen-Xi Shen.

Additional information

Communicated by A. K. Kononowicz.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOC 34 kb)

Supplementary material 2 (XLSX 72 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Fu, G., Shen, ZX. Effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on plant physiology and growth on the Tibetan Plateau: a meta-analysis. Acta Physiol Plant 39, 85 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-017-2387-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-017-2387-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation