TY - JOUR

T1 - Outdoor studies on the effects of solar UV-B on bryophytes

T2 - Overview and methodology

AU - Boelen, P.

AU - de Boer, M.K.

AU - de Bakker, N.

AU - Rozema, Jelte

PY - 2006/1

Y1 - 2006/1

N2 - In this review all recent field studies on the effects of UV-B radiation on bryophytes are discussed. In most of the studies fluorescent UV-B tubes are used to expose the vegetation to enhanced levels of UV-B radiation to simulate stratospheric ozone depletion. Other studies use screens to filter the UV-B part of the solar spectrum, thereby comparing ambient levels of UV-B with reduced UV-B levels, or analyse effects of natural variations in UV-B arising from stratospheric ozone depletion. Nearly all studies show that mosses are well adapted to ambient levels of UV-B radiation since UV-B hardly affects growth parameters. In contrast with outdoor studies on higher plants, soluble UV-B absorbing compounds in bryophytes are typically not induced by enhanced levels of UV-B radiation. A few studies have demonstrated that UV-B radiation can influence plant morphology, photosynthetic capacity, photosynthetic pigments or levels of DNA damage. However, there is only a limited number of outdoor studies presented in the literature. More additional, especially long-term, experiments are needed to provide better data for statistical meta-analyses. A mini UV-B supplementation system is described, especially designed to study effects of UV-B radiation at remote field locations under harsh conditions, and which is therefore suited to perform long-term studies in the Arctic or Antarctic. The first results are presented from a long-term UV-B supplementation experiment at Signy Island in the Maritime Antarctic.

AB - In this review all recent field studies on the effects of UV-B radiation on bryophytes are discussed. In most of the studies fluorescent UV-B tubes are used to expose the vegetation to enhanced levels of UV-B radiation to simulate stratospheric ozone depletion. Other studies use screens to filter the UV-B part of the solar spectrum, thereby comparing ambient levels of UV-B with reduced UV-B levels, or analyse effects of natural variations in UV-B arising from stratospheric ozone depletion. Nearly all studies show that mosses are well adapted to ambient levels of UV-B radiation since UV-B hardly affects growth parameters. In contrast with outdoor studies on higher plants, soluble UV-B absorbing compounds in bryophytes are typically not induced by enhanced levels of UV-B radiation. A few studies have demonstrated that UV-B radiation can influence plant morphology, photosynthetic capacity, photosynthetic pigments or levels of DNA damage. However, there is only a limited number of outdoor studies presented in the literature. More additional, especially long-term, experiments are needed to provide better data for statistical meta-analyses. A mini UV-B supplementation system is described, especially designed to study effects of UV-B radiation at remote field locations under harsh conditions, and which is therefore suited to perform long-term studies in the Arctic or Antarctic. The first results are presented from a long-term UV-B supplementation experiment at Signy Island in the Maritime Antarctic.

KW - Antarctic

KW - Arctic

KW - bryophytes

KW - Chorisodontium aciplyllum

KW - cyclobutane Pyrimidine dimers

KW - DNA damage

KW - mosses

KW - ozone depletion

KW - Polytrichum strictum

KW - Sanionia uncinata

KW - terrestrial polar ecosystems

KW - ultraviolet-B radiation

KW - UV-B exposure systems

KW - UVBR

KW - Warnstorfia sarmentosa

KW - STRATOSPHERIC OZONE DEPLETION

KW - TIERRA-DEL-FUEGO

KW - SUB-ARCTIC HEATH

KW - SIMULATED CLIMATE-CHANGE

KW - UNCINATA HEDW. LOESKE

KW - ULTRAVIOLET-RADIATION

KW - HIGHER-PLANTS

KW - TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

KW - OXIDATIVE STRESS

KW - GLOBAL CHANGE

U2 - 10.1007/s11258-005-9023-1

DO - 10.1007/s11258-005-9023-1

M3 - Article

VL - 182

SP - 137

EP - 152

JO - Plant ecology

JF - Plant ecology

SN - 1573-5052

IS - 1

ER -