The Effects of Anthropogenic Stressors on Above- and Belowground Phytochemical Diversity of the Wetland Grass, <i>Phragmites australis</i>

Coastal wetlands face threats from climate change-induced flooding and biological invasions. Plants respond to these stressors through changes in their phytochemical metabolome, but it is unclear whether stressors affecting one tissue compartment (e.g., leaves) create vulnerabilities in others (e.g....

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Main Authors: Andrea E. Glassmire, Ana L. Salgado, Rodrigo Diaz, Joseph Johnston, Laura A. Meyerson, Joshua S. Snook, James T. Cronin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/22/3133
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author Andrea E. Glassmire
Ana L. Salgado
Rodrigo Diaz
Joseph Johnston
Laura A. Meyerson
Joshua S. Snook
James T. Cronin
author_facet Andrea E. Glassmire
Ana L. Salgado
Rodrigo Diaz
Joseph Johnston
Laura A. Meyerson
Joshua S. Snook
James T. Cronin
author_sort Andrea E. Glassmire
collection DOAJ
description Coastal wetlands face threats from climate change-induced flooding and biological invasions. Plants respond to these stressors through changes in their phytochemical metabolome, but it is unclear whether stressors affecting one tissue compartment (e.g., leaves) create vulnerabilities in others (e.g., roots) or elicit similar responses across tissues. Additionally, responses to multiple simultaneous stressors remain poorly understood due to the focus on individual metabolites in past studies. This study aims to elucidate how the phytochemical metabolome of three <i>Phragmites australis</i> (Cav.) lineages, common in the Mississippi River Delta, responds to flooding and infestation by the non-native scale insect <i>Nipponaclerda biwakoensis</i> (Kuwana). Among these lineages, one is non-native and poses a threat to North American wetlands. Results indicate that metabolomic responses are highly specific, varying with lineage, tissue type, stressor type, and the presence of multiple stressors. Notably, the non-native lineage displayed high chemical evenness, while the other two showed stressor-dependent responses. The 10 most informative features identified by a machine learning model showed less than 1% overlap with known metabolites linked to water and herbivory stress, underscoring gaps in our understanding of plant responses to environmental stressors. Our metabolomic approach offers a valuable tool for identifying candidate plant genotypes for wetland restoration.
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spelling doaj-art-6af4c2537b8b489880bcc2b5c44ec4462024-11-26T18:18:40ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472024-11-011322313310.3390/plants13223133The Effects of Anthropogenic Stressors on Above- and Belowground Phytochemical Diversity of the Wetland Grass, <i>Phragmites australis</i>Andrea E. Glassmire0Ana L. Salgado1Rodrigo Diaz2Joseph Johnston3Laura A. Meyerson4Joshua S. Snook5James T. Cronin6Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADepartment of Entomology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADepartment of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USADepartment of Entomology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USACoastal wetlands face threats from climate change-induced flooding and biological invasions. Plants respond to these stressors through changes in their phytochemical metabolome, but it is unclear whether stressors affecting one tissue compartment (e.g., leaves) create vulnerabilities in others (e.g., roots) or elicit similar responses across tissues. Additionally, responses to multiple simultaneous stressors remain poorly understood due to the focus on individual metabolites in past studies. This study aims to elucidate how the phytochemical metabolome of three <i>Phragmites australis</i> (Cav.) lineages, common in the Mississippi River Delta, responds to flooding and infestation by the non-native scale insect <i>Nipponaclerda biwakoensis</i> (Kuwana). Among these lineages, one is non-native and poses a threat to North American wetlands. Results indicate that metabolomic responses are highly specific, varying with lineage, tissue type, stressor type, and the presence of multiple stressors. Notably, the non-native lineage displayed high chemical evenness, while the other two showed stressor-dependent responses. The 10 most informative features identified by a machine learning model showed less than 1% overlap with known metabolites linked to water and herbivory stress, underscoring gaps in our understanding of plant responses to environmental stressors. Our metabolomic approach offers a valuable tool for identifying candidate plant genotypes for wetland restoration.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/22/3133phytochemical diversitymetabolomicsclimate changesalt marshRoseau cane scalenon-native species
spellingShingle Andrea E. Glassmire
Ana L. Salgado
Rodrigo Diaz
Joseph Johnston
Laura A. Meyerson
Joshua S. Snook
James T. Cronin
The Effects of Anthropogenic Stressors on Above- and Belowground Phytochemical Diversity of the Wetland Grass, <i>Phragmites australis</i>
Plants
phytochemical diversity
metabolomics
climate change
salt marsh
Roseau cane scale
non-native species
title The Effects of Anthropogenic Stressors on Above- and Belowground Phytochemical Diversity of the Wetland Grass, <i>Phragmites australis</i>
title_full The Effects of Anthropogenic Stressors on Above- and Belowground Phytochemical Diversity of the Wetland Grass, <i>Phragmites australis</i>
title_fullStr The Effects of Anthropogenic Stressors on Above- and Belowground Phytochemical Diversity of the Wetland Grass, <i>Phragmites australis</i>
title_full_unstemmed The Effects of Anthropogenic Stressors on Above- and Belowground Phytochemical Diversity of the Wetland Grass, <i>Phragmites australis</i>
title_short The Effects of Anthropogenic Stressors on Above- and Belowground Phytochemical Diversity of the Wetland Grass, <i>Phragmites australis</i>
title_sort effects of anthropogenic stressors on above and belowground phytochemical diversity of the wetland grass i phragmites australis i
topic phytochemical diversity
metabolomics
climate change
salt marsh
Roseau cane scale
non-native species
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/22/3133
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