Effects of abscisic acid (ABA) on the development of selected bryophyte species

Abstract

The effects of the universal signal molecule, abscisic acid (ABA), with limited knowledge functions in non-tracheophyte have been studied in three selected bryophyte species: two mosses, Physcomitrella patens and Atrichum undulatum, and one liverwort, Marchantia polymorpha. While vegetative development as well as total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents tended to decrease in the three bryophyte species with increasing exogenous ABA concentration, the effect on total biomass showed less clear patterns in the bryophytes tested. These differences in response to ABA likely reflect different adaptations of these three species to conditions in situ.

Keywords::

• liverwort
• moss
• pigments
• development
• Atrichum undulatum
• Marchantia polymorpha
• Physcomitrella patens

Acknowledgements

JGS - M was supported by a Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation “Ramón y Cajal” postdoctoral contract.

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by the Ministry of Education and Science, Republic of Serbia [grant numbers 173024 and 173030].