| Abstrakt: |
Abstract: Ultraviolet-B radiation can result in deleterious effects on many plant growth processes. In clonal plants, resources and hormones are often shared between connected ramets to deal with various environments. However, little is known about whether and how clonal integration influences the ability of clonal plants to respond to UV-B radiation. In this paper, ramet pairs of Duchesnea indica were either connected by stolons or disconnected by stolon interruption. One of the ramet in the pair was exposed to elevated UV-B radiation. Water transport rate and several growth, photosynthetic and biochemical parameters were measured. When ramets were connected and exposed to heterogeneous UV-B radiation, the velocity of water transportation from the UV-B treated ramet to its connected sister ramet was markedly lower. Moreover, stolon connection resulted in an increase of biomass and ramet number in the UV-B stressed part of the clonal fragments at the expense of that in the UV-B unstressed part. In addition, the contents of chlorophylls and UV-B absorbing compounds were shared between connected ramets under heterogeneous UV-B radiation. Gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of the UV-B stressed ramets were impaired by supplemental UV-B radiation in Duchesnea indica. Clonal integration significantly reduced the stressful impact imposed by enhanced UV-B radiation at a cost to the whole clone. |
