AOBPreview originally published online on October 22, 2007
Annals of Botany 2008 101(2):229-248; doi:10.1093/aob/mcm237
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ethylene-promoted Elongation: an Adaptation to Submergence Stress
School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK
* For correspondence. E-mail: Mike.Jackson{at}bristol.ac.uk
Received: 29 May 2007 Returned for revision: 26 June 2007 Accepted: 13 July 2007 Published electronically: 22 October 2007
Background: A sizeable minority of taxa is successful in areas prone to submergence. Many such plants elongate with increased vigour when underwater. This helps to restore contact with the aerial environment by shortening the duration of inundation. Poorly adapted species are usually incapable of this underwater escape.
Scope: Evidence implicating ethylene as the principal factor initiating fast underwater elongation by leaves or stems is evaluated comprehensively along with its interactions with other hormones and gases. These interactions make up a sequence of events that link the perception of submergence to a prompt acceleration of extension. The review encompasses whole plant physiology, cell biology and molecular genetics. It includes assessments of how submergence threatens plant life and of the extent to which the submergence escape demonstrably improves the likelihood of survival.
Conclusions: Experimental testing over many years establishes ethylene-promoted underwater extension as one of the most convincing examples of hormone-mediated stress adaptation by plants. The research has utilized a wide range of species that includes numerous angiosperms, a fern and a liverwort. It has also benefited from detailed physiological and molecular studies of underwater elongation by rice (Oryza sativa) and the marsh dock (Rumex palustris). Despite complexities and interactions, the work reveals that the signal transduction pathway is initiated by the simple expediency of physical entrapment of ethylene within growing cells by a covering of water.
Key words: Adaptation, aquatic plants, ethylene, flooding, growth, hypoxia, plant hormones, signal transduction, stress, submergence, review, rice
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
Related articles in Ann Bot:
- ContentSnapshots
Ann Bot 2008 101: NP.[Extract] [Full Text]
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  F.-L. Luo, K. A. Nagel, B. Zeng, U. Schurr, and S. Matsubara Photosynthetic acclimation is important for post-submergence recovery of photosynthesis and growth in two riparian species Ann. Bot., December 1, 2009; 104(7): 1435 - 1444. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. E. Manzur, A. A. Grimoldi, P. Insausti, and G. G. Striker Escape from water or remain quiescent? Lotus tenuis changes its strategy depending on depth of submergence Ann. Bot., November 1, 2009; 104(6): 1163 - 1169. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. T. Anderson, A. A. Landi, and P. L. Marks Limited flooding tolerance of juveniles restricts the distribution of adults in an understory shrub (Itea virginica; Iteaceae) Am. J. Botany, September 1, 2009; 96(9): 1603 - 1611. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. A. Ramirez-Carvajal, A. M. Morse, C. Dervinis, and J. M. Davis The Cytokinin Type-B Response Regulator PtRR13 Is a Negative Regulator of Adventitious Root Development in Populus Plant Physiology, June 1, 2009; 150(2): 759 - 771. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Pierik, T. Djakovic-Petrovic, D. H. Keuskamp, M. de Wit, and L. A.C.J. Voesenek Auxin and Ethylene Regulate Elongation Responses to Neighbor Proximity Signals Independent of Gibberellin and DELLA Proteins in Arabidopsis Plant Physiology, April 1, 2009; 149(4): 1701 - 1712. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. Magneschi and P. Perata Rice germination and seedling growth in the absence of oxygen Ann. Bot., January 1, 2009; 103(2): 181 - 196. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Pierik, J. M. van Aken, and L. A. C. J. Voesenek Is elongation-induced leaf emergence beneficial for submerged Rumex species? Ann. Bot., January 1, 2009; 103(2): 353 - 357. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
H. Huber, E. Jacobs, and E. J. W. Visser Variation in flooding-induced morphological traits in natural populations of white clover (Trifolium repens) and their effects on plant performance during soil flooding Ann. Bot., January 1, 2009; 103(2): 377 - 386. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
N. Kawano, O. Ito, and J.-I. Sakagami Morphological and physiological responses of rice seedlings to complete submergence (flash flooding) Ann. Bot., January 1, 2009; 103(2): 161 - 169. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J.-I. Sakagami, Y. Joho, and O. Ito Contrasting physiological responses by cultivars of Oryza sativa and O. glaberrima to prolonged submergence Ann. Bot., January 1, 2009; 103(2): 171 - 180. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. B. Jackson, K. Ishizawa, and O. Ito Evolution and mechanisms of plant tolerance to flooding stress Ann. Bot., January 1, 2009; 103(2): 137 - 142. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
I. Ridge and M. Jackson Daphne J. Osborne (1925 2006) Ann. Bot., January 1, 2008; 101(2): 199 - 201. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|