Background: In the violaxanthin (V) cycle, V is de-epoxidized to zeaxanthin (Z) when strong light or light combined with other stressors lead to an overexcitation of photosystems. However, plants can also suffer stress in ...

Despite being a small geographic extension, Mediterranean Basin is characterized by an exceptional plant biodiversity. Adaptive responses of this biocoenosis are delineated by an unusual temporal dissociation along the ...

The photoprotective mechanisms of desiccation tolerance and freezing toler- ance and their relation to molecular mobility (cell vitrification) were assessed in a single model: the exceptional subalpine and resurrection ...

Composition and content of photosynthetic pigments is finely tuned by plants according to a subtle equilibrium between the absorbed and used energy by the photosynthetic apparatus. Subarctic and Arctic plants are subjected ...

The main role of lichen anthraquinones is in protection against biotic and abiotic stresses, such as UV radiation. These compounds are frequently deposited as crystals outside the fungal hyphae and most of them emit visible ...

Winter evergreens living in mountainous areas have to withstand a harsh combination of high light levels and low temperatures in wintertime. In response, evergreens can activate a photoprotective process that consists of ...

Carotenoids distribution and function in seeds have been very scarcely studied, notwithstanding their pivotal roles in plants that include photosynthesis and phytohormone synthesis, pigmentation, membrane stabilization and ...

BACKGROUND: Lipophilic antioxidants play dual key roles in edible seeds (i) as preservatives of cell integrity and seed viability by preventing the oxidation of fats, and (ii) as essential nutrients for human and animal ...

Fern spores are unicellular structures produced by the sporophyte generation that give rise to the haploid gametophyte. When released from the sporangium, spores are desiccation tolerant (DT) in the royal fern (Osmunda ...