The fern Nephrolepis exaltata is largely unresponsive to climate change conditions at both physiological and metabolic levels
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: SUMMARY Climate change is impacting the performance of plants worldwide. However, the impact on ferns, the second‐most diverse lineage of vascular plants, has received little attention. Here, we investigated the effects of one of the most claimed scenarios of the climatic change: drought (D), high temperature (HT) and high CO 2 concentration ( H CO 2 ) on a fern ( Nephrolepis exaltata ) and a commonly studied angiosperm ( Brassica oleracea ) at photosynthetic, anatomical, and metabolic levels. Leaf anatomy was slightly affected by stress conditions in both species. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that B. oleracea 's physiological responses to H CO 2 were greater than N. exaltata 's. Lipids and primary metabolites levels differed in response to stress in B. oleracea . Notably, the combination of D, HT, and H CO 2 exacerbated the changes in primary metabolites, reducing amino and organic acids levels. Interestingly, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine levels showed varied responses, increasing under HT and decreasing under H CO 2 or combined stress in B. oleracea . In contrast, the fern was mostly unresponsive to D, HT, H CO 2 , and the combination among them at the metabolic level. Beyond providing important information concerning the trade‐off between carbon uptake and stress acclimation mechanisms, our study indicates minor fern responses to D, HT, H CO 2 , suggesting differential impacts of climate change on ferns and angiosperms.
Source: The Plant Journal
DOI: 10.1111/tpj.70397
Authors: Valéria F. Lima, Jorge Gago, Iker Aranjuelo, Yariv Brotman, Asdrúbal Burgos, Marc Carriquí, Alisdair R. Fernie, Carlos María Figueroa, Juan José Irigoyen, Iván Jáuregui, Mónica Oyarzun, Inmaculada Pascual, Miquel Ribas‐Carbo, Manuel Sánchez‐Díaz, Héctor Santesteban, Julia Smirnova, Amadeo Urdiain, Danilo M. Daloso, Fermín Morales, Jaume Flexas
Institutions: Universidade Federal do Ceará, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Gobierno de Navarra, Agrobiotechnology Institute, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Universidad de Guadalajara, Instituto de Ciencias Forestales, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Universidad de Navarra, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDGs: Climate action, Zero hunger
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: European Commission, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Division of Graduate Education
OpenAlex ID: W4413054601