1 research outputs found
Characterization of the primary matabolome of Brachystegia boehmii and Colophospermum mopane under different fire regimes in Miombo and Mopane African woodlands
Original ResearchMiombo and Mopane are ecological and economic important woodlands from Africa,
highly affected by a combination of climate change factors, and anthropogenic fires.
Although most species of these ecosystems are fire tolerant, the mechanisms that
lead to adaptive responses (metabolic reconfiguration) are unknown. In this context,
the aim of this study was to characterize the primary metabolite composition of
typical legume trees from these ecosystems, namely, Brachystegia boehmii (Miombo)
and Colophospermum mopane (Mopane) subjected to different fire regimes. Fresh
leaves from each species were collected in management units and landscapes across
varied fire frequencies in the Niassa National Reserve (NNR) and Limpopo National
Park (LNP) in Mozambique. Primary metabolites were extracted and analyzed with a
well-established gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry metabolomics
platform (GC-TOF-MS). In B. boehmii, 39 primary metabolites were identified from which
seven amino acids, two organic acids and two sugars increased significantly, whereas
in C. mopane, 41 primary metabolites were identified from which eight amino acids, one
sugar and two organic acids significantly increased with increasing fire frequency. The
observed changes in the pool of metabolites of C. mopane might be related to high
glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) rate, which provided increased levels of amino
acids and energy yield. In B. boehmii, the high levels of amino acids might be due
to inhibition of protein biosynthesis. The osmoprotectant and reactive oxygen species
(ROS) scavenging properties of accumulated metabolites in parallel with a high-energy
yield might support plants survival under fire stressinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio