Combined effects of temperature and the herbicide diuron on Photosystem II activity of the tropical seagrass Halophila ovalis
Wilkinson, Adam D., Collier, Catherine J., Flores, Florita, Langlois, Lucas, Ralph, Peter J., and Negri, Andrew P. (2017) Combined effects of temperature and the herbicide diuron on Photosystem II activity of the tropical seagrass Halophila ovalis. Scientific Reports, 7. 45404. pp. 1-11.
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Abstract
Tropical seagrasses are at their highest risk of exposure to photosystem II (PSII) herbicides when elevated rainfall and runoff from farms transports these toxicants into coastal habitats during summer, coinciding with periods of elevated temperature. PSII herbicides, such as diuron, can increase the sensitivity of corals to thermal stress, but little is known of the potential for herbicides to impact the thermal optima of tropical seagrass. Here we employed a well-plate approach to experimentally assess the effects of diuron on the photosynthetic performance of Halophila ovalis leaves across a 25 °C temperature range (36 combinations of these stressors across 15–40 °C). The thermal optimum for photosynthetic efficiency (▵F/F'm) in H. ovalis was 31 °C while lower and higher temperatures reduced ▵F/F'm as did all elevated concentrations of diuron. There were significant interactions between the effects of temperature and diuron, with a majority of the combined stresses causing sub-additive (antagonistic) effects. However, both stressors caused negative responses and the sum of the responses was greater than that caused by temperature or diuron alone. These results indicate that improving water quality (reducing herbicide in runoff) is likely to maximise seagrass health during extreme temperature events that will become more common as the climate changes.
| Item ID: | 48268 |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
| Keywords: | environmental impact, tropical ecology |
| Additional Information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. © The Author(s) 2017 |
| Funders: | Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), National Environmental Research Program (NERP), National Environmental Science Programme (NESP) |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Apr 2017 02:26 |
| FoR Codes: | 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3108 Plant biology > 310806 Plant physiology @ 50% 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3108 Plant biology > 310801 Phycology (incl. marine grasses) @ 50% |
| SEO Codes: | 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9603 Climate and Climate Change > 960307 Effects of Climate Change and Variability on Australia (excl. Social Impacts) @ 20% 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9605 Ecosystem Assessment and Management > 960503 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Coastal and Estuarine Environments @ 40% 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9608 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity > 960802 Coastal and Estuarine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity @ 40% |
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