Stomatal responses to changes in vapor pressure deficit (VPD) constitute the predominant form of daytime gas-exchange regulation in plants. Stomatal closure in response to increased VPD is driven by the rapid up-regulation of foliar abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis and ABA levels in angiosperms; however, very little is known about the physiological trigger for this increase in ABA biosynthesis at increased VPD Using a novel method of modifying leaf cell turgor by the application of external pressures, we test whether changes in turgor pressure can trigger increases in foliar ABA levels over 20 min, a period of time most relevant to the stomatal response to VPD We found in angiosperm species that the biosynthesis of ABA was triggered by reductions in leaf turgor, and in two species tested, that a higher sensitivity of ABA synthesis to leaf turgor corresponded with a higher stomatal sensitivity to VPD In contrast, representative species from nonflowering plant lineages did not show a rapid turgor-triggered increase in foliar ABA levels, which is consistent with previous studies demonstrating passive stomatal responses to changes in VPD in these lineages. Our method provides a new tool for characterizing the response of stomata to water availability.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	small reductions in leaf turgor can trigger foliar ABA biosynthesis in 20 angiosperms influencing stomatal responses to vapour pressure deficit
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Plant Biology
Research Field:	Plant Physiology
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding Knowledge in the Environmental Sciences
UTAS Author:	McAdam, SAM (Dr Scott McAdam)
UTAS Author:	Brodribb, TJ (Professor Tim Brodribb)
ID Code:	112465
Year Published:	2016
Funding Support:	Australian Research Council (DP140100666)
Web of Science® Times Cited:	47
Deposited By:	Plant Science
Deposited On:	2016-11-11
Last Modified:	2017-11-01
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