The role of nickel (Ni) and drought in serpentine adaptation: contrasting effects of Ni on osmoprotectants and oxidative stress markers in the serpentine endemic, Cleome heratensis, and the related non-serpentinophyte, Cleome foliolosa

摘要

To assess the importance of Ni and drought tolerance in serpentine adaptation, the effects of Ni and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-simulated drought, alone and in combination, on growth, water-status, photosynthetic pigments, osmoprotectants, stress markers, and ROS-scavenging enzymes were compared between the serpentine endemic Cleome heratensis and the closely related non-serpentinophyte C. foliolosa.