Abstract
Aluminium (Al) accumulation is a common trait expressed in at least 60 plant families and particularly prevalent in tropical woody plants. However, the functional significance and genetic or physiological controls on Al accumulation are currently unknown. We tested the hypothesis that differential expression of Al accumulation among wild populations of the Al-accumulating tropical shrub Melastoma malabathricum L. is associated with habitat-related variation in total and exchangeable soil Al concentrations. Mature leaves and seeds were sampled from 20 populations of M. malabathricum growing in six habitats across Peninsular Malaysia, and soil was collected from each site. The seeds were grown in hydroponic solutions comprising 50% Hoagland's solution amended with Al in the form of 1.0 mM AlCl3 to test the hypothesis that differential expression of foliar Al accumulation is an inherited trait. Foliar Al concentrations varied significantly among populations, but were not consistently different among plants growing in different habitats and showed no relationship to total or exchangeable Al concentrations in soils collected at the 20 sites. Mean foliar Al concentration in wild plants was positively correlated with foliar calcium (Ca) concentrations, and with total soil nitrogen (N), Ca and magnesium (Mg) concentrations, across the 20 populations, and Al addition increased foliar concentrations of phosphorus, Ca, Mg and potassium in seedlings. The differential expression of Al accumulation in M. malabathricum populations is uncoupled to local variation in soil Al concentrations, but may be sensitive to local soil-related variation in the availability of other macro-nutrients, in particular N, Ca and Mg. Further research on the factors controlling Al uptake should focus on the plasticity of this trait within populations of Al accumulators and interactions with micro-habitat variation in the availability of the macronutrient cations.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar aluminium concentrations differed significantly among populations.
- Taxon
- Melastoma malabathricum L.
Melastoma malabathricumt0 - Outcome
- Foliar Al concentrationse0
- Direction
- variede0
- Setting
- among populationse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Foliar Al concentrations varied significantly among populations”
t0“Melastoma malabathricum L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar aluminium concentrations were not consistently different among habitats.
- Taxon
- Melastoma malabathricum L.Melastoma malabathricumt0
- Outcome
- Foliar Al concentrationse0
- Setting
- different habitatse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Foliar Al concentrations varied significantly among populations, but were not consistently different among plants growing in different habitats”
t0“Melastoma malabathricum L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar aluminium showed no relationship with soil aluminium concentrations.
- Taxon
- Melastoma malabathricum L.Melastoma malabathricumt0
- Outcome
- Al concentrationse0
- Direction
- no relationshipe0
- Setting
- 20 sitese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“showed no relationship to total or exchangeable Al concentrations in soils collected at the 20 sites”
t0“Melastoma malabathricum L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Mean foliar aluminium correlated positively with foliar calcium.
- Taxon
- Melastoma malabathricum L.Melastoma malabathricumt0
- Compound
- calcium (Ca)e0
- Outcome
- Mean foliar Al concentratione0
- Direction
- positively correlatede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Mean foliar Al concentration in wild plants was positively correlated with foliar calcium (Ca) concentrations”
t0“Melastoma malabathricum L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Mean foliar aluminium correlated positively with soil nitrogen, calcium and magnesium.
- Taxon
- Melastoma malabathricum L.Melastoma malabathricumt0
- Compound
- total soil nitrogen (N), Ca and magnesium (Mg)e0
- Outcome
- foliar Al concentratione0
- Direction
- positively correlatede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Mean foliar Al concentration in wild plants was positively correlated with foliar calcium (Ca) concentrations, and with total soil nitrogen (N), Ca and magnesium (Mg) concentrations, across the 20 populations”
t0“Melastoma malabathricum L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Aluminium addition increased foliar phosphorus, calcium and magnesium in seedlings.
- Taxon
- Melastoma malabathricum L.Melastoma malabathricumt0
- Organ / stage
- seedlingse0
- Treatment
- Al additione0
- Outcome
- foliar concentrations of phosphorus, Ca, Mge0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Al addition increased foliar concentrations of phosphorus, Ca, Mg and potassium in seedlings”
t0“Melastoma malabathricum L.”
Claim · model-written summary
Aluminium addition increased foliar potassium in seedlings.
- Taxon
- Melastoma malabathricum L.Melastoma malabathricumt0
- Organ / stage
- seedlingse0
- Treatment
- Al additione0
- Outcome
- potassiume0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Al addition increased foliar concentrations of phosphorus, Ca, Mg and potassium in seedlings”
t0“Melastoma malabathricum L.”
The same questions in other papers
aluminium atom · nutrient: content · Melastoma malabathricumPositive and negative results
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- negative
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.