Stem Metabolism Under Drought Stress - A Paradox Of Increasing Respiratory Substrates And Decreasing Respiratory Rates

Metabolic changes underpinning drought-induced variations in stem respiration (R-s) are unknown. We measured R(s)rates and metabolite and gene expression profiles inUlmus minorMill. andQuercus ilexL. seedlings subjected to increasing levels of drought stress to better understand how carbon, nitrogen and energy metabolism interact during drought. In both species, only plants showing extreme stress symptoms - i.e. negligible rates of leaf stomatal conductance and photosynthesis, and high stem dehydration (30-50% of maximum water storage) and contraction (50-150 mu m week(-1)) - exhibited lower R(s)rates than well-watered plants. Abundance of low-molecular weight sugars (e.g. glucose and fructose) and sugar alcohols (e.g. mannitol) increased with drought, at more moderate stress and to a higher extent inQ. ilexthanU. minor. Abundance of amino acids increased at more severe stress, more abruptly, and to a higher extent inU. minor, coinciding with leaf senescence, which did not occur inQ. ilex. Organic acids changed less in response to drought: threonate and glycerate increased, and citrate decreased although slightly in both species. Transcripts of genes coding for enzymes of the Krebs cycle decreased inQ. ilexand increased inU. minorin conditions of extreme drought stress. The maintenance of R(s)under severe growth and photosynthetic restrictions reveals the importance of stem mitochondrial activity in drought acclimation. The eventual decline in R(s)diverts carbon substrates from entering the Krebs cycle that may help to cope with osmotic and oxidative stress during severe drought and to recover hydraulic functionality afterwards.