An insight to strategical responses of particulate pollution in plants: From phenome to genome
Soumya Chatterjee,
Mamun Mandal,
Mrinalini Kakkar,
Ganapati Basak,
Nasrin Banu Khan,
Ranadhir Chakraborty,
Robert Popek,
Abhijit Sarkar,
Chandan Barman
Affiliations
Soumya Chatterjee
Reproductive Ecology of Angiosperms Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, P.O. Mokdumpur, Malda, 732103, West Bengal, India; OMICS Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, University of North Bengal, Siliguri 734013, West Bengal, India
Mamun Mandal
Laboratory of Applied Stress Biology, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, P.O. Mokdumpur, Malda 732103, West Bengal, India
Mrinalini Kakkar
Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi, South Campus, New Delhi, India
Ganapati Basak
Reproductive Ecology of Angiosperms Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, P.O. Mokdumpur, Malda, 732103, West Bengal, India
Nasrin Banu Khan
Reproductive Ecology of Angiosperms Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, P.O. Mokdumpur, Malda, 732103, West Bengal, India
Ranadhir Chakraborty
OMICS Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, University of North Bengal, Siliguri 734013, West Bengal, India
Robert Popek
Section of Basic Research in Horticulture, Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW (WULS-SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Abhijit Sarkar
Laboratory of Applied Stress Biology, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, P.O. Mokdumpur, Malda 732103, West Bengal, India
Chandan Barman
Reproductive Ecology of Angiosperms Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, P.O. Mokdumpur, Malda, 732103, West Bengal, India; Corresponding author at: Reproductive Ecology of Angiosperms Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, P.O. Mokdumpur, Malda, 732103, West Bengal, India.
Particulate matter (PM) is an extremely overlooked air pollutant with drastic effects on the biome, owing to the industrial and agricultural advancements, significantly exacerbating global environmental contamination levels. The altered atmosphere in urban settings due to PM pollution profoundly influences plants' morphological, physiochemical state and allied responses. PM exposure leads to drastic decrease in plant-height, phytomass, leaf number, leaf length and productivity. PM change the epicuticular wax patterns, penetrates plant tissue through stomata, and denatures the chloroplast pigmentation. It changes leaves' light absorption and reflection patterns, weakening the total radiation that reaches the chlorophyll antenna and ultimately reducing the photosynthetic rate and electron transport chain. Consequently, this alters plants morphology like wax deposits, thick epidermis, and long trichomes near stomata. Moreover, PM stress also adversely effects gluconeogenesis, amino acid biosynthesis, TCA cycle, and photorespiration-associated gene expression. Several transcription factors, such as MYB, C3H, and G2-homologues, are activated as a collective stress response. Additionally, ascorbic acid, proline and soluble sugars accumulate and several antioxidants are produced to scavenge the PM-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS). This review aims to document plants' various responses to PM pollution in their respective eco-geographic settings and investigate ways used by plants to mitigate PM pollution. We also enumerate the consequences of PM pollution on plants and the corresponding phenomic and genetic mechanisms through which plants adapt.
