Ecophysiological characteristics of the coastal plants in the conditions of the tidal zone on the coasts of Svalbard

Abstract

Content of chlorophylls, carotenoids, and flavonoids were determined in leaves of 26 plant species growing in the tidal zone of the Grnfjord coast at the Western Spitsbergen. Species of Ranunculaceae, Polygonaceae, Boraginaceae, Juncaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Cyperaceae, Saxifragaceae, Poaceae families were included in the study. The analyses showed that chlorophyll (Chl) content (chlorophyll a+b) of the investigated species varied from 0.16 to 2.4 mg g-1 of fresh mass, carotenoids varied from 0.1 to 0.7 mg g-1 of fresh mass, and flavonoides ranged from 0.8 to 9.7%. This comparative study aimed to the evaluation of differences in functional activity of photosynthetic apparatus of the dominant species under natural conditions of their habitats on the coastal zone of high tidal seas of the Arctic. Most of the dominant species of the tidal zone had higher values of Chl content and flavanoides. The study showed that plants grown along a transect from the water line through a tidal zone exhibited different ways of adaptation. The differences were found in the contents of photosynthetic pigments, and flavonoids. Besides that, some plants formed special morphological structures of leaves (grey dead vegetative organs and cuticular vax) and growth forms.