Adaptive changes in the fatty acid composition of <i>Oxytropis scheludjakovae</i> and <i>Oxytropis strobilacea</i> under temperature fluctuations during the growth season in Central Yakutia

Abstract

Although there is growing interest in understanding the mechanisms of plant adaptive resistance, there is still incomplete or missing information for many plant species. In this study, we conducted an analysis of the fatty acid composition in the vegetative and generative organs of two species belonging to the Oxytropis genus, namely O. scheludjakovae and O. strobilacea. Gas-liquid chromatography was used to analyze the qualitative and quantitative changes in fatty acids throughout the growing season. The plants were grown in the natural flora collection nursery at the Yakutsk Botanical Garden. The main fatty acids identified had carbon atoms ranging from 14 to 24. There were no significant differences in fatty acid composition between the endemic species O. scheludjakovae and the more widely distributed species O. strobilacea. The highest total fatty acid content (19.5 mg/g tissue) was observed in the leaves of O. scheludjakovae in June and in the leaves of O. strobilacea (17.0 mg/g tissue) in June and July. Palmitic acid was the primary saturated fatty acid in both species, while linolenic acid was the main unsaturated fatty acid. The adaptation of these plants to temperature changes was reflected in the variation of unsaturated fatty acid content. O. strobilacea showed higher values of fatty acid unsaturation coefficient throughout the growing season compared to O. scheludjakovae.