EFFECTS OF SOLAR UV-B RADIATION IN THE ACCUMULATION OF RHIZOCARPIC ACID IN A LICHEN SPECIES FROM ALPINE ZONES OF CHILE

In the lichen Acarospora schleicheri collected in altitudinal gradients at 18°S, 19°S, and 33°S in alpine zones of Chile, the concentrations of rhizocarpic acid were determined and compared. Significant increments in the accumulation of rhizocarpic acid were observed at the highest altitudes and they were correlated with the increasing UV-B radiation levels in the selected gradients. The results obtained suggest that the synthesis of rhizocarpic acid is induced by UV-B radiation, and that this lichen compound represents a chemical adaptation to the high levels of UV-B radiation in lichen habitats

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rubio,Cecilia, Fernández,Ernesto, Hidalgo,María Eliana, Quilhot,Wanda
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Sociedad Chilena de Química 2002
Online Access:http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0366-16442002000100012
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!