Protein Response Suggests Priming in Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina Alterniflora) from an Urban Estuary

Overview

As urbanization often proceeds uncontrolled and unsupervised, organisms in nearby waterways are especially vulnerable to the effects of sewage, waste, and chemical contamination. Recent reports suggest that organisms suffering from chronic stress, such as urbanization, tend to be better prepared to counteract acute stress. This cellular process is called “priming”. Our goal in this study was to investigate this type of priming in smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) from the Bronx River and the Greenwich Cove. We chose this species because as an abundant, foundational species, grasses can withstand high levels of stress, and serve as models to better understand adaptive mechanisms triggered by environmental stress. We selected these two locations because Spartina alterniflora is native to both areas. The sites differ highly in terms of urbanization and pollution. The Bronx River is visibly more polluted than the Greenwich Cove; and our previous studies documented lower dissolved oxygen levels at this site. The Spartina alterniflora in the Bronx River thus suffers from more chronic environmental stress than its counterparts in Greenwich Cove. We compared the plants’ expression of a stress indicator, HSP70, a universal molecular chaperone that helps maintain the shape of proteins under various forms of stress such as heat and salt. We induced HSP70 stress responses in the Spartina alterniflora by subjecting individuals to heat shock. The response from chronically stressed plants differs in intensity from their less stressed counterparts, suggesting active priming. This study contributes to a better understanding of stress adaptation in a foundational estuarian species, and this will help inform the preservation of urban ecosystems.

Competition history

• AJAS 2018 Category not listed

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