Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Bioremediation

Bioremediation

Bioremediation is the use of prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. This process has been used to remove harmful toxins in groundwater as a byproduct of agricultural run-off and also to clean up oil spills.

Responses to Drought and Flooding

Responses to Drought and Flooding

Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.

Microbial Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons

Microbial Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons

Bioremediation is an environmentally sustainable process that employs living organisms—primarily microorganisms—to degrade or neutralize pollutants from contaminated environments. In oil spills and hydrocarbon pollution, bioremediation involves the use of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria to transform toxic compounds into less harmful substances. This approach leverages natural microbial metabolic processes and is considered both cost-effective and ecologically favorable compared to physical or...

Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss

Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss

Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.

Green Algae

Green Algae

Green algae, also referred to as chlorophytes, are different from red algae in having the chloroplasts containing chlorophylls a and b, which give them their distinct green hue. However, they lack phycobiliproteins, preventing them from developing the red or blue-green pigmentation seen in red algae. In terms of photosynthetic pigment composition, green algae closely resemble plants and share a close evolutionary relationship with them. Taxonomically Green algae belong to Phylum Chlorophyta in...

C4 Pathway and CAM

C4 Pathway and CAM

Most plants use the C3 pathway for carbon fixation. However, some plants, such as sugar cane, corn, and cacti that grow in hot conditions, use alternative pathways to fix carbon and conserve energy loss due to photorespiration. Photorespiration is the process that occurs when the oxygen concentration is high. Under such conditions, the rubisco enzyme in the Calvin cycle binds O2 instead of CO2, which halts photosynthesis and consumes energy.
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

[Comparative analysis of agronomic and qualitative characters in different lines of Dendrobium denneanum].

Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica·2010

Same author

Identification of the gene cluster for the dithiolopyrrolone antibiotic holomycin in Streptomyces clavuligerus.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2010

Same author

Safety evaluation of tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) flower extract: assessment of mutagenicity, and acute and subchronic toxicity in rats.

Journal of ethnopharmacology·2010

Same author

Influences of soil properties and leaching on nickel toxicity to barley root elongation.

Ecotoxicology and environmental safety·2010

Same author

Effects of CO2 insufflation on cerebrum during endoscopic thyroidectomy in a porcine model.

Surgical endoscopy·2010

Same author

Plants' use of different nitrogen forms in response to crude oil contamination.

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)·2010

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Monitoring Plant Hormones During Stress Responses

Monitoring Plant Hormones During Stress Responses

Published on: June 15, 2009

Do plants modulate biomass allocation in response to petroleum pollution?

Ming Nie¹, Qiang Yang, Li-Fen Jiang

¹Institute of Biodiversity Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Biology Letters

|May 21, 2010

Summary

Phragmites australis plants shift biomass allocation to roots in response to petroleum pollution. Petroleum pollution also increases carbon turnover in soil microbes, indicating plant adaptation to contaminated environments.

More Related Videos

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Monitoring Plant Hormones During Stress Responses

Monitoring Plant Hormones During Stress Responses

Published on: June 15, 2009

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Plant Biology
Ecotoxicology

Background:

Plant biomass allocation is a key trait that responds to environmental changes.
The impact of human-induced pollutants, like petroleum, on plant biomass allocation is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how petroleum pollution affects the biomass allocation of Phragmites australis.
To understand the carbon cycling dynamics in petroleum-polluted soils.

Main Methods:

Utilized a ¹³CO₂ pulse-labelling technique to trace carbon allocation in Phragmites australis.
Quantified plant biomass, root-shoot ratio, and ¹³C assimilation in soil, microbial biomass, and soil respiration under varying petroleum concentrations.

Main Results:

Petroleum pollution significantly decreased overall plant biomass.
Root-shoot ratio for both plant biomass and ¹³C increased with petroleum concentration.
Assimilated ¹³C was significantly higher in soil, microbial biomass, and soil respiration in polluted soils.

Conclusions:

Phragmites australis plastically modulates biomass allocation, favoring roots, in response to petroleum pollution.
Root-derived carbon is rapidly utilized by soil microbes in petroleum-contaminated environments.
Plants exhibit adaptive strategies to cope with petroleum-induced environmental stress.