Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T02:58:19.512Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Smoke and mirrors: reply to Fotheringham and Keeley

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2007

Ian T. Baldwin*
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Molecular Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, Beutenberg Campus, 07745, Jena, Germany
Catherine A. Preston*
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Molecular Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, Beutenberg Campus, 07745, Jena, Germany
Bernd Krock
Affiliation:
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Department of Molecular Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Str. 8, Beutenberg Campus, 07745, Jena, Germany
*
*Correspondence: Email: [email protected]
Current address: USDA-APHIS Biotechnology Regulatory Service, 4700 River Road, Unit 147, Riverdale, MD 20737, USA
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In their rebuttal, Fotheringham and Keeley (2005) (F&K, hereafter) assert that misinterpretations of previous research, errors in the presentation of the chemistry of nitrogen oxides and devious presentation of experimental results led to the conclusion of Preston et al. (2004). [These conclusions refute those of Keeley and Fotheringham's publication in Science (Keeley and Fotheringham, 1997).] We disagree and argue that the experimental evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that the ecologically relevant germination signals for the two post-fire annuals, Emmenanthe penduliflora and Nicotiana attenuata, are the specific pyrolysis products of cellulose rather than chemical scarification by nitrogen oxides (Keeley and Fotheringham, 1997).

Type
Letter to the Editor
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005

References

Beligni, M.V. and Lamattina, L. (2000) Nitric oxide stimulates seed germination and de-etiolation, and inhibits hypocotyl elongation three light-inducible responses in plants. Planta 210, 215221.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bethke, P.C., Gubler, F., Jacobsen, J.V. and Jones, R.L. (2004) Dormancy of Arabidopsis seeds and barley grains can be broken by nitric oxide. Planta 219, 847855.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doherty, L.C. and Cohn, M.A. (2000) Seed dormancy in red rice (Oryza sativa). XI. Commercial liquid smoke elicits germination. Seed Science Research 10, 415421.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Egerton-Warburton, L.M. (1998) A smoke-induced alteration of the sub-testa cuticle in seeds of the post-fire recruiter, Emmenanthe penduliflora Benth. (Hydrophyllaceae). Journal of Experimental Botany 49, 13171327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitz, D.R., Bumiller, K. and Lashgari, A. (2003) Measurement of NOx during the SCOS97-ARSTO. Atmospheric Environment 37, S119S134CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flematti, G.R., Ghisalberti, E.L., Dixon, K.W. and Trengove, R.D. (2004) A compound from smoke that promotes seed germination. Science 305, 977CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Giba, Z., Grubisic, D., Todorovic, S., Sajc, L., Stojakovic, D. and Konjevic, R. (1998) Effect of nitric oxide-releasing compounds on phytochrome-controlled germination of Empress tree seeds. Plant Growth Regulation 26, 175181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grosjean, D. and Bytnerowicz, A. (1993) Nitrogenous air pollutants at a southern California mountain forest smog receptor site. Atmospheric Environment 27, 483492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keeley, J.E. and Fotheringham, C.J. (1997) Trace gas emissions and smoke-induced seed germination. Science 276, 12481250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keeley, J.E. and Fotheringham, C.J. (1998) Mechanism of smoke-induced seed germination in a post-fire chaparral annual. Journal of Ecology 86, 2736.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kopyra, M. and Gwozdz, E.A. (2003) Nitric oxide stimulates seed germination and counteracts the inhibitory effect of heavy metals and salinity on root growth of Lupinus luteus. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 41, 10111017.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krock, B., Schmidt, S., Hertweck, C. and Baldwin, I.T. (2002) Vegetation-derived abscisic acid and four terpenes enforce dormancy in seeds of the post-fire annual, Nicotiana attenuata. Seed Science Research 12, 239252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mikkelsen, R.B. and Wardman, P. (2003) Biological chemistry of reactive oxygen and nitrogen and radiation-induced signal transduction mechanisms. Oncogene 22, 57345754.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Neill, S.J., Desikan, R. and Hancock, J.T. (2003) Nitric oxide signalling in plants. New Phytologist 159, 1135.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Preston, C.A., Becker, R. and Baldwin, I.T. (2004) Is ‘NO’ news good news? Nitrogen oxides are not components of smoke that elicits germination in two smoke-stimulated species, Nicotiana attenuata and Emmenanthe penduliflora. Seed Science Research 14, 7379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar