'We have developed a method to detect these phenolic compounds in fossil pollen grains.'
"Plants require sunlight for photosynthesis but need to protect themselves and particularly their pollen against the harmful effects of. To do so, plants load the outer walls of pollen grains with compounds that function like sunscreen to protect the vulnerable cells to ensure successful reproduction," Professor Barry Lomax from the University of Nottingham explained.
"We have developed a method to detect these phenolic compounds in fossil pollen grains recovered from Tibet and detected much higher concentrations in those grains that were produced during the mass extinction and peak phase of volcanic activity," Liu Feng added.Even more far-reaching and long-lasting effects on the entire Earth System may result from elevated UV-B levels.
"Volcanism on such a cataclysmic scale impacts on all aspects of the Earth system, from direct chemical changes in the atmosphere, through changes in carbon sequestration rates, to reducing the volume of nutritious food sources available for animals," co-study author Dr. Des Fraser said.Land plants can adjust the concentration of protective ultraviolet B –absorbing compounds in the outer wall of their reproductive propagules in response to ambient UV-B flux.
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