2025
Martínez, D. N.; de la Barrera, E.
Enzymatic activity responses to transport and low-temperature storage: implication for plant nitrogen metabolism studies Journal Article
In: Nitrogen, vol. 6, 2025, ISBN: 2504-3129.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: disturbance, neotropical, nitrate reductase, nitrogen deposition, phosphorus, planetary boundaries, plant nutrition, tropical forest, urban ecology
@article{Martínez2025,
title = {Enzymatic activity responses to transport and low-temperature storage: implication for plant nitrogen metabolism studies},
author = {D. N. Martínez and E. de la Barrera},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3129/6/1/5
https://agro.mx/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/077-Martinez-N-cold-enzymes.pdf},
doi = {10.3390/nitrogen6010005},
isbn = {2504-3129},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-16},
urldate = {2025-01-16},
journal = {Nitrogen},
volume = {6},
abstract = {Understanding how transport and storage conditions affect enzymatic activity is essential for accurate biomonitoring of nitrogen metabolism in plants. This study evaluated the effects of transport conditions and low-temperature storage on the enzymatic activities of nitrate reductase (NR), glutamine synthetase (GS), and phosphomonoesterase (PME) for Chloris gayana, Fraxinus uhdei, and Trifolium repens. Enzymatic activities were measured for leaf samples immediately after collection, after 18 h at room temperature, or after 18 h on ice. Additionally, samples were stored at –16°C or –45°C for up to 28 days. NR activity decreased to near-zero levels under all storage conditions, indicating that this enzyme is unsuitable for delayed analysis. In contrast, GS and PME activities showed species-dependent responses to storage, with increased activity ob-served for T. repens and C. gayana, potentially reflecting tissue degradation processes. F. uhdei exhibited greater stability in enzyme activities, suggesting a higher resilience to storage. These findings highlight the importance of minimizing storage time to preserve enzymatic integrity, particularly for NR, while providing insight into the potential for delayed analysis of GS and PME in specific species. This work offers practical recommendations for future biomonitoring ef-forts in nitrogen deposition studies.},
keywords = {disturbance, neotropical, nitrate reductase, nitrogen deposition, phosphorus, planetary boundaries, plant nutrition, tropical forest, urban ecology},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Understanding how transport and storage conditions affect enzymatic activity is essential for accurate biomonitoring of nitrogen metabolism in plants. This study evaluated the effects of transport conditions and low-temperature storage on the enzymatic activities of nitrate reductase (NR), glutamine synthetase (GS), and phosphomonoesterase (PME) for Chloris gayana, Fraxinus uhdei, and Trifolium repens. Enzymatic activities were measured for leaf samples immediately after collection, after 18 h at room temperature, or after 18 h on ice. Additionally, samples were stored at –16°C or –45°C for up to 28 days. NR activity decreased to near-zero levels under all storage conditions, indicating that this enzyme is unsuitable for delayed analysis. In contrast, GS and PME activities showed species-dependent responses to storage, with increased activity ob-served for T. repens and C. gayana, potentially reflecting tissue degradation processes. F. uhdei exhibited greater stability in enzyme activities, suggesting a higher resilience to storage. These findings highlight the importance of minimizing storage time to preserve enzymatic integrity, particularly for NR, while providing insight into the potential for delayed analysis of GS and PME in specific species. This work offers practical recommendations for future biomonitoring ef-forts in nitrogen deposition studies.
2021
Martínez, D. N.; Díaz-Álvarez, E. A.; de la Barrera, E.
Selecting biomonitors of atmospheric nitrogen deposition: guidelines for practitioners and decision makers Journal Article
In: Nitrogen, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 308-320, 2021, ISSN: 2504-3129.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: atmospheric pollution, environmental indicators, environmental management, planetary boundaries, public health, public policy
@article{Martínez2021b,
title = {Selecting biomonitors of atmospheric nitrogen deposition: guidelines for practitioners and decision makers},
author = {D. N. Martínez and E. A. Díaz-Álvarez and E. de la Barrera },
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3129/2/3/21},
doi = {10.3390/nitrogen2030021},
issn = {2504-3129},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-07-12},
journal = {Nitrogen},
volume = {2},
number = {3},
pages = {308-320},
abstract = {Environmental pollution is a major threat to public health and is the cause of important economic losses worldwide. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is one of the most significant components of environmental pollution, which, in addition to being a health risk, is one of the leading drivers of global biodiversity loss. However, monitoring pollution is not possible in many regions of the world because the instrumentation, deployment, operation, and maintenance of automated systems is onerous. An affordable alternative is the use of biomonitors, naturally occurring or transplanted organisms that respond to environmental pollution with a consistent and measurable ecophysiological response. This policy brief advocates for the use of biomonitors of atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Descriptions of the biological and monitoring particularities of commonly utilized biomonitor lichens, bryophytes, vascular epiphytes, herbs, and woody plants, are followed by a discussion of the principal ecophysiological parameters that have been shown to respond to the different nitrogen emissions and their rate of deposition.},
keywords = {atmospheric pollution, environmental indicators, environmental management, planetary boundaries, public health, public policy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Environmental pollution is a major threat to public health and is the cause of important economic losses worldwide. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is one of the most significant components of environmental pollution, which, in addition to being a health risk, is one of the leading drivers of global biodiversity loss. However, monitoring pollution is not possible in many regions of the world because the instrumentation, deployment, operation, and maintenance of automated systems is onerous. An affordable alternative is the use of biomonitors, naturally occurring or transplanted organisms that respond to environmental pollution with a consistent and measurable ecophysiological response. This policy brief advocates for the use of biomonitors of atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Descriptions of the biological and monitoring particularities of commonly utilized biomonitor lichens, bryophytes, vascular epiphytes, herbs, and woody plants, are followed by a discussion of the principal ecophysiological parameters that have been shown to respond to the different nitrogen emissions and their rate of deposition.