Affiliations: Shanghai Key Laboratory for Ecological Processes and
Restoration in Urban Areas, Department of Environmental Sciences, East China
Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
Abstract: Our previous studies indicated that genotypes at locus Sod-1 of Poa
annua changed clinally along a gradient of gaseous organic pollution. In the
present study, we aimed to know whether there were differential responses of
activities of different superoxide dismutase (SOD) genotypes to short-term
treatment of ambient gaseous organic pollution. Significant bias from
Hardy-Weinberg equibrium was observed on locus Sod-1, and no genotype Sod-1-BB
was found. Significantly increased activities were observed in most treatments
for genotype Sod-1-AA and in one treatment for genotype Sob-1-AB. However, no
significant difference in SOD activities was found between the two genotypes.
It was interpreted that fitness difference between the two genotypes was small
and treatment duration was too short or extent of ambient organic pollution was
too low to lead to differential responses. Other environmental factor effects
on activities of superoxide dismutases can also explain the results.