TY - JOUR N2 - Plants adapt to extremely low temperatures in polar regions by maximizing their photosynthetic efficiency and accumulating cryoprotective and osmoprotective compounds. Flowering plants of the family Poaceae growing in the Arctic and in the Antarctic were investigated. Their responses to cold stress were analyzed under laboratory conditions. Samples were collected after 24 h and 48 h of cold treatment. Quantitative and qualitative changes of sugars are found among different species, but they can differ within a genus of the family Poaceae. The values of the investigated parameters in Poa annua differed considerably depending to the biogeographic origin of plants. At the beginning of the experiment, Antarctic plants were acclimatized in greenhouse characterized by significantly higher content of sugars, including storage reserves, sucrose and starch, but lower total protein content. After 24 h of exposure to cold stress, much smaller changes in the examined parameters were noted in Antarctic plants than in locally grown specimens. Total sugar content and sucrose, starch and glucose levels were nearly constant in P. annua, but they varied significantly. Those changes are responsible for the high adaptability of P. annua to survive and develop in highly unsupportive environments and colonize new regions. L1 - http://www.journals.pan.pl/Content/100874/PDF/10183_Volume38_Issue2_05_paper.pdf L2 - http://www.journals.pan.pl/Content/100874 PY - 2017 IS - No 2 EP - 204 DO - 10.1515/popore-2017-0012 KW - Antarctic KW - Arctic KW - carbohydrates KW - cold stress KW - enzymes KW - Poaceae KW - polar plants A1 - Giełwanowska, Irena A1 - Łopieńska-Biernat, Elżbieta A1 - Pastorczyk, Marta A1 - Żółtowska, Krystyna A1 - Stryiński, Robert A1 - Ewa Zaobidna PB - Polish Academy of Sciences PB - Committee on Polar Research VL - vol. 38 DA - 2017.07.27 T1 - The influence of short-term cold stress on the metabolism of non-structural carbohydrates in polar grasses SP - 187 UR - http://www.journals.pan.pl/dlibra/publication/edition/100874 T2 - Polish Polar Research ER -