Activity 6- Navigating a Research Article

Name : _______________________

I. Direction:

1. Choose two articles from any of the given journals below. Read free access research
articles (select those with downloadable pdf).
2. Navigate each article by studying each of its parts then answer the given questions in
the first column of the tables below.

Environmental Challenges
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/environmental-challenges

II. Complete the table below by answering the given questions.

Article 2
Link for the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010021000585.

APA Citation: Souahi, H., Chebout, A., Akrout, K., Massaoud, N., & Gacem, R. (2021,
March 17). Physiological responses to lead exposure in wheat, barley and oat. Environmental
Challenges. Retrieved November 6, 2021, from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010021000585.

1. What is the title of the Physiological Responses to Lead Exposure in Wheat, Barley,
research article? and Oat

2. A. What is the article
about?
B. What is the main
objective of the study?
Lead (Pb) is a contaminant that is particularly harmful to plant
productivity and poses a health risk to humans and animals.
Lead has no biological purpose in plants, but it can create
morphological, physiological, and biochemical problems. Plants
have evolved a variety of tolerance mechanisms that are
activated when they are exposed to lead. Wheat (Triticum
durum Desf and Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Ordeum vulgare
L.), and oats (Avena sativa L.) were cultivated and stressed
with lead acetate, Pb (CH 3 COO) 2, at three concentrations
(0.15, 0.3, and 0.6 g/l) to evaluate the effects of lead on
metabolism.

The objective of this study was to determine and evaluate the

effects of lead acetate-induced metallic stress on the
 biochemical parameters of cereal crops, as well as the process
of protecting them from oxidative damage.

3. What are the samples, The Algerian Interprofessional Cereals Office (OAIC) of
instruments, and method/s Tebessa gave species of crops (Triticum durum Desf.cv.
used in the study? WAHA, Triticum aestivum L.cv. HDR1, Hordeum vulgare L.cv.
Discuss. RIHANE, and Avena sativa L.cv. AVONE), which were utilized
in the experiment evaluating the effects of lead (Pb). The
experiment was carried out in a plant biology laboratory at the
University of Tebessa in Algeria in February 2019. After rinsing
three times in distilled water, healthy and homogeneous seeds
were immersed for 10 minutes in a 10% (v/v) solution of sodium
hypochlorite (NaOCl). The experimental study used a
randomized block design with three replicates and a four-one
factorial system.

Seedlings are transplanted in pots (height 50 cm and diameter

20 cm), filled with a mixture of sand/compost, for cultivation to a
solution containing 0 (control), 0.15, 0.3, and 0.6 g Pb L 1,
supplied as lead acetate every 48h, with four plants per
replicate cultivated in a greenhouse for 12 hours in the light and
12 hours in the dark (12 h photoperiod) at 25°C for 12 hours in
the Plants were removed after 8 weeks of stress, and the
leaves, stems, and roots of each treatment were separated,
rinsed with deionized water, and labeled for total protein and
sugar content assessment.

0.1 g of each concentration's sample is ground in a mortar with

5 ml of distilled water, then filtered and put into tubes with
distilled water during the tillering stage. Proteins were
measured using Coomassie G250 brilliant blue (BBC) and
bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the standard, according to
Bradford's (1976) method.

The sugar content is tested during the tillering stage using the
Shields and Burnett (1960) method, which uses anthrone in a
sulfuric medium. The soluble sugars are extracted after
maceration of (0.1 g) of vegetable matter in 3 ml of 80 percent
ethanol for 45 hours. The tubes are placed in the rotavapor to
allow the ethanol to evaporate, and then 20 ml of distilled water
is added to the entire extract.

4. What are the main The findings show that lead stress has an impact on all of the
findings? parameters studied. In the leaves and roots of Triticum durum
Desf, treatment with 0.3 and 0.6 g/l lead acetate resulted in an
increase in total protein content. Lead reduces soluble sugars

5. What is the significance
or impact of the research?
Give a summary of the
conclusion.
in Triticum aestivum L and Ordeum vulgare L at all lead
concentrations but increases them in Triticum durum Desf and
Avena sativa L, where their value peaks at 0.6 g/l Pb.
Accumulation of osmolytes may be one-way plants adapt to
combat oxidative stress and survive lead toxicity, as seen in
Triticum durum Desf and Avena sativa, respectively. In
comparison to the control plants, there was a considerable
increase in protein content in the leaves and roots of Triticum
durum, as well as soluble sugars levels in the stem and root.
With increasing lead concentrations, the total soluble sugar
content of Avena sativa seedlings increased gradually.