Variation in the quality and quantity of flavonoids in the leaves of coastal and inland Campanula punctata

Ultraviolet-B radiation is known as a noxious factor that destroys every life form. Plants that occupy the coastal area are assumed to be adaptive to UV-B as well as the other major stresses. The objective of this study was to clarify and compare (1) the flavonoid compositions of coastal and inland populations of Campanula punctata, and (2) UV-B effects on flavonoid content in plants originating from different habitats under uniform (i.e. experimental) and natural conditions. Flavonoid compositions of coastal and inland populations were shown to be identical. The UV-B exclusion experiment revealed two tendencies that were commonly observed in both coastal and inland populations: (1) the flavonoid accumulation decreased with an increase in degree of UV-B exclusion, and (2) the quantity of phenolic acids conversely became maximum under complete UV-B exclusion. Under the natural habitat conditions, significantly high accumulation of flavonoids were detected in two coastal populations even though no significant difference was found between the two other coastal populations and two inland populations. Weak correlations between UV-B intensity and flavonoid accumulation under the natural habitat conditions suggest that various micro-environmental factors may influence the production of flavonoids, and that the plants may acquire adaptive traits other than increasing flavonoids in order to inhabit the coastal environment.