Antioxidative system in wild populations of Erica andevalensis

With regard to the antioxidant molecules, no differences were found in the levels of ascorbic acid, neither in the reduced nor total forms, although these molecules were highly oxidised. Furthermore, no differences were found in catalase and superoxide dismutase activities, but plants growing in the most polluted soils presented the highest peroxidase activity, together with the highest lipid peroxidation, but not the lowest levels of pigments. When all the data were analysed together, we found that E. andevalensis is able to prevent oxidative stress damage, as indicated by the low levels of lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide found, as compared with other plant species.