Nutritional analysis of six forest species grown in two different edaphological conditions in a Mediterranean environment: II. Do pigments serve as a non-destructive diagnostic method?

The species studied were Quercus rotundifolia,Juniperus oxycedrus,Retama sphaerocarpa, Cistus albidus, Phlomis lychnitis and Daphne
gnidium, which were grown in two different soils that differed in pH 6.0
(Llano de la Perdiz) and 8.0 (Sierra Elvira), both zones in Granada
(Spain) and under analogous environmental conditions (1). The
chlorophyll content in its different forms showed that in the Llano de
la Perdiz C. albidus presented a greater content than did Q.
rotundifolia. Comparable behaviour was found in the area of Sierra
Elvira. In the case of the carotenoids, Q. rotundifolia presented the
lowest values in both zones. For lycopene, great differences were found
between species but not between zones. The lowest content was found in
J. oxycedrus and Q. rotundifolia, and the highest one was registered by
C. albidus and R. sphaerocarpa, with a content of 40% more than the
others. In the case of anthocyanins, Q. rotundifolia and R lychnitis
were notable for their low content in Llano de la Perdiz. This same
phenomenon was repeated in Sierra Elvira. This clearly indicates a
direct relationship between the chlorophyll level and the nutrient
content, as well as the relationship of the environmental conditions
with respect to the content of non-photosynthetic pigments. The high
content of pigments, photosynthetic or not, in these plants makes them
capable of resisting such extreme environmental conditions in which they
grow.