A differential mechanical technique for tissue separation, based on the different physical resistance to grinding between mesophyll (M) and bundle sheath (BS) cells, was tested on dicotyledonous C4 plants A triplex canscens, A triplex halimus, Gomphrena globosa, Amaranthus retroflexus, Amaranthus caudatus and Portulaca oleracea. A metal sieve (35 mesh) was placed inside a mortar and pieces of leaves (0.5 cm2) were ground in an aqueous medium on the sieve to obtain a homogenate. The homogenate was at first collected below the sieve and was then filtered through six layers of muslin. Microscopic examination showed that the filtrate was enriched by the M cells and the residue was enriched by BS cells, few of which were broken. The BS cell fraction was then vigorously ground and filtered; this second filtrate was named the BS cell fraction and the first filtrate was named the M cell fraction. Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39) (RuBPC) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) (PEPC) were assayed, and chlorophyll determinations and protein estimations were made on both fractions. As expected, PEPC showed higher activities in the M fractions; contrary to expectation RuBPC was present in M cell fractions in the six dicotyledonous C4 plants tested. The relative high RuBPC activities found in the M fraction could not be explained in terms of bundle sheath contamination.
An unexpectedly large proportion of C4 grasses was found in a moderately temperate and moist Himalayan location during monsoon period. 79 % of total grasses occurring in the area were found to be C4. Several grasses hitberto unreported as C4 háve now been recorded. The principál cause for the natural abundance of C4 species is presumably low atmospheric CO2 levels rallua' tlian the aridity and warmer temperatures. The finding adds a new dimension to our knowledge of natural distribution of the C4 species.
Modelling the exchange and transformation of matter and energy in ecosystems requires the development of hierarchical structured models of the considered ecosystem compartments. In this context, a model describing the coupled CO2 and H2O gas exchange of a winter wheat canopy was developed and calibrated. The formidation of the model was related to the problems of linking processes at different systém levels. For model calibration, ecophysiological gas exchange characteristics and micro-meteorological data were obtained on both leaf and canopy levels and completed by results of structural and Chemical plant analysis. The gas exchange was measured by a computer-controlled multi-channel systém. On the basis of this data pool, the canopy gas fluxes were calculated by the model as the integrál of the corresponding local fluxes over the area elements of the canopy. The model describes correctly physiological interactions and gas exchange characteristics at both the leaf and canopy levels.
Acclimation of the photosynthesis of C3 plants to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations is ffequently observed. Some hypotheses ffequently proposed to explain this phenomenon are: (7) stomatal closure; (2) inhibition of photosynthesis by starch accumulation, and (5) reduced activity or concentration of ribulose-1,5- bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. These hypotheses are compared with experimental evidence ffom the literature.
From mature needles of white spruce, Picea glauca (Moench) Voss we isolated thylakoids capable of high rates of oxygen evolution. Oxygen-evolving activity of spruce thylakoids was labile in the absence of osmoticum and declined by 40 % during 1 h on ice, compared to a 9 % dechne observed in spinách thylakoids. We compared the relative activity in spruce and spinách of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) and the reaction centre in Triton X-100 fractionated membranes prepared and stored for 20 or 240 h at 0 or -80 °C in media with different combinations of sucrose (0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 M) and two pH values (6.0 and 7.6). In membranes detergent- fractionated and stored at pH 7.6, photosystem 2 (PS2) activity (H2O -> DCIP) was sensitive to sucrose concentration of the medium. Spruce and spinách membranes prepared and stored in 0.3 M sucrose and pH 7.6, showed 22 and 48 % activity of their respective control membranes, freshly prepared in 1 M sucrose at pH 6.0. In contrast, in membranes prepared and stored at pH 6.0, PS2 activity was less sensitive to sucrose concentration: spruce and spinách membranes in 0.3 M sucrose showed 73 and 88 % (respectively) of the activity of membranes freshly prepared in 1 M sucrose. In both species, the degree of stimulation of DCIP photoreduction by diphenylcarbazide suggested minimal damage to the reaction centre (RC) except during preparation in 0.3 M sucrose, pH 7.6. Since the spruce RCs were not more labile than those of spinách, the extra sensitivity of spruce thylakoids in media of low sucrose concentration was likely due to extra lability of the OEC.
Analysis of the contents and organization of pigments in leaves of more than 60 plant species from different natural habitats revealed that the majority of plants from extreme regions had a low pigment content. The arctic plants contained 40-60 % less chlorophyll (Chl) than the same species in the temperate zone. The desert plants had an extremely low pigment content. Owing to high amount of total carotenoids (Car), the arctic and high montane plants had the lowest ratios Chl/Car. The part of Chl belonging to light-harvesting (LH)-antenna varied less than the total amounts. The majority of investigated arctic plants had a smaller amount of Chl and larger part of it in the LH-antenna than plants of the temperate zone. The pigment apparatus of high montane plants was distinguished by very high Car content probably serving as protectant against photodamage: in their photosystems 1 and 2 there was 4-5 times more p-carotene than in the plants of other zones.