Cross stress of heat and high irradiance (HI) resulted in the accumulation of active oxygen species and photo-oxidative damage to photosynthetic apparatus of wheat leaves during grain development. Pre-treatment with calcium ion protected the photosynthetic system from oxidative damage by reducing O-2 production, inhibiting lipid peroxidation, and retarding electrolyte leakage from cell. Therefore, high Fv/Fm [maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem 2 (PS2) while all PS2 reaction centres are open], Fm/F0 (another expression for the maximal photochemical efficiency of PS2), ΦPS2 (actual quantum yield of PS2 under actinic irradiation), qP (photochemical quenching coefficient), and PN (net photosynthetic rate) were maintained, and lower qNP (non-photochemical quenching coefficient) of the leaves was kept under heat and HI stress. EGTA (a chelant of calcium ion) and LaCl3 (a blocker of Ca2+ channel in cytoplasmic membrane) had the opposite effect. Thus Ca ion may help protect the photosynthetic system of wheat leaves from oxidative damage induced by the cross stress of heat and HI. and Hui-Jie Zhao, Ji-Fang Tan.
In the frame of the foreseen climate global changes we analysed the physiological responses of Arbutus unedo L. to the variations of carbon dioxide concentration, leaf temperature, and irradiance by measurements of leaf gas exchange and leaf water potential performed both in field and in the laboratory. Stomatal conductance was not affected by increase of leaf temperature. The growth conditions of potted plants likely made stomata more sensitive to the variation of external parameters than naturally growing plants. The interaction between high CO2 concentration and temperature involved important down-regulation mechanisms in the metabolic pathway of the carbon fixation. From an ecological point of view, the ability of A. unedo to adapt to the field stress makes it highly competitive in the Mediterranean plant community. and M. Vitale, F. Manes.
The present work showed that spider mite-infested leaves placed in the light were more attractive to predatory mites than the infested leaves placed in the dark; furthermore, an increase in the light intensity enhanced this attractiveness. However, the increase of the light intensity did not change the attractiveness of the uninfested leaves to predatory mites. The capacity of cyanide-resistant respiration and the photosynthetic rates of both the infested and uninfested leaves increased with increasing light intensities, whereas the photosystem (PS) II chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence decreased. The increase of the capacity of cyanide-resistant respiration in the infested leaves was more dramatic than that in the uninfested leaves, whereas the values of photosynthetic rates and Chl fluorescence were lower in the infested leaves than those in the uninfested leaves. Treatment of the infested and uninfested leaves with 1 mM salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM, an inhibitor of cyanide-resistant respiration) decreased photosynthetic rates and caused further reductions in PSII fluorescence, especially under a higher light intensity. In contrast, the effects of SHAM on PSII fluorescence parameters and photosynthetic rates of the infested leaves were more dramatic than on those of the uninfested leaves. The treatment with SHAM did not significantly change the attractiveness of the infested or uninfested leaves to the predatory mites under all of the light intensities tested. These results indicated that cyanide-resistant respiration was not directly associated with the light-induced attraction of predators to plants, but it could play a role in the protection of photosynthesis. Such role might become relatively more important when photosynthesis is impaired by herbivores infestation. and H. Q. Feng ... [et al.].
We studied the effects of 15-months of elevated (700 µmol mol-1) CO2 concentration (EC) on the CO2 assimilation rate, saccharide content, and the activity of key enzymes in the regulation of saccharide metabolism (glycolysis and gluconeogenesis) of four C3 perennial temperate grassland species, the dicots Filipendula vulgaris and Salvia nemorosa and the monocots Festuca rupicola and Dactylis glomerata. The acclimation of photosynthesis to EC was downward in F. rupicola and D. glomerata whereas it was upward in F. vulgaris and S. nemorosa. At EC, F. rupicola and F. vulgaris leaves accumulated starch while soluble sugar contents were higher in F. vulgaris and D. glomerata. EC decreased pyrophosphate-D-fructose-6-phosphate l-phosphotransferase (PFP, EC 2.7.1.90) activity assayed with Fru-2,6-P2 in F. vulgaris and D. glomerata and increased it in F. rupicola and S. nemorosa. Growth in EC decreased phosphofructokinase (PFK, EC 2.7.1.11) activity in all four species, the decrease being smallest in S. nemorosa and greatest in F. rupicola. With Fru-2,6-P2 in the assay medium, EC increased the PFP/PFK ratio, except in F. vulgaris. Cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (Fru-1,6-P2ase, EC 3.1.3.11) was inhibited by EC, the effect being greatest in F. vulgaris and smallest in F. rupicola. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH EC 1.1.1.49) activity was decreased by growth EC in the four species. Activity ratios of Fru-1,6-P2ase to PFP and PFK suggest that EC may shift sugar metabolism towards glycolysis in the dicots. and E. Nádas ... [et al.].
The protective role of light-harvesting complex 2 (LHC2) dissociation from photosystem 2 (PS2) complex was explored by the 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyl adenosine (FSBA, an inhibitor of protein kinase) treatment at saturating irradiance (SI) in soybean leaves and thylakoids. The dissociation of some LHC2s from PS2 complex occurred after SI treatment, but FSBA treatment inhibited the dissociation as demonstrated by analysis of sucrose density gradient centrifugation of thylakoid preparation and low-temperature (77 K) chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence. A significant increase in F0 and decrease in Fv/Fm occurred after SI, and the two parameters could largely recover to the levels of dark-adapted leaves after subsequent 3 h in the dark, but they could not recover in the FSBA-treated leaves at SI. Neither the electron transport activity of PS2 nor the D1 protein amount in vivo had significant change after SI without FSBA, whereas FSBA treatment at SI could result in significant decreases in both the PS2 electron transport activity and the D1 protein amount. When thylakoids instead of leaves were used, the PS2 electron transport activity and the D1 protein amount declined more after SI with FSBA than without FSBA. The phosphorylation level of PS2 core proteins increased, while the phosphorylation level of LHC2 proteins was reduced after SI. Also, the phosphorylation of PS2 core proteins could be greatly inhibited by the FSBA treatment at SI. Hence in soybean leaf the LHC2 dissociation is an effective strategy protecting PS2 reaction centres against over-excitation and photodamage by reducing the amount of photons transferred to the centres under SI, and the phosphorylation of PS2 core proteins plays an important role in the dissociation. and Hai-Bo Zhang, Da-Quan Xu.
Addition of nitrate to a suspension of NO3--depleted Chlorella vulgaris cells raised the O2-evolving capacity of the organism by 60%. The rate of O2-evolution under flash irradiation of the depleted cells was drastically reduced, which could be restored by addition of NO3-. The 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone (DBMIB)-insensitive O2-evolution, i.e., photosystem (PS) 2 activity of NO3--depleted cells, showed a 75% stimulation by addition of NO3-. PS1-mediated electron transport was also stimulated (50%) by addition of NO3-. Fluorescence yields of the NO3--depleted cells were significantly reduced. A normal fluorescence response was restored by the addition of NO3-. The fluorescence yield of the NO3--depleted and DCMU-treated-cells increased significantly after addition of NO3- ions, indicating a further reduction of the primary acceptor of PS2 (Q). In addition, the low temperature fluorescence emission spectra showed that energy transfer to PS2 and PS1 was much higher when nitrate was present. Hence nitrate accelerates the light-induced charge transfer from the intact O2-evolving system to the primary electron acceptor of PS2 and stimulates the PS1-mediated electron transport. and M. El-Anwar H. Osman, A. H. El-Naggar.
Experiments were carried out to investigate the changes in CO2 assimilation, photon allocation, and photosynthetic electron flux in leaves of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) plants after chilling stress. Chilling significantly decreased CO2 assimilation, the energy flux via linear electron transport (J PS2) and non-constitutive thermal dissipation (J NPQ) but increased fluorescence and constitutive thermal dissipation (J f,D) in chilling-sensitive genotype Jinyan No. 4. In contrast, chilling had little effects on J NPQ and J f,D although CO2 assimilation and J PS2 were inhibited in chilling-tolerant genotype Jinchun No. 3. In parallel with the reduction in J PS2, electron flux to oxygenation and carboxylation by ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase all significantly decreased while electron flux to O2 significantly increased, especially in chilling-sensitive genotype. Thermal and fluorescence dissipation were the main energy dissipation pathways whilst water-water cycle was an important electron sink when photosynthetic carbon reduction was suppressed after chilling. Chilling sensitivity of the photosynthetic apparatus was related to the operation of different photoprotection mechanisms. and Z. H. Zhou ... [et al.].
We analyzed the response of potted strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) seedlings exposed to water stress by withholding water for 10 d (WS). Leaf water potential, net CO2 assimilation, and stomatal conductance decreased with increasing water deficit. A 30 % reduction of chlorophyll (Chl) content in the antenna complexes was observed in WS-plants. Simultaneously, a decline of photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) occurred as a result of an excess of solar radiation energy when carbon assimilation was limited by stomata closure due to soil water deficit. The non-photochemical quenching of Chl fluorescence (ΦNPQ) significantly increased, as well as the leaf contents of zeaxanthin (Z) and antheraxanthin (A) at the expense of violaxanthin during the WS-period. Elevated predawn contents of de-epoxidized xanthophyll cycle components were associated with a sustained lowering of predawn photosystem 2 efficiency; this suggested an engagement of Z+A in a state primed for energy dissipation. Thus, the ability of strawberry trees to maintain the functionality of the xanthophyll cycle during the Mediterranean summer is an efficient mechanism to prevent irreversible damages to the photosynthetic machinery through thermal energy dissipation in the antenna and the reduction in photochemical efficiency. and R. Baraldi ... [et al.].
Carnivorous plants grow in nutrient-poor habitats and obtain substantial amount of nitrogen from prey. Specialization toward carnivory may decrease the ability to utilize soil-derived sources of nutrients in some species. However, no such information exists for pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes, nor the effect of nutrient uptake via the roots on photosynthesis in carnivorous plants is known. The principal aim of present study was to investigate, whether improved soil nutrient status increases photosynthetic efficiency in prey-deprived pitcher plant Nepenthes talangensis. Gas exchange and chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence were measured simultaneously and were correlated with Chl and nitrogen concentration as well as with stable carbon isotope abundance (δ13C) in control and fertilized N. talangensis plants. Net photosynthetic rate (PN) and maximum- (Fv/Fm) and effective quantum yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII) were greater in the plants supplied with nutrients. Biomass, leaf nitrogen, and Chl (a+b) also increased in fertilized plants. In contrast, δ13C did not differ significantly between treatments indicating that intercellular concentration of CO2 did not change. We can conclude that increased root nutrient uptake enhanced photosynthetic efficiency in prey-deprived N. talangensis plants. Thus, the roots of Nepenthes plants are functional and can obtain a substantial amount of nitrogen from the soil. and A. Pavlovič ... [et al.].
Effects of elevated root-zone (RZ) CO2 concentration (RZ [CO2]) and RZ temperature (RZT) on photosynthesis, productivity, nitrate (NO3-), total reduced nitrogen (TRN), total leaf soluble and Rubisco proteins were studied in aeroponically grown lettuce plants in a tropical greenhouse. Three weeks after transplanting, four different RZ [CO2] concentrations (ambient, 360 ppm, and elevated concentrations of 2,000; 10,000; and 50,000 ppm) were imposed on plants at 20°C-RZT or ambient(A)-RZT (24-38°C). Elevated RZ [CO2] resulted in significantly higher light-saturated net photosynthetic rate, but lower light-saturated stomatal conductance. Higher elevated RZ [CO2] also protected plants from both chronic and dynamic photoinhibition (measured by chlorophyll fluorescence Fv/Fm ratio) and reduced leaf water loss. Under each RZ [CO2], all these variables were significantly higher in 20°C-RZT plants than in A-RZT plants. All plants accumulated more biomass at elevated RZ [CO2] than at ambient RZ [CO2]. Greater increases of biomass in roots than in shoots were manifested by lower shoot/root ratios at elevated RZ [CO2]. Although the total biomass was higher at 20°C-RZT, the increase in biomass under elevated RZ [CO2] was greater at A-RZT. Shoot NO3- and TRN concentrations, total leaf soluble and Rubisco protein concentrations were higher in all elevated RZ [CO2] plants than in plants under ambient RZ [CO2] at both RZTs. Under each RZ [CO2], total leaf soluble and Rubisco protein concentrations were significantly higher at 20°C-RZT than at A-RZT. Our results demonstrated that increased P Nmax and productivity under elevated [CO2] was partially due to the alleviation of midday water loss, both dynamic and chronic photoinhibition as well as higher turnover of Calvin cycle with higher Rubisco proteins. and J. He, L. Qin, S. K. Lee.