A closed CO2 and temperature-controlled, long-term chamber system has been developed and set up in a typical boreal forest of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) near the Mekrijärvi Research Station (62°47'N, 30°58'E, 145 m above sea level) belonging to the University of Joensuu, Finland. The main objectives of the experiment were to provide a means of assessing the medium to long-term effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration (EC) and temperature (ET) on photosynthesis, respiration, growth, and biomass at the whole-tree level and to measure instantaneous whole-system CO2 exchange. The system consists of 16 chambers with individual facilities for controlling CO2 concentration, temperature, and the combination of the two. The chambers can provide a wide variety of climatic conditions that are similar to natural regimes. In this experiment the target CO2 concentration in the EC chambers was set at a fixed constant of 700 µmol mol-1 and the target air temperature in the ET chambers to track the ambient temperature but with a specified addition. Chamber performance was assessed on the base of recordings covering three consecutive years. The CO2 and temperature control in these closed chambers was in general accurate and reliable. CO2 concentration in the EC chambers was within 600-725 µmol mol-1 for 90 % of the exposure time during the "growing-season" (15 April - 15 September) and 625-725 µmol mol-1 for 88 % of the time in the "off-season" (16 September - 14 April), while temperatures in the chambers were within ±2.0 °C of the ambient or target temperature in the "growing season" and within ±3.0 °C in the "off season". There were still some significant chamber effects. Solar radiation in the chambers was reduced by 50-60 % for 82 % of the time in the "growing season" and 55-65 % for 78 % of the time in the "off season", and the relative humidity of the air was increased by 5-10 % for 72 % of the time in the "growing season" and 2-12 % for 91 % of the time in the "off season". The crown architecture and main phenophase of the trees were not modified significantly by enclosure in the chambers, but some physiological parameters changed significantly, e.g., the radiant energy-saturated photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem 2, and chlorophyll content. and S. Kellomäki, Kai-Yun Wang, M. Lemettinen.
We compared by chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence imaging the effects of two strains of the same virus (Italian and Spanish strains of the Pepper mild mottle virus - PMMoV-I and-S, respectively) in the host plant Nicotiana benthamiana. The infection was visualized either using conventional Chl fluorescence parameters or by an advanced statistical approach, yielding a combinatorial set of images that enhances the contrast between control and PMMoV-infected plants in the early infection steps. Among the conventional Chl fluorescence parameters, the non-photochemical quenching parameter NPQ was found to be an effective PMMoV infection reporter in asymptomatic leaves of N. benthamiana, detecting an intermediate infection phase. The combinatorial imaging revealed the infection earlier than any of the standard Chl fluorescence parameters, detecting the PMMoV-S infection as soon as 4 d post-inoculation (dpi), and PMMoV-I infection at 6 dpi; the delay correlates with the lower virulence of the last viral strain. and M. Pineda ... [et al.].
The xanthophyll cycle and the water-water cycle had different functional significance in chilling-sensitive sweet pepper upon exposure to chilling temperature (4 °C) under low irradiance (100 µmol m-2 s-1) for 6 h. During chilling stress, effects of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) on photosystem 2 (PS2) in dithiothreitol (DTT) fed leaves remained distinguishable from that of the water-water cycle in diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) fed leaves. In DTT-fed leaves, NPQ decreased greatly accompanied by visible inhibition of the de-epoxidized ratio of the xanthophyll cycle, and maximum photochemical efficiency of PS2 (Fv/Fm) decreased markedly. Thus the xanthophyll cycle-dependent NPQ could protect PS2 through energy dissipation under chilling stress. However, NPQ had a slighter effect on photosystem 1 (PS1) in DTT-fed leaves than in DDTC-fed leaves, whereas effects of the water-water cycle on PS1 remained distinguishable from that of NPQ. Inhibiting superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased the accumulation of O2, the oxidation level of P700 (P700+) decreased markedly relative to the control and DTT-fed leaves. Both Fv/Fm and NPQ changed little in DDTC-fed leaves accompanied by little change of (A+Z)/(V+A+Z). This is the active oxygen species inducing PS1 photoinhibition in sweet pepper. The water-water cycle can be interrupted easily at chilling temperature. We propose that during chilling stress under low irradiance, the xanthophyll cycle-dependent NPQ has the main function to protect PS2, whereas the water-water cycle is not only the pathway to dissipate energy but also the dominant factor causing PS1 chilling-sensitivity in sweet pepper. and X.-G. Li ... [et al.].
As a stress factor, salt induces the phosphorylation of light-harvesting chlorophyll (Chl) a/b proteins (LHCII) in Dunaliella salina. In this study, we found that the salt-induced phosphorylation of LHCII was not affected by phosphatase, and that salt simultaneously regulated both the phosphorylation of LHCII and the expression of genes encoding light-harvesting Chl a/b proteins of photosystem II (lhcb) and the gene encoding Chl a oxygenase (cao) in dark-adapted D. salina. The mRNA accumulation patterns of lhcb and cao were similar, which further affected the size of LHCII and the ratio of Chl a to Chl b. Therefore, we inferred this simultaneous regulation is one of the mechanisms of D. salina to adapt to the high-salinity environment. and W. M. Chen ... [et al.].
Drought stress causes changes in vein and stomatal density. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) if the changes in vein and stomatal density are coordinated in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and (2) how these changes affect water-use efficiency (WUE). The results showed significant positive correlations between vein density and stomatal density when cotton was grown under different degrees of drought stress. WUE was significantly positively correlated with the densities of both veins and stomata. Stomatal pore area and stomatal density on the abaxial leaf side, but not the adaxial side, were significantly correlated with WUE, stomatal conductance, leaf net photosynthetic rate, and transpiration rate. In conclusion, coordinated changes in vein and stomatal density improve the WUE of cotton under drought stress. The abaxial leaf side plays a more important role than the adaxial side in WUE and gas exchange., Z. Y. Lei, J. M. Han, X. P. Yi, W. F. Zhang, Y. L. Zhang., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We analyzed several approaches dealing with the components of non-photochemical energy dissipation and introduced improved versions of the equations used to calculate this parameter. The usage of these formulae depends on the conditions of the sample (acclimation to dark or irradiation, presence or absence of the "actinic light"). The parameter known as "excess" cannot be used as a component of energy partitioning. In reality, this parameter reflects the differences between potential and actual quantum yields of photochemistry. and D. Kornyeyev, A. S. Holaday.
We compared photoinhibition sensitivity to high irradiance (HI) in wild-type barley (wt) and both its chlorina f104-nuclear gene mutant, that restricts chlorophyll (Chl) a and Chl b synthesis, and its f2-nuclear gene mutant, that inhibits all Chl b synthesis. Both Fv/Fm and ΦPS2 decreased more significantly in f2 than f104 and wt with duration of HI exposure. Chl degraded more rapidly in the f2 than in either f104 or wt. Most sensitivity to photoinhibition was exhibited for f2, whereas there was little difference in response to HI between the f104 and wt. The highest de-epoxidation (DES) value at every time point of exposure to HI was measured for f2, whereas the wt had the lowest value among the three strains. There were two lifetime components resolved for the conversion of violaxanthin (V) to zeaxanthin plus antheraxanthin (Z + A). The most rapid lifetime was around 6 min and the slower lifetime was >140 min, in both the mutants and wt. However, the wt and f104 both displayed larger amplitudes of both de-epoxidation lifetimes than f2. The difference between the final de-epoxidation state (DES = [Z + A]/[V + A + Z]) in the light compared to the dark expressed as ΔDES for wt, f104, and f2 was 0.630, 0.623, and 0.420, respectively. The slow lifetime component and overall larger ΔDES in the wt and f104 correlated with more photoprotection, as indicated by relatively higher Fv/Fm and ΦPS2, compared to the f2. Hence the photoprotection against photoinhibition has no relationship with the absolute DES value, but there is a strong relationship with de-epoxidation rate and relative extent or ΔDES. and Chang-Lian Peng ... [et al.].
Myrica cerifera L. (Myricaceae), the dominant woody species on many barrier islands along the southeastern coast of the United States, is expanding into grass-dominated, mesic, interdunal depressions where it forms dense thickets. Expansion may be attributed to a symbiotic nitrogen fixation with the bacterium Frankia, an evergreen leaf habit and, possibly, corticular photosynthesis (CP, i.e. refixation of respired CO2, %ref). We quantified seasonal variations in CP characteristics in first through fifth order branches of M. cerifera to determine the extent and relevance of CP to shrub expansion in coastal environments. Maximum mean %ref was 110±39 % of CO2 efflux in the dark (RD) in first order branches during winter. Minimum %ref was 18±3 % in fifth order branches during summer. Variations in %ref paralleled changes in incident photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). As incident PPFD attenuated with increasing branch order, %ref decreased. A less dense canopy in winter led to increased PPFD and increases in %ref. Total chlorophyll (Chl) content and Chl a/b ratios were consistent with shade acclimation as branch order increased. CP may be a mechanism to enhance M. cerifera shrub expansion because of the potential increase in whole plant carbon use efficiency and water use efficiency attributed to refixation of respired CO2. and J. K. Vick, D. R. Young.
Morphological, anatomical, and physiological leaf traits of Corylus avellana plants growing in different light conditions within the natural reserve "Siro Negri" (Italy) were analyzed. The results highlighted the capability of C. avellana to grow both in sun and shade conditions throughout several adaptations at leaf level. In particular, the more than 100% higher specific leaf area in shade is associated to a 44% lower palisade to spongy parenchyma thickness ratio compared with that in sun. Moreover, the chlorophyll (Chl) a to Chl b ratio decreased in response to the 97% decrease in photosynthetic photon flux density. The results highlighted the decrease in the ratio of Chl to carotenoid content, the maximum PSII photochemical efficiency, and the actual PSII photochemical efficiency (ΦPSII) associated with the increase in the ratio of photorespiration to net photosynthesis (PN) in sun. Chl a/b ratio was the most significant variable explaining PN variations in shade. In sun, PN was most influenced by the ratio between the fraction of electron transport rate (ETR) used for CO2 assimilation and ETR used for photorespiration, by ΦPSII, nitrogen content per leaf area, and by total Chl content per leaf area. The high phenotypic plasticity of C. avellana (PI = 0.33) shows its responsiveness to light variations. In particular, a greater plasticity of morphological (PIm = 0.41) than of physiological (PIp = 0.36) and anatomical traits (PIa = 0.24) attests to the shade tolerance of the species., R. Catoni, M.U. Granata, F. Sartori, L. Varone, L. Gratani., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The photosynthetic response of 8 cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) genotypes to changing irradiance was investigated under field conditions during the 1998 through 2000 growing seasons. Equations developed to describe the response of net photosynthetic rate (PN) to photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) demonstrated that, across all irradiances, the two okra leaf-type genotypes photosynthesized at a greater rate per unit leaf area than all of the six normal leaf-type genotypes. This superior photosynthetic performance of the okra leaf-type genotypes can be partially explained by their 13 % greater leaf chlorophyll content relative to that of the normal leaf-type genotypes. The 37 % reduction in leaf size brought upon by the okra leaf trait may have concentrated the amount of photosynthetic machinery per unit leaf area. Nevertheless, the lack of sufficient canopy leaf surface area suppressed the potential yield development that could accompany the higher PN per unit leaf area.