The acclimation depression of capacity of photon utilisation in photochemical reactions of photosystem 2 (PS2) can develop already after three months of cultivation of the Norway spruces (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) under elevated concentrations of CO2 (i.e., ambient, AC, + 350 µmol(CO2) mol-1 = EC) in glass domes with adjustable windows. To examine the role that duration of EC plays in acclimation response, we determined pigment contents, rate of photosynthesis, and parameters of chlorophyll a fluorescence for sun and shade needles after three seasons of EC exposure. We found responses of shaded and exposed needles to EC. Whereas the shaded needles still profited from the EC and revealed stimulated electron transport, for the exposed needles the stimulation of both electron transport activity and irradiance saturated rate of CO2 assimilation (PNmax) under EC already disappeared. No signs of the PS2 impairment were observed as judged from high values of potential quantum yield of PS2 photochemistry (FV/FM) and uniform kinetics of QA reoxidation for all variants. Therefore, the long-term acclimation of the sun-exposed needles to EC is not necessarily accompanied with the damage to the PS2 reaction centres. The eco-physiological significance of the reported differentiation between the responses of shaded and sun exposed needles to prolonged EC may be in changed contribution of the upper and lower crown layers to the production activity of the tree. Whereas for the AC spruces, PNmax of shaded needles was only less than 25 % compared to exposed ones, for the EC spruces the PNmax of shaded needles reached nearly 40 % of that estimated for the exposed ones. Thus, the lower shaded part of the crown may become an effective consumer of CO2. and J. Kalina ... [et al.].
This work aimed to study the effects of commercial doses of the fungicide, Mancozeb, on the photosynthetic apparatus of lettuce young leaves (YL) and expanded leaves (EL). Seven days after Mancozeb application, chlorophyll a fluorescence, pigment contents, lipid peroxidation, and proline content were evaluated. Independently of leaf age, Mancozeb treatment reduced the efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry, increased the nonphotochemical quenching and proline content, decreased pigment contents, and induced lipid peroxidation. Moreover, EL showed a more stable photosynthetic apparatus, less prone to oxidative damages compared with YL. The parameters measured proved to be good markers for the rapid and preliminary diagnosis of fungicide toxicity., M. C. Dias, P. Figueiredo, I. F. Duarte, A. M. Gil, C. Santos., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) and carrot (Daucus carota L.), plants with underground storage organs grown in the field, were exposed to either ambient (UVA) or 20 % UV-B (UVE) enhanced solar radiation till their root yield stage. In radish, UVE produced a significant increase in shoot and root fresh mass (FM), increase in the contents of chlorophyll, carotenoids, flavonoids, and total proteins per unit FM, Hill reaction rate, and root yield. In contrast, carrot responded negatively to UVE showing a loss in the above parameters. and S. M. J. Nithia, N. Shanthi, G. Kulandaivelu.
Responses of the photosynthetic electron transport system of chloroplasts to exogenous proline application were evaluated in young and mature leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana plants under optimal growth conditions. Exogenous proline application (10 mM) during the 4th week of growth increased proline accumulation in young leaves more than in mature leaves, and possibly due to its degradation producing NADPH, decreased significantly the ratio of NADP+/NADPH in both leaf types compared with controls (without proline). However, the ratio of NADP+/NADPH remained significantly higher in the young leaves, suggesting lower proline degradation which resulted in less reduced plastoquinone pool than that in the mature leaves, under both low light [130 μmol(photon) m-2 s-1] and high light [1,200 μmol(photon) m-2 s-1] treatments. The young leaves seemed to adjust nonphotochemical fluorescence quenching in order to maintain a better PSII quantum yield. We concluded that under optimal growth conditions exogenous proline results in overreduction of the plastoquinone pool and blockage of photosynthetic electron flow due to accumulation of NADPH. We suggest that optimum concentrations of proline are required for optimal PSII photochemistry., I. Sperdouli, M. Moustakas., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Three ecotypes of reed (Phragmites communis Trinius), swamp reed (SR), dune reed (DR), and heavy salt meadow reed (HSMR), growing in desert regions of northwest China were simultaneously investigated in their natural state for gas exchange patterns and the expression of three photosynthesis-related genes, cab (the gene for the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b binding protein, LHC), psbA (the gene for the reaction centre D1 protein of photosystem 2, PS2), and 16S rDNA (the gene for plastid 16S rRNA). Stomatal conductance (gs) and intercellular CO2 concentration (ci) were markedly lower in the two terrestrial ecotypes (DR and HSMR) as compared to SR, paralleling a similar observed depression in net photosynthetic rate (PN). However, DR with the lowest measured gs and ci still exhibited a higher PN compared to HSMR. These results suggest that both stomatal and non-stomatal factors account for the comparatively low carbon assimilation in the terrestrial ecotypes. An increase in the expression of photosynthesis-related genes was observed in DR compared to SR, whereas the reverse situation was true in HSMR. The expression of photosynthesis-related genes may contribute to reed plants' photosynthetic capacity per leaf area under natural water deficits, but the levels of photosynthesis-related gene expression are not directly correlated with reed plants' general ability for survival and adaptation under water deficient conditions. and H. L. Wang ... [et al.].
The effect of drought stress (DS) on photosynthesis and photosynthesis-related enzyme activities was investigated in F. pringlei (C3), F. floridana (C3-C4), F. brownii (C4-like), and F. trinervia (C4) species. Stomatal closure was observed in all species, probably being the main cause for the decline in photosynthesis in the C3 species under ambient conditions. In vitro ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO) and stromal fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (sFBP) activities were sufficient to interpret the net photosynthetic rates (PN), but, from the decreases in PN values under high CO2 (C a = 700 µmol mol- 1) it is concluded that a decrease in the in vivo rate of the RuBPCO reaction may be an additional limiting factor under DS in the C3 species. The observed decline in the photosynthesis capacity of the C3-C4 species is suggested to be associated both to in vivo decreases of RuBPCO activity and of the RuBP regeneration rate. The decline of the maximum PN observed in the C4-like species under DS was probably attributed to a decrease in maximum RuBPCO activity and/or to decrease of enzyme substrate (RuBP or PEP) regeneration rates. In the C4 species, the decline of both in vivo photosynthesis and photosynthetic capacity could be due to in vivo inhibition of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) by a twofold increase of the malate concentration observed in mesophyll cell extracts from DS plants. and M. C. Dias, W. Brüggemann.
Photosynthetic acclimation to reduced growth irradiances (650 and 200 µmol m-2 s-1) in Eleusine coracana (L.) Garten, a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-malic enzyme (NAD-ME) C4 species and Gomphrena globosa L., a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-malic enzyme (NADP-ME) C4 species were investigated. E. coracana plants acclimated in 4 and 8 d to 650 and 200 µmol m-2 s-1, respectively, whereas G. globosa plants took 8 and 10 d, respectively, to acclimate to the same irradiances. The acclimation to reduced irradiance was achieved in both species by greater partitioning of chlorophyll towards the light-harvesting antennae at the expense of functional components. However, magnitude of increase in the light-harvesting antenna was higher in E. coracana as compared to G. globosa. Superior photosynthetic acclimation to reduced irradiance in G. globosa was due to the smaller change in functions of the cytochrome b 6/f complex, photosystem (PS) 1 and PS2 leading to the higher carbon fixation rates compared to E. coracana. and M. V. Sailaja, V. S. Rama Das.
The impact of grazing by domestic goats, Capra hircus, on the photochemical apparatus of three co-ocurring Mediterranean shrubs, Erica scoparia, Halimium halimifolium, and Myrtus communis was evaluated. Seasonal course of gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic pigment concentrations were measured in the field in grazed and ungrazed plants. Net photosynthetic rate was higher in grazed plants of E. scoparia and H. halimifolium in May, while there were not significant differences in M. communis. Photosynthetic enhancement in grazed plants of E. scoparia could be explained largely by higher stomatal conductance. On the other hand, the lack of differences in stomatal conductance between grazed and ungrazed plants of
H. halimifolium could indicate that carboxylation efficiency, and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) regeneration may have been enhanced by grazing. Overall grazing has little effect on the photochemical (PSII) apparatus, however grazed plants of M. communis showed chronic photoinhibition in the short term. Finally, seasonal variations recorded on photosynthesis, photochemical efficiency and pigment concentrations may be a physiological consequence of environmental factors, such as summer drought and competition for light, rather than an adaptation to grazing. and S. Redondo-Gómez ... [et al.].
Nostoc muscorum cells showed metal-induced decrease in the relative growth, pigment contents, O2 evolution, and Hill activity in response to lead (Pb2+) and cadmium (Cd2+) treatment, which was further accentuated with increase in metal exposure time and metal concentration. I50 concentrations (50% growth inhibitory concentrations) of Pb2+ and Cd2+ for growth of N. muscorum were 55 and 21 μg mL-1, respectively. These results indicated that the cells of N. muscorum were more susceptible to Cd2+ in comparison to Pb2+. The O2 production was relatively more sensitive to both heavy metals (I50: 16 and 10 μg mL-1 of Pb2+ and Cd2+, respectively) than the Hill activity (I50: 61 and 39 μg mL-1 of Pb2+ and Cd2+, respectively). Further, measurement of Hill activity in the presence of metals and electron donors showed that inhibition sites of both Pb2+ and Cd2+ were located on the oxidizing site of PSII. The chlorophyll a (Chl a) and phycobilisome (PB) fluorescence emission spectra showed that energy transfer from Chl a and PB to PSII reaction center was more susceptible to Cd2+ than Pb2+., S. Dixit, D. P. Singh., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L. seedlings were subjected to continuous ultraviolet (UV)-B radiation for 18 h and post-irradiated with "white light" (WL) and UV-A enhanced fluorescent radiations. UV-B treatment alone reduced plant growth, pigment content, and photosynthetic activities. Supplementation of UV-A promoted the overall seedling growth and enhanced the synthesis of chlorophyll and carotenoids with a relatively high photosystem 1 activity. Post UV-B irradiation under WL failed to photoreactive the UV-B damage whereas a positive photoregulatory effect of UV-A was noticed in electron transport rates and low temperature fluorescence emission spectra. and K. Lingakumar, G. Kulandaivelu.