Abstract
For plants growing in parks and along the roadsides of a city, the environmental and seasonal regulation of growth, or photosynthesis, is seldom assessed. The phenology of plants may differ due to varying environments, which may result in different growth or adaptability to local environments. Therefore, we explored several assays and optical indicators of photosynthesis and stress in three tree species (Prunus yedoensis Matsum, Zelkova serrata Makino and Acer palmatum Thunb. ) and two herbaceous species (Artemisia princeps Pamp and Taraxacum officinale Weber)growing commonly in three local parks of Changwon city, a large industrial city in Korea. The photochemical reflectance index (PRI), chlorophyll fluorescence, and pigments including chlorophyll and the flavonoids of leaves were monitored over a growing season for two years to evaluate the adaptability of plants to local environments. The values of all measurements exhibited striking seasonal and regional changes. PRI values were closely timed with photosynthetic activity and the pigment formation of leaves, particularly in some tree species. For the tree species, the plants which had the low values of PRI during the active growing season showed low levels of both chlorophyll fluorescence and high level of flavonoid, indicating that these plants were experiencing low photosynthetic activity and the specific needs in growth and development were not sufficiently provided by the local environment. Our results indicate that PRI provided a clear optical indicator of plant adaptability to the local environment and may provide a useful metric of effective growth using remote sensing measurements. Furthermore, the periodic PRI measurement is encouraged to be included in the surveillance program for city plant management.
Highlights
Various tree and herbaceous plants are planted in parks, road sides and gardens without a strong knowledge on the relationship between the specific needs of the plants and the local environment
The plants which had the low values of photochemical reflectance index (PRI) during the active growing season showed low levels of both chlorophyll fluorescence and high level of flavonoid, indicating that these plants were experiencing low photosynthetic activity and the specific needs in growth and development were not sufficiently provided by the local environment
The lowest PRI values were observed in the two tree species of P. yedoensis and A. palmatum growing in Bansongpark compared to the same species in other two parks. 3.2
Summary
Various tree and herbaceous plants are planted in parks, road sides and gardens without a strong knowledge on the relationship between the specific needs of the plants and the local environment. The physiological status of the plants is seldom analyzed periodically. Large cities have been undergoing significant environmental changes, including temperature, moisture, nutrients and air composition. The environmental changes can affect the season length and shift the physiological status, resulting in the alteration of the net primary productivity as a consequence of increased disturbances and environmental stress [1] [2]. Extreme temperatures and drought lead to the down-regulation of photosynthesis, which produces a potential imbalance of light energy capture and usage. Photoprotective processes involve several changes in photoprotective pigments including carotenoids, which allow the leaves to dissipate excess energy via thermal dissipation in order to maintain an energy balance [4]-[9]. The xanthophyll cycle pigments enable reversible down-regulation of electron transport during conditions of short-term stress [10]
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