Photo-physiological and photo-biochemical characteristics of several herbaceous and woody species based on FvCB model

Abstract

To explore the photosynthetic capacity and the leaf photosynthetic apparatus for plants with different life forms, CO2 response curves of 7 woody species and 4 herbaceous species were fitted by the modified rectangular hyperbolic model and the FvCB model, and the photosynthetic parameters, including maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pn max), maximal Rubisco carboxylation rate (Vc max), maximal electron transport rate (Jmax), day respiration (Rd), and mesophyll resistance to CO2 transport (rm), were compared among different woody species, among different herbaceous species, and between woody and herbaceous life-forms, respectively. The results showed Pn max of seven woody species descended in the order of Sapium sebiferum and Boehmeria nivea ＞ Machilus pingii and Pittosporum tobira ＞ Cyclobalanopsis glauca, Castanopsis sclerophylla, and Quercus nuttallii. Vc max of S. sebiferum, B. nivea, M. pingii, and P. tobira was significantly higher than that of C. glauca and C. sclerophylla. Jmax of woody species was in descending order as S. sebiferum ＞ B. nivea and P. tobira ＞ Q. nuttallii, C. sclerophylla, and C. glauca. rm of M. pingii and C. sclerophylla was higher than that of S. sebiferum, P. tobira and B. nivea. Pn max of Phytolacca acinosa was significantly higher than that of Ageratum conyzoides and Achyranthes aspera. There was no significant difference in Vc max among 4 herbaceous species. Jmax of P. acinosa was higher than that of A. conyzoides. rm of S. nigrum and A. aspera was higher than that of A. conyzoides. Rd of P. acinosa was higher than that of A. conyzoides and A. aspera. The photosynthetic parameters (Pn max, Vc max, Jmax and rm) of woody species were significantly higher than those of herbaceous species, but no significant difference was found in Rd between woody and herbaceous species. In conclusion, the difference in photosynthetic capacity among different species and between the two plant life-forms resulted from the difference in Rubisco carboxylation capacity, electron transport capacity, and mesophyll resistance among these species.