Photosynthetic acclimation in shade-developed leaves of Euterpe edulis Mart (Arecaceae) after long-term exposure to high light

Abstract

To analyze acclimation of Euterpe edulis seedlings to changes in light availability, we transferred three-year-old seedlings cultivated for six months under natural shade understory [≈ 1.3 mol(photon) m−2 d−1] to a forest gap [≈ 25.0 mol(photon) m−2 d−1]. After the transfer, changes in chlorophyll fluorescence and leaf gas-exchange parameters, as well as in the light-response curves of photosynthesis and photosynthetic induction parameters, were analyzed during the following 110 days. Simultaneously measured photosynthetic characteristics in the shaded seedlings grown in understory served as the control. Despite the fact that the understory seedlings were under suboptimal conditions to achieve their light-saturated net photosynthetic rate (PNmax), light-response curves and photosynthetic induction parameters indicated that the species had the low respiration rate and a fast opening of stomata in response to the intermittent occurrence of sunflecks, which exerted a feed-forward stimulation on PNmax. Sudden exposure to high light induced photoinhibition during the first week after the transfer of seedlings to gap, as it was shown by the abrupt decline of the maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm). The photoinhibition showed the time-dependent dynamics, as the Fv/Fm of the seedlings transferred to the forest gap recovered completely after 110 days. Furthermore, the net photosynthetic rate increased 3.5-fold in relation to priorexposure values. In summary, these data indicated that more than 21 days was required for the shade-acclimated seedlings to recover from photoinhibition and to relax induction photosynthetic limitations following the sudden exposure to high light. Moreover, the species responded very quickly to light availability; it highlights the importance of sunflecks to understory seedlings.