Seasonal changes in photosynthesis, phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and anatomy of apical and basal leaves of Aristotelia chilensis

Abstract

Aristotelia chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz is an evergreen species endemic to Chile. It grows in open areas or under tree canopy, and its leaves emerge in early spring and summer. The objective of this study was to determine changes in photosynthetic parameters, total phenol content (TPC), antioxidant activity, and anatomy of apical and basal leaves of A. chilensis during the year. Photosynthesis performance was determined by measuring electron transport rate (ETR), the quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), photochemical quenching (qP), and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) with a fluorimeter. Leaf extracts were analysed to determine TPC and antioxidant activity. The maximum ETR and qP were recorded in spring and summer when the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) at midday was higher (1901 and 1968 µmol m-2 s-1, respectively) than in other parts of a year. The Fv/Fm had typical physiological values in both types of leaves (about 0.8 in all the seasons). Also the NPQ was not influenced by the kind of leaves and season of the year. In concordance, the basal spring leaves had the highest TPC values. In contrast, the highest values of antioxidant activity were recorded in basal winter leaves followed by basal spring leaves. The results suggested that an increase in PAR (spring) positively affected the antioxidant activity and TPC, which correlated with higher ETR and qP values. The apical leaves showed morphological adaptations during the year and areas of intercellular spaces and palisade parenchyma were larger than in the basal leaves.