Saturating Light Conditions Research Articles

The surface-atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide in tropical rainforests: Sensitivity to environmental drivers and flux measurement methodology

Tropical rainforests play a central role in the Earth system by regulating climate, maintaining biodiversity, and sequestering carbon. They are under threat by direct anthropogenic impacts like deforestation and the indirect anthropogenic impacts of climate change. A synthesis of the factors that determine the net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide (NEE) at the site scale across different forests in the tropical rainforest biome has not been undertaken to date. Here, we study NEE and its components, gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) and ecosystem respiration (RE), across thirteen natural and managed forests within the tropical rainforest biome with 63 total site-years of eddy covariance data. Our results reveal that the five ecosystems with the largest annual gross carbon uptake by photosynthesis (i.e. GEP > 3000 g C m−2 y-1) have the lowest net carbon uptake – or even carbon losses – versus other study ecosystems because RE is of a similar magnitude. Sites that provided subcanopy CO2 storage observations had higher average magnitudes of GEP and RE and lower average magnitudes of NEE, highlighting the importance of measurement methodology for understanding carbon dynamics in ecosystems with characteristically tall and dense vegetation. A path analysis revealed that vapor pressure deficit (VPD) played a greater role than soil moisture or air temperature in constraining GEP under light saturated conditions across most study sites, but to differing degrees from -0.31 to -0.87 μmol CO2 m−2 s-1 hPa-1. Climate projections from 13 general circulation models (CMIP5) under the representative concentration pathway that generates 8.5 W m−2 of radiative forcing suggest that many current tropical rainforest sites on the lower end of the current temperature range are likely to reach a climate space similar to present-day warmer sites by the year 2050, warmer sites will reach a climate not currently experienced, and all forests are likely to experience higher VPD. Results demonstrate the need to quantify if and how mature tropical trees acclimate to heat and water stress, and to further develop flux-partitioning and gap-filling algorithms for defensible estimates of carbon exchange in tropical rainforests.

Differential coordination of stomatal conductance, mesophyll conductance, and leaf hydraulic conductance in response to changing light across species.

Stomatal conductance (gs ) and mesophyll conductance (gm ) represent major constraints to photosynthetic rate (A), and these traits are expected to coordinate with leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf ) across species, under both steady-state and dynamic conditions. However, empirical information about their coordination is scarce. In this study, Kleaf , gas exchange, stomatal kinetics, and leaf anatomy in 10 species including ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms were investigated to elucidate the correlation of H2 O and CO2 diffusion inside leaves under varying light conditions. Gas exchange, Kleaf , and anatomical traits varied widely across species. Under light-saturated conditions, the A, gs , gm , and Kleaf were strongly correlated across species. However, the response patterns of A, gs , gm , and Kleaf to varying light intensities were highly species dependent. Moreover, stomatal opening upon light exposure of dark-adapted leaves in the studied ferns and gymnosperms was generally faster than in the angiosperms; however, stomatal closing in light-adapted leaves after darkening was faster in angiosperms. The present results show that there is a large variability in the coordination of leaf hydraulic and gas exchange parameters across terrestrial plant species, as well as in their responses to changing light.

Relationships of CO2 assimilation rates with exposure- and flux-based O3 metrics in three urban tree species

The relationships of CO2 assimilation under saturated-light conditions (Asat) with exposure- (AOTX, Accumulated Ozone exposure over a hourly Threshold of X ppb) and flux-based (PODY, Phytotoxic Ozone Dose over a hourly threshold Y nmol·m−2·s−1) O3 metrics was studied on three common urban trees, Fraxinus chinensis (FC), Platanus orientalis (PO) and Robinia pseudoacacia (RP). Parameterizations for a stomatal multiplicative model were proposed for the three species. RP was the species showing lower species-specific maximum stomatal conductance (gmax) and experiencing lower cumulative O3 uptake along the experiment, but in contrast it was the most sensitive to O3. PODY was slightly better than AOTX metric at estimating relative Asat (R-Asat)for PO and RB but not for FC. The best fittings obtained for the regressions between R-Asat and AOTX for FC, PO and RP were 0.904, 0.868, and 0.876, when the thresholds of X were 60ppb, 55ppb and 30ppb, respectively. However, AOT40 performed also well for all of them, with R2 always >0.83. For PODY, the highest R2 values for FC, PO and RB were 0.863, 0.897 and 0.911 at thresholds Y=7, 5 and 1nmolO3m−2s−1, respectively. Given the potentially higher O3 removal capacity of FC and PO by stomatal uptake and their lower sensitivity to this pollutant than RP, the former two species would be appropriate for urban gardens and areas where O3 levels are high. Parameterization and modeling of stomatal conductance for the main urban tree species may provide reliable estimations of the stomatal uptake of O3 and other gaseous pollutants by vegetation, which may support decision making on the most suitable species for green urban planning in polluted areas.

Impaired Mitochondrial Transcription Termination Disrupts the Stromal Redox Poise in Chlamydomonas.

In photosynthetic eukaryotes, the metabolite exchange between chloroplast and mitochondria ensures efficient photosynthesis under saturating light conditions. The Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutant stm6 is devoid of the mitochondrial transcription termination factor MOC1 and aberrantly expresses the mitochondrial genome, resulting in enhanced photosynthetic hydrogen production and diminished light tolerance. We analyzed the modulation of mitochondrial and chlororespiration during the acclimation of stm6 and the MOC1-complemented strain to excess light. Although light stress stimulated mitochondrial respiration via the energy-conserving cytochrome c pathway in both strains, the mutant was unable to fine-tune the expression and activity of oxidative phosphorylation complex I in excess light, which was accompanied by an increased mitochondrial respiration via the alternative oxidase pathway. Furthermore, stm6 failed to fully activate chlororespiration and cyclic electron flow due to a more oxidized state of the chloroplast stroma, which is caused by an increased mitochondrial electron sink capacity. Increased susceptibility to photoinhibition of PSII in stm6 demonstrates that the MOC1-dependent modulation of mitochondrial respiration helps control the stromal redox poise as a crucial part of high-light acclimation in C. reinhardtii.

Impact of Carbon Dioxide and Increasing Nitrogen Levels on Growth, Photosynthetic Capacity, Carbohydrates and Secondary Metabolites in Kacip Fatimah (Labisia pumila)

Aims: This study was designed to investigate how CO2 and nitrogen availability alters growth, leaf gas exchange, primary and secondary metabolites production (total phenolics and flavonoid) in three varieties of L. pumila. namely var alata, var pumila and var lanceolata. under CO2 enrichment (1200 µmol mol-1) combined with four levels of nitrogen fertilization (0, 90, 180 and 270 kg N ha-1) for 15 weeks. Study Design: Three-month old L. pumila seedlings of var. alata, var. pumila and var. lanceolata were left for a month to acclimatize in a nursery until ready for the treatments. Carbon dioxide enrichment treatment started when the seedlings reached 4 months old where plants were exposed to 1200 µmol-1 mol-1 CO2 and fertilized with four levels of nitrogen concentrations viz. 0, 90, 180 and 270 kg N Ha-1. The fertilization with nitrogen levels were split into three applications. A control at ambient CO2 (400 µmol-1 mol-1) with standard N fertilization (180 kg N ha-1) was included to compare plant responses to high CO2 combined with different levels of N. Place and Duration of Study: Faculty of Agriculture Glasshouse Complex, Universiti Putra Malaysia from February to May 2011. Methodology: The seedlings were raised in specially constructed growth houses receiving 12-h photoperiod and average photosynthetic photon flux density of 300 µmol m-2 s-1. Carbon dioxide at 99.8% purity was supplied from a high–pressure CO2 cylinder and injected through a pressure regulator into fully sealed 2 m x 3 m growth houses at 2-h daily and applied continuous from 800 to 1000. Total plant biomass was taken by calculating the dry weight of root, stem and leaf per seedling. Total leaf area per plant was measured using a leaf area meter (LI-3100, Lincoln Inc, USA). The measurement of photosynthesis was obtained from a closed system of infra-red gas analyzer LICOR 6400 Portable Photosynthesis System. The response of net CO2 exchange (A) to changing intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) was conducted at 27°C, 50% relative humidity and at light saturating conditions of 800 µmol m-2s-1. Anthrone method was used to determine the content of total available carbohydrate. Follin–Ciocalteau reagent was used to determine total phenolics and flavonoid using spectrophotometer. Results: In all parameters measured there were no significant was observed in the three varieties. As the levels of nitrogen increased from 0 to 270 kg N ha-1, plant growth, photosynthesis and total chlorophyll content was enhanced. However, carbohydrate, total phenolics and flavonoid was reduced with the increase in nitrogen fertilization. It was found that the high application of nitrogen can increased the photosynthetic capacity of L. pumila by having high Vcmax (RuBisCO CO2 fixation capacity), A sat (CO2 saturation point) and low dark respiration rate in the analysis of A/Ci curves. The production of secondary metabolites was related to increased total non-structural carbohydrate (TNC) under low nitrogen condition. Photosynthesis, displayed a significant negative relationship with secondary metabolites production. Total chlorophyll content exhibited very significant negative relationships with total soluble sugar, starch and total non-structural carbohydrate. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that enrichment with high levels of CO2 is able to enhance the production of plant secondary metabolites. However, increased nitrogen fertilization can reduce the production of these plant secondary metabolites under CO2 enrichment. When there were accumulation of TNC in plant leaves and reduction in photosynthesis, the production of plant secondary metabolites might be up-regulated. The increase in the production of plant secondary metabolites was indicated by reduction in chlorophyll contents.

Effect of light intensity and various organic acids on the growth of Rhodobacter sphaeroides LHII-deficient mutant in a turbidostat culture.

The composition of photosynthetic apparatus of Rhodobacter sphaeroides wild strain 2.4.1 and its LHII-deficient mutant DBCΩ was compared. The absence of LHII in the mutant was confirmed by comparison of chromatophores spectra and by the absence of electrophoretic band corresponding to LHII complex. Continuous turbidostat cultures of wild strain and its LHII-deficient mutant were compared in response to different light intensities. Cultures were grown using lactate, mixture of lactate and acetate or succinate as carbon source. For comparative analysis, an approximation of experimental data by Monod and Gompertz equations were used. Cultures of DBCΩ had lower growth rates than wild strain when grown on lactate as electron donor and carbon source. Cultures of both strains grown on lactate and acetate or on succinate had similar growth rates. The cultures showed maximum growth rates when grown with succinate. Bacteriochlorophyll a content increased in both strains with decrease of incident light intensity. However, the variation of Bchl a content in wild strain was much more significant. Under light-limiting conditions, bacteriochlorophyll a content in DBCΩ was 4-5 times lower than in the wild strain. Under light-saturating conditions, it was only 1.5-2.5 times lower. Growing with lactate or with lactate and acetate, the mutant switched from light limitation under low light intensities to limitation by organic acids under higher light, whereas the parental strain had similar switch of limiting factor only when growing with lactate and acetate mixture. DBCΩ mutant has higher minimal light intensity enabling growth on any organic acid as a substrate. When growing with lactate or with lactate and acetate, the mutant reached maximum growth rate at lower light intensities than the wild strain. This phenomenon was observed for the first time. Taking into account the concentration of BChl a under light-limiting conditions, the thickness of the suspension capable of effective light absorption could be increased by 4-5 times, which is favorable for intensive cultivation.

Physiological and Productivity Responses of High-wire Tomato as Affected by Supplemental Light Source and Distribution within the Canopy

The relative coolness-to-touch of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has enabled commercial implementation of intracanopy lighting (ICL) in the greenhouse. Intracanopy lighting, which refers to the strategy of lighting along the side or from within the foliar canopy, can increase canopy photosynthetic activity, but physiological and productivity responses of high-wire greenhouse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) to intracanopy supplemental lighting (SL) still are not yet fully understood. Two consecutive production experiments were conducted across seasons in a glass-glazed greenhouse located in a midnorthern, continental climate [lat. 40°N (West Lafayette, IN)]. Plants were grown from winter-to-summer [increasing solar daily light integral (DLI)] and from summer-to-winter (decreasing solar DLI) to compare three SL strategies for high-wire tomato production across changing solar DLIs: top lighting with high-pressure sodium lamps (HPS) vs. intracanopy LED vertical towers vs. hybrid SL (HPS + horizontal ICL-LEDs). A control treatment also was included for which no SL was provided. Supplemental DLI for each experimental period was adjusted monthly, to complement seasonal changes in sunlight, aiming to approach a target total DLI of 25 mol·m‒2·d‒1 during fruit set. Harvest parameters (total fruit fresh weight, number of fruit harvested, and average cluster fresh weight), tissue temperature, chlorophyll fluorescence, and stomatal conductance (gS) were unaffected by SL treatment in both experiments. Among the physiological parameters evaluated, CO2 assimilation measured under light-saturating conditions, light-limited quantum-use efficiency, and maximum gross CO2 assimilation (Amax) proved to be good indicators of how ICL reduces the top-to-bottom decline in leaf photosynthetic activity otherwise measured with top lighting only (HPS-SL or solar). Although SL generally increased fruit yield relative to control, lack of SL treatment differences among harvest parameters indicates that higher crop photosynthetic activity did not increase fruit yield. Compared with control, intracanopy SL increased yield to the same extent as top SL, but the remaining photoassimilate from ICL most likely was partitioned to maintain nonharvested, vegetative plant parts as well.

High C3 photosynthetic capacity and high intrinsic water use efficiency underlies the high productivity of the bioenergy grass Arundo donax.

Arundo donax has attracted interest as a potential bioenergy crop due to a high apparent productivity. It uses C3 photosynthesis yet appears competitive with C4 grass biomass feedstock’s and grows in warm conditions where C4 species might be expected to be that productive. Despite this there has been no systematic study of leaf photosynthetic properties. This study determines photosynthetic and photorespiratory parameters for leaves in a natural stand of A. donax growing in southern Portugal. We hypothesise that A. donax has a high photosynthetic potential in high and low light, stomatal limitation to be small and intrinsic water use efficiency unusually low. High photosynthetic rates in A. donax resulted from a high capacity for both maximum Rubisco (Vc,max 117 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) and ribulose-1:5-bisphosphate limited carboxylation rate (Jmax 213 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) under light-saturated conditions. Maximum quantum yield for light-limited CO2 assimilation was also high relative to other C3 species. Photorespiratory losses were similar to other C3 species under the conditions of measurement (25%), while stomatal limitation was high (0.25) resulting in a high intrinsic water use efficiency. Overall the photosynthetic capacity of A. donax is high compared to other C3 species, and comparable to C4 bioenergy grasses.

An improved method for the simultaneous determination of photosynthetic O<sub>2</sub> evolution and CO<sub>2</sub> consumption in Rhizophora mucronata leaves

The photosynthetic gas-exchange has been assessed traditionally either as O2 evolution or CO2 consumption. In this study, we used a liquid-phase O2 electrode combined with CO2 optodes to examine simultaneously photosynthesis in intact leaves of mangrove Rhizophora mucronata. We verified suitable conditions for leaf photosynthetic rates by assessing pH levels and NaHCO3 concentrations and compared these to the gas-exchange method at various PAR levels. The photosynthetic rate in response to pH exhibited a similar pattern both for O2 evolution and CO2 consumption, and higher rates were associated with intermediate pH compared with low and high pH values. The net photosynthetic quotient (PQ) of R. mucronata leaves ranged from 1.04–1.28. The PQ values, which were never lesser than 1, suggested that photorespiration did not occur in R. mucronata leaves under aqueous conditions. The similar maximum photosynthetic rates suggested that all measurements had a high capacity to adjust the photosynthetic apparatus under a light saturation condition. The simultaneous measurements of O2 evolution and CO2 consumption using the Clark oxygen electrode polarographic sensor with the CO2 optode sensor provided a simple, stable, and precise measurement of PQ under aqueous and saturated light conditions.

Environmental control of the isotopic composition of subfossil coccolith calcite: Are laboratory culture data transferable to the natural environment?

Coccoliths contribute significantly to pelagic sediments formed over the last 200 million years, yet their geochemistry has been largely overlooked as a potential record of palaeoenvironmental information. Recently developed techniques have enabled successful extraction of coccolith-dominated sediment fractions. However, the reliability of palaeoenvironmental interpretations that can be drawn from coccolith analyses is still confounded by a poor understanding of the “vital effect” – the physiological component of the isotopic composition of biominerals. Here we demonstrate that oxygen isotope composition in core-top coccoliths is not only set by the temperature and isotopic composition of seawater, but appears to be controlled to first order by the environmental factors regulating algal growth rate. Partial registration of the isotopic signature of assimilated CO2 (with a heavy isotopic composition relative to other dissolved inorganic carbon species) is confirmed to be the dominant mechanism behind the vital effect recorded in the Noelaerhabdaceae coccoliths. Our data point towards a strong role of growth irradiance on expression of the 18O and 13C vital effects, ranging from limited (near equilibrium composition) in low light regimes to 3‰ offset in oxygen isotopes at higher growth irradiances, such as those found under light-saturated conditions typically imposed in laboratory cultures. This highlights the importance of considering environmental controls when translating oxygen isotope composition of coccoliths into temperature estimates. Furthermore, our calibration suggests that the alkenone-based CO2 palaeobarometer proxy may be refined by combining paired organic/calcite measurements during the Cenozoic.

Effective use of high CO₂ efflux at the soil surface in a tropical understory plant.

Many terrestrial plants are C3 plants that evolved in the Mesozoic Era when atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([CO2]) were high. Given current conditions, C3 plants can no longer benefit from high ambient [CO2]. Kaempferia marginata Carey is a unique understory ginger plant in the tropical dry forests of Thailand. The plant has two large flat leaves that spread on the soil surface. We found a large difference in [CO2] between the partly closed space between the soil surface and the leaves (638 µmol mol−1) and the atmosphere at 20 cm above ground level (412 µmol mol−1). This finding indicates that the plants capture CO2 efflux from the soil. Almost all of the stomata are located on the abaxial leaf surface. When ambient air [CO2] was experimentally increased from 400 to 600 μmol mol−1, net photosynthetic rates increased by 45 to 48% under near light-saturated conditions. No significant increase was observed under low light conditions. These data demonstrate that the unique leaf structure enhances carbon gain by trapping soil CO2 efflux at stomatal sites under relatively high light conditions, suggesting that ambient air [CO2] can serve as an important selective agent for terrestrial C3 plants.

Protein redox regulation in the thylakoid lumen: The importance of disulfide bonds for violaxanthin de-epoxidase

When exposed to saturating light conditions photosynthetic eukaryotes activate the xanthophyll cycle where the carotenoid violaxanthin is converted into zeaxanthin by the enzyme violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE). VDE protein sequence includes 13 cysteine residues, 12 of which are strongly conserved in both land plants and algae. Site directed mutagenesis of Arabidopsis thaliana VDE showed that all these 12 conserved cysteines have a major role in protein function and their mutation leads to a strong reduction of activity. VDE is also shown to be active in its completely oxidized form presenting six disulfide bonds. Redox titration showed that VDE activity is sensitive to variation in redox potential, suggesting the possibility that dithiol/disulfide exchange reactions may represent a mechanism for VDE regulation.

Disentangling the contributions of osmotic and ionic effects of salinity on stomatal, mesophyll, biochemical and light limitations to photosynthesis.

There are conflicting opinions on the relative importance of photosynthetic limitations under salinity. Quantitative limitation analysis of photosynthesis provides insight into the contributions of different photosynthetic limitations, but it has only been applied under saturating light conditions. Using experimental data and modelling approaches, we examined the influence of light intensity on photosynthetic limitations and quantified the osmotic and ionic effects of salinity on stomatal (LS ), mesophyll (LM ), biochemical (LB ) and light (LL ) limitations in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) under different light intensities. Non-linear dependencies of LS , LM and LL to light intensity were found. Osmotic effects on LS and LM increased with the salt concentration in the nutrient solution (Ss ) and the magnitude of LM depended on light intensity. LS increased with the Na(+) concentration in the leaf water (Sl ) and its magnitude depended on Ss . Biochemical capacity declined linearly with Sl but, surprisingly, the relationship between LB and Sl was influenced by Ss . Our results suggest that (1) improvement of stomatal regulation under ionic stress would be the most effective way to alleviate salinity stress in cucumber and (2) osmotic stress may alleviate the ionic effects on LB but aggravate the ionic effects on LS .

Models of fluorescence and photosynthesis for interpreting measurements of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence.

We have extended a conventional photosynthesis model to simulate field and laboratory measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence at the leaf scale. The fluorescence paramaterization is based on a close nonlinear relationship between the relative light saturation of photosynthesis and nonradiative energy dissipation in plants of different species. This relationship diverged only among examined data sets under stressed (strongly light saturated) conditions, possibly caused by differences in xanthophyll pigment concentrations. The relationship was quantified after analyzing data sets of pulse amplitude modulated measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence and gas exchange of leaves of different species exposed to different levels of light, CO2, temperature, nitrogen fertilization treatments, and drought. We used this relationship in a photosynthesis model. The coupled model enabled us to quantify the relationships between steady state chlorophyll fluorescence yield, electron transport rate, and photosynthesis in leaves under different environmental conditions.Key PointsLight saturation of photosynthesis determines quenching of leaf fluorescenceWe incorporated steady state leaf fluorescence in a photosynthesis model

Synchrotron X-ray computed laminography of the three-dimensional anatomy of tomato leaves.

Synchrotron radiation computed laminography (SR-CL) is presented as an imaging method for analyzing the three-dimensional (3D) anatomy of leaves. The SR-CL method was used to provide 3D images of 1-mm² samples of intact leaves at a pixel resolution of 750nm. The method allowed visualization and quantitative analysis of palisade and spongy mesophyll cells, and showed local venation patterns, aspects of xylem vascular structure and stomata. The method failed to image subcellular organelles such as chloroplasts. We constructed 3D computer models of leaves that can provide a basis for calculating gas exchange, light penetration and water and solute transport. The leaf anatomy of two different tomato genotypes grown in saturating light conditions was compared by 3D analysis. Differences were found in calculated values of tissue porosity, cell number density, cell area to volume ratio and cell volume and cell shape distributions of palisade and spongy cell layers. In contrast, the exposed cell area to leaf area ratio in mesophyll, a descriptor that correlates to the maximum rate of photosynthesis in saturated light conditions, was no different between spongy and palisade cells or between genotypes. The use of 3D image processing avoids many of the limitations of anatomical analysis with two-dimensional sections.

Improving the sunlight-to-biomass conversion efficiency in microalgal biofactories

Microalgae represent promising organisms for the sustainable production of commodities, chemicals or fuels. Future use of such systems, however, requires increased productivity of microalgal mass cultures in order to reach an economic viability for microalgae-based production schemes. The efficiency of sunlight-to-biomass conversion that can be observed in bulk cultures is generally far lower (35–80%) than the theoretical maximum, because energy losses occur at multiple steps during the light-driven conversion of carbon dioxide to organic carbon. The light-harvesting system is a major source of energy losses and thus a prime target for strain engineering. Truncation of the light-harvesting antenna in the algal model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was shown to be an effective way of increasing culture productivity at least under saturating light conditions. Furthermore engineering of the Calvin–Benson cycle or the creation of photorespiratory bypasses in A. thaliana proved to be successful in terms of achieving higher biomass productivities. An efficient generation of novel microalgal strains with improved sunlight conversion efficiencies by targeted engineering in the future will require an expanded molecular toolkit. In the meantime random mutagenesis coupled to high-throughput screening for desired phenotypes can be used to provide engineered microalgae.

Inhibition of Photosynthetic Electron Transport Activities in Maize Seedlings by Treatment with Toxic Concentrations of Zinc

Inhibition of Photosynthetic Electron Transport Activities in Maize Seedlings by Treatment with Toxic Concentrations of Zinc The effect of zinc at high concentration (60-180μM) has been investigated in maize seedlings in controlled environment. Zinc treatment caused inhibition in whole chain electron transport and Photosystem (PS) -II catalyzed electron transport by 48% at 120 μM concentration. Further rise to 180 μM concentration caused damage and inhibited PS-II activity. But at the same concentration, 29% loss was noted in PS-I catalyzed electron transport activity. Light intensity alterations clearly demonstrate that the inhibition was at light saturating conditions (416Wm-2) rather than the light limiting conditions (24Wm-2) which concludes that LHC-II of PS-II is the main target for zinc stress.

Variation in mesophyll conductance among Australian wheat genotypes

CO2 diffusion from substomatal intercellular cavities to sites of carboxylation in chloroplasts (mesophyll conductance; gm) limits photosynthetic rate and influences leaf intrinsic water-use efficiency (A/gsw). We investigated genotypic variability of gm and effects of gm on A/gsw among eleven wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes under light-saturated conditions and at either 2 or 21% O2. Significant variation in gm and A/gsw was found between genotypes at both O2 concentrations, but there was no significant effect of O2 concentration on gm. Further, gm was correlated with photosynthetic rate among the 11 genotypes, but was unrelated to stomatal conductance. The effect of leaf age differed between genotypes, with gm being lower in older leaves for one genotype but not another. This study demonstrates a high level of variation in gm between wheat genotypes; 0.5 to 1.0μmolm-2s-1 bar-1. Further, leaf age effects indicate that great care must be taken to choose suitable leaves in studies of genotypic variation in gm and water-use efficiency.

Nitrogen fertilization of black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) during plantation establishment. Physiology of production

Physiological mechanisms by which nitrogen (N) fertilization affects growth and development in temperate deciduous forest trees are not clearly understood, especially under intensive silvicultural systems. Grafted, Tippecanoe 1 cultivar black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) trees were grown in an intensively managed plantation in west-central Spain and subjected to six, fixed-nutrient-ratio complete fertilizer treatments (defined as 0, 25, 50, 75, 150, and 300 g N tree−1) delivered via daily fertigation. Leaf chemistry and morphology were evaluated from June to September, and gas exchange was measured in July. Specific leaf mass, leaflet nitrogen (N), and chlorophyll concentrations varied over the course of the growing season, yet consistently increased with increasing fertilization. Net photosynthesis at ambient (A net) and light-saturated (A max) conditions increased from the unfertilized control to lowest treatment (25 g N) but did not increase at higher fertilizer rates. Photosynthetic N and chlorophyll use efficiencies decreased with increasing fertilization, but photosynthetic phosphorus and water use efficiencies increased. Transpiration rates and dark respiration were not significantly affected by treatment. Overall, the lowest fertilizer treatment (25 g N) had the greatest photosynthetic efficiency. Interactions between N and other nutrients with increasing fertilizer application suggested potential for nutrient imbalances at high fertilization rates. Our results provide a physiological justification for the use of low-to-moderate fertilization as an efficient strategy to promote black walnut plantation establishment under intensive cultural systems.

The guava tree as bioindicator during the process of fuel replacement of an oil refinery

This study was performed to verify whether the exchange of the fuel used in the boilers of a crude oil refinery located in Cubatão (SE Brazil) would result in alterations on gas exchange, growth and leaf injuries in saplings of Psidium guajava ‘Paluma’. The purpose of the refinery was to reduce the SO2 emission, but using natural gas as fuel could increase the concentrations of O3 precursors in the atmosphere. Thus a biomonitoring was performed with a native species sensitive to O3. The plants were exposed in five areas (CM1, CM5, CEPEMA, Centro, and RP) at different distances to the refinery, both before and after the fuel exchange. We performed six exposures under environmental conditions, with length of ca. 90 days each. With the utilization of natural gas, the saplings presented reductions in carbon assimilation rate under saturating light conditions (Asat, μmolCO2m−2s−1) and the stomatal conductance (gs, molH2Om−2s−1), and increase in height, number of leaves, and dry mass of leaves and shoots. There were also reductions in root dry mass and in the root/shoot ratio. The saplings also presented O3-induced leaf injuries. The responses of P. guajava ‘Paluma’ were altered after the fuel exchange as a result of a new combination of pollutants in the atmosphere. The fuel exchange has not resulted in environmental benefit to the surrounding forest; it has only altered the contamination profile of the region.