Net Photosynthetic Uptake Research Articles

Soil-atmosphere fluxes of CO2, CH4, and N2O across an experimentally-grown, successional gradient of biocrust community types.

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are critical components of dryland and other ecosystems worldwide, and are increasingly recognized as novel model ecosystems from which more general principles of ecology can be elucidated. Biocrusts are often diverse communities, comprised of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms with a range of metabolic lifestyles that enable the fixation of atmospheric carbon and nitrogen. However, how the function of these biocrust communities varies with succession is incompletely characterized, especially in comparison to more familiar terrestrial ecosystem types such as forests. We conducted a greenhouse experiment to investigate how community composition and soil-atmosphere trace gas fluxes of CO2, CH4, and N2O varied from early-successional light cyanobacterial biocrusts to mid-successional dark cyanobacteria biocrusts and late-successional moss-lichen biocrusts and as biocrusts of each successional stage matured. Cover type richness increased as biocrusts developed, and richness was generally highest in the late-successional moss-lichen biocrusts. Microbial community composition varied in relation to successional stage, but microbial diversity did not differ significantly among stages. Net photosynthetic uptake of CO2 by each biocrust type also increased as biocrusts developed but tended to be moderately greater (by up to ≈25%) for the mid-successional dark cyanobacteria biocrusts than the light cyanobacterial biocrusts or the moss-lichen biocrusts. Rates of soil C accumulation were highest for the dark cyanobacteria biocrusts and light cyanobacteria biocrusts, and lowest for the moss-lichen biocrusts and bare soil controls. Biocrust CH4 and N2O fluxes were not consistently distinguishable from the same fluxes measured from bare soil controls; the measured rates were also substantially lower than have been reported in previous biocrust studies. Our experiment, which uniquely used greenhouse-grown biocrusts to manipulate community composition and accelerate biocrust development, shows how biocrust function varies along a dynamic gradient of biocrust successional stages.

Annual net primary productivity of a cyanobacteria-dominated biological soil crust in the Gulf Savannah, Queensland, Australia

Abstract. Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are a common element of the Queensland (Australia) dry savannah ecosystem and are composed of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens, bryophytes, fungi and heterotrophic bacteria. Here we report how the CO2 gas exchange of the cyanobacteria-dominated biocrust type from Boodjamulla National Park in the north Queensland Gulf Savannah responds to the pronounced climatic seasonality and on their quality as a carbon sink using a semi-automatic cuvette system. The dominant cyanobacteria are the filamentous species Symplocastrum purpurascens together with Scytonema sp. Metabolic activity was recorded between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011, during which CO2 exchange was only evident from November 2010 until mid-April 2011, representative of 23.6 % of the 1-year recording period. In November at the onset of the wet season, the first month (November) and the last month (April) of activity had pronounced respiratory loss of CO2. The metabolic active period accounted for 25 % of the wet season and of that period 48.6 % was net photosynthesis (NP) and 51.4 % dark respiration (DR). During the time of NP, net photosynthetic uptake of CO2 during daylight hours was reduced by 32.6 % due to water supersaturation. In total, the biocrust fixed 229.09 mmol CO2 m−2 yr−1, corresponding to an annual carbon gain of 2.75 g m−2 yr−1. Due to malfunction of the automatic cuvette system, data from September and October 2010 together with some days in November and December 2010 could not be analysed for NP and DR. Based on climatic and gas exchange data from November 2010, an estimated loss of 88 mmol CO2 m−2 was found for the 2 months, resulting in corrected annual rates of 143.1 mmol CO2 m−2 yr−1, equivalent to a carbon gain of 1.7 g m−2 yr−1. The bulk of the net photosynthetic activity occurred above a relative humidity of 42 %, indicating a suitable climatic combination of temperature, water availability and light intensity well above 200 µmol photons m−2 s−1 photosynthetic active radiation. The Boodjamulla biocrust exhibited high seasonal variability in CO2 gas exchange pattern, clearly divided into metabolically inactive winter months and active summer months. The metabolic active period commences with a period (of up to 3 months) of carbon loss, likely due to reestablishment of the crust structure and restoration of NP prior to about a 4-month period of net carbon gain. In the Gulf Savannah biocrust system, seasonality over the year investigated showed that only a minority of the year is actually suitable for biocrust growth and thus has a small window for potential contribution to soil organic matter.

Ecology and ecophysiology of tree stems: corticular and wood photosynthesis.

Below the outer peridermal or rhytidomal layers, most stems of woody plants possess greenish tissues. These chlorophyll-containing tissues (the chlorenchymes) within the stems are able to use the stem internal CO2 and the light penetrating the rhytidome to photoassimilate and produce sugars and starch. Although net photosynthetic uptake of CO2 is rarely found, stem internal re-fixation of CO2 in young twigs and branches may compensate for 60-90% of the potential respiratory carbon loss. Isolated chlorenchymal tissues reveal rather high rates of net photosynthesis (being up to 75% of the respective rates for leaf photosynthesis). Corticular photosynthesis is thus thought to be an effective mechanism for recapturing respiratory carbon dioxide before it diffuses out of the stem. Furthermore, chloroplasts of the proper wood or pith fraction also take part in stem internal photosynthesis. Although there has been no strong experimental evidence until now, we suggest that the oxygen evolved during wood or pith photosynthesis may play a decisive role in avoiding/reducing stem internal anaerobiosis.

Comparing nocturnal eddy covariance measurements to estimates of ecosystem respiration made by scaling chamber measurements at six coniferous boreal sites

During the growing season, nighttime ecosystem respiration emits 30–100% of the daytime net photosynthetic uptake of carbon, and therefore measurements of rates and understanding of its control by the environment are important for understanding net ecosystem exchange. Ecosystem respiration can be measured at night by eddy covariance methods, but the data may not be reliable because of low turbulence or other methodological problems. We used relationships between woody tissue, foliage, and soil respiration rates and temperature, with temperature records collected on site to estimate ecosystem respiration rates at six coniferous BOREAS sites at half‐hour or 1‐hour intervals, and then compared these estimates to nocturnal measurements of CO2 exchange by eddy covariance. Soil surface respiration was the largest source of CO2 at all sites (48–71%), and foliar respiration made a large contribution to ecosystem respiration at all sites (25–43%). Woody tissue respiration contributed only 5–15% to ecosystem respiration. We estimated error for the scaled chamber predictions of ecosystem respiration by using the uncertainty associated with each respiration parameter and respiring biomass value. There was substantial uncertainty in estimates of foliar and soil respiration because of the spatial variability of specific respiration rates. In addition, more attention needs to be paid to estimating foliar respiration during the early part of the growing season, when new foliage is growing, and to determining seasonal trends of soil surface respiration. Nocturnal eddy covariance measurements were poorly correlated to scaled chamber estimates of ecosystem respiration (r2=0.06–0.27) and were consistently lower than scaled chamber predictions (by 27% on average for the six sites). The bias in eddy covariance estimates of ecosystem respiration will alter estimates of gross assimilation in the light and of net ecosystem exchange rates over extended periods.

Diel Periodicity of Photosynthetic Response in the Subalpine Moss Pohlia wahlenbergii

Net photosynthetic (NP) response in the subalpine moss Pohlia wahlenbergii (Web. & Mohr) Andr. showed pronounced patterns of diel periodicity under midsummer conditions. Rates of light-saturated NP uptake were highest in the early morning hours, at 8 mg CO2 g-1 hr.-., declining to near 5 mg CO2 g-1 hr.-1 by late afternoon. Concurrent changes in light-limited NP uptake saw quantum efficiency decline from 0.018 to 0.009. Both light-limited and light-saturated NP uptake showed full recovery during the late evening and nighttime periods. One interpretation of these diel oscillations may be that of reoccurring photodestruction (and repair) of pigment com- plexes, although this degree of photosensitivity is unusual for a plant which has grown in a high light environment. Alternatively, these changes may reflect endogenous photosynthetic rhythms, similar to thosepreviously documented in phytoplankton and diatom populations. This interpretation is supported by the absence ofbleaching or chlorophyll destructionfollowingperiods ofhigh insolation exposure. The occurrence of diel oscillations in P. wahlenbergii has important implications for the calculation of net primary productivity, with increased quantum efficiency during the early morning and late evening periods resulting in a homeostasis of NP uptake under conditions of a changing, but predictable, light environment. For photosynthesis and growth to occur, photo- trophs must live in an environment with a tolerable range of photon flux densities. If light quantity is below this range, not enough energy may be cap- tured to maintain sufficient rates of photosynthesis. If photon irradiance is increased above the level that saturates the rate of photosynthesis, then photo- destruction of pigment protein complexes may fol- low, as received energy exceeds that which can be dissipated by photochemical processes (Powles &

Nitrogen Fixation on a Tropical Volcano, La Soufrière (Guadeloupe): The Interaction of Temperature, Moisture, and Light with Net Photosynthesis and Nitrogenase Activity in Stereocaulon Virgatum and Response to Periods of Insolation Shock

AbstractThe response of net photosynthesis, dark respiration and acetylene reduction to temperature, moisture and light intensity were examined for Stereocaulon virgatum growing in the cloud/shroud zone on the tropical volcano La Soufrière, Guadeloupe, French West Indies. Rates for both acetylene reduction and net photosynthesis were maximal at saturating water contents, a pattern attributed to the finely branched nature of the phyllocladoid branchlets and the exposed position of spherical cephalodia, both of which minimize the formation of surface and interhyphal water films. Under conditions typical of those during cloud/shroud periods (13–16°C), thalli of S. virgatum exhibit many characteristics seen in other shade-tolerant lichen species. Net photosynthesis was light saturated at 300 μmol m−2 s−1 PAR, while the photocompensation point was less than 25 µmol m−2 s−1 PAR. Net photosynthetic uptake of carbon dioxide was optimal at 27–34°C, at which point light saturation was near 700 µmol m−2 s−1 PAR and the photocompensation point between 50 and 100 µmol m−2 s−1 PAR. Thalli of S. virgatin exhibited temperature-dependent sensitivity to high insolation. Only at 20°C were thalli able to tolerate high light exposure without reduction of apparent quantum yield. Exposure to high light intensity at 40°C inhibited the apparent quantum yield by almost 40% and acetylene reduction by 95%. This suggests brief periods of insolation shock may exert an influence disproportionately higher than either their frequency or duration. Thalli are normally exposed to cloud/shroud conditions but net photosynthetic uptake was maximal only during periods of elevated thallus temperature experienced at the onset of an insolation shock. However, with prolonged high insolation exposure and further elevation of thallus temperatures and thallus desiccation, severe impairment of subsequent photosynthetic activity ensues. S. virgatum may be characterized as a shade-tolerant species but its physiology is more adapted in some respects to conditions experienced during rare periods of full insolation.

Photoinhibition of net photosynthesis in Stereocaulon virgatum and S. tomentosum, a tropical–temperate comparison

Stereocaulon tomentosum Fr., collected in pine–lichen woodlands of southwestern Alberta, Canada, and S. virgatum Ach., collected from recent lahar flows on La Soufrière, Guadeloupe (French West Indies), were examined for their response of net photosynthesis and respiration to brief periods of high light exposure at temperatures ranging from 10 to 40 °C. In each species, a 30-min exposure period to photon flux densities of 1500 μmol∙m−2∙s−1 resulted in a significant reduction of subsequently measured rates of net photosynthetic CO2 uptake in those treatment groups which had been held at temperatures at or above 30 °C. These results suggest an altered stability of interactions between light and dark reactions of net photosynthesis at higher temperatures. They also point to the need for close monitoring of field microclimatic conditions during periods when hydrated lichen thalli are exposed to full sun conditions. Selective pressures imposed on hydrated lichen thalli during these periods of insolation shock may well prove of much greater importance in the shaping of net photosynthetic response patterns than has previously been recognized and may account for many of the previously observed disparities between those temperatures prevailing during typical periods of thallus hydration (i.e., under overcast conditions) and those at which maximal rates of net photosynthetic uptake are seen (often a full 10 to 15 °C higher). These interactions appear equally important to lichens of tropical origins and to those of north temperate habitats and suggest common evolutionary drives on thermal acclimation in both environments.

Net photosynthetic response patterns of the basidiomycete lichen Cora pavonia (Web.) E. Fries from the tropical volcano La Soufrière (Guadeloupe).

The response of net photosynthesis to temperature, moisture, and light was examined in thalli of the tropical basidiomycete lichen Cora pavonia from recent lahar flows on the volcanic summit La Soufrière (Guadeloupe, French West Indies). Although thalli of C. pavonia are typically exposed to only low light intensities and isothermal temperature conditions under prevailing cloud/shroud conditions on La Soufrière, their photosynthetic response matrix reveals an unexpected breadth of response. The temperature optimum of net photosynthetic uptake in C. pavonia rises from 6°C at a photon flux area density of 25 μmol m-2 s-1 PAR to 27°C at 1000 μmol m-2 s-1 PAR, with rates of maximal net photosynthetic uptake exceeding 25 mg CO2 g-1 h-1. Net photosynthesis was optimal at thallus moisture contents of 250 to 350 percent water content by weight, declining only slightly in fully saturated thalli. These response patterns pose an apparent paradox, as on most days they will act to severely restrict net photosynthetic uptake by thalli of C. pavonia on La Soufrière. This paradox is discussed in context of those selective pressures faced by lichen thalli in later successional stages as well as those imposed by brief periods of atypical weather conditions.

Further evidence for reduced role of photorespiration in low compensation point species.

MOST plant species cannot show a net photosynthetic uptake of CO2 when the CO2 concentration of the surrounding atmosphere falls below about 50 p.p.m., because at this point photosynthetic carbon fixation is reduced by lack of substrate to the rate at which CO2 is being released from the plant by photorespiration. The concentration of CO2 at which this occurs is called the CO2 compensation point. A few species, including such important crop plants as Zea mays, have unusually low CO2 compensation points, typically near zero. Such plants may not photorespire, or alternatively may be capable of refixing all the photorespired CO2 by an unusually efficient photosynthetic mechanism.