Shade lichens are characterized by rapid relaxation of non-photochemical quenching on transition to darkness

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 409-414
Author(s):  
Richard P. Beckett ◽  
Farida V. Minibayeva ◽  
Kwanele W. G. Mkhize

AbstractNon-photochemical quenching (NPQ) plays an important role in protecting photosynthetic organisms from photoinhibition by dissipating excess light energy as heat. However, excess NPQ can greatly reduce the quantum yield of photosynthesis at lower light levels. Recently, there has been considerable interest in understanding how plants balance NPQ to ensure optimal productivity in environments in which light levels are rapidly changing. In the present study, chlorophyll fluorescence was used to study the induction and relaxation of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) in the dark and the induction of photosynthesis in ten species of lichens, five sampled from exposed and five sampled from shaded habitats. Here we show that the main difference between sun and shade lichens is the rate at which NPQ relaxes in the dark, rather than the speed that photosynthesis starts upon illumination. During the first two minutes in the dark, NPQ values in the five sun species declined only by an average of 2%, while by contrast, in shade species the average decline was 40%. For lichens growing in microhabitats where light levels are rapidly changing, rapid relaxation of NPQ may enable their photobionts to use the available light most efficiently.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 5031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Yaghoubi Khanghahi ◽  
Sabrina Strafella ◽  
Carmine Crecchio

The present research aimed at evaluating the harmless dissipation of excess excitation energy by durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) leaves in response to the application of a bacterial consortium consisting of four plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). Three pot experiments were carried out under non-stress, drought (at 40% field capacity), and salinity (150 mM NaCl) conditions. The results showed that drought and salinity affected photo-protective energy dissipation of photosystem II (PSII) increasing the rate of non-photochemical chlorophyll fluorescence quenching (NPQ (non-photochemical quenching) and qCN (complete non-photochemical quenching)), as well as decreasing the total quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence (qTQ), total quenching of variable chlorophyll fluorescence (qTV) and the ratio of the quantum yield of actual PSII photochemistry, in light-adapted state to the quantum yield of the constitutive non-regulatory NPQ (PQ rate). Our results also indicated that the PGPB inoculants can mitigate the adverse impacts of stresses on leaves, especially the saline one, in comparison with the non-fertilized (control) treatment, by increasing the fraction of light absorbed by the PSII antenna, PQ ratio, qTQ, and qTV. In the light of findings, our beneficial bacterial strains showed the potential in reducing reliance on traditional chemical fertilizers, in particular in saline soil, by improving the grain yield and regulating the amount of excitation energy.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Agustina Dominguez-Martin ◽  
Paul V Sauer ◽  
Markus Sutter ◽  
Henning Kirst ◽  
David Bina ◽  
...  

Photoprotection is an essential mechanism in photosynthetic organisms to balance the harvesting of light energy against the risks of photodamage. In cyanobacteria, photoprotective non-photochemical quenching relies on the interaction between a photoreceptor, the Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP), and the antenna, the phycobilisome (PBS). Here we report the first structure of the OCP-PBS complex at 2.7 Å overall resolution obtained by cryo-electron microscopy. The structure shows that the 6.2 MDa PBS is quenched by four 34 kDa OCP organized as two dimers. The complex also reveals that the structure of the active form of the OCP is drastically different than its resting, non-quenching form, with an ~60 Å displacement of its regulatory domain. These results provide a high-resolution blueprint of the structural basis of the protective quenching of excess excitation energy that enables cyanobacteria to harvest light energy and fix CO2 across environmentally diverse and dynamic surface of our planet.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Liu ◽  
Wojciech J Nawrocki ◽  
Roberta Croce

Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) is the process that protects photosynthetic organisms from photodamage by dissipating the energy absorbed in excess as heat. In the model green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, NPQ was abolished in the knock-out mutants of the pigment-protein complexes LHCSR3 and LHCBM1. However, while LHCSR3 was shown to be a pH sensor and switching to a quenched conformation at low pH, the role of LHCBM1 in NPQ has not been elucidated yet. In this work, we combine biochemical and physiological measurements to study short-term high light acclimation of npq5, the mutant lacking LHCBM1. We show that while in low light in the absence of this complex, the antenna size of PSII is smaller than in its presence, this effect is marginal in high light, implying that a reduction of the antenna is not responsible for the low NPQ. We also show that the mutant expresses LHCSR3 at the WT level in high light, indicating that the absence of this complex is also not the reason. Finally, NPQ remains low in the mutant even when the pH is artificially lowered to values that can switch LHCSR3 to the quenched conformation. It is concluded that both LHCSR3 and LHCBM1 need to be present for the induction of NPQ and that LHCBM1 is the interacting partner of LHCSR3. This interaction can either enhance the quenching capacity of LHCSR3 or connect this complex with the PSII supercomplex.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 4637-4643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juntian Xu ◽  
Lennart T. Bach ◽  
Kai G. Schulz ◽  
Wenyan Zhao ◽  
Kunshan Gao ◽  
...  

Abstract. Coccolithophores are a group of phytoplankton species which cover themselves with small scales (coccoliths) made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The reason why coccolithophores form these calcite platelets has been a matter of debate for decades but has remained elusive so far. One hypothesis is that they play a role in light or UV protection, especially in surface dwelling species like Emiliania huxleyi, which can tolerate exceptionally high levels of solar radiation. In this study, we tested this hypothesis by culturing a calcified and a naked strain under different light conditions with and without UV radiation. The coccoliths of E. huxleyi reduced the transmission of visible radiation (400–700 nm) by 7.5 %, that of UV-A (315–400 nm) by 14.1 % and that of UV-B (280–315 nm) by 18.4 %. Growth rates of the calcified strain (PML B92/11) were about 2 times higher than those of the naked strain (CCMP 2090) under indoor constant light levels in the absence of UV radiation. When exposed to outdoor conditions (fluctuating sunlight with UV radiation), growth rates of calcified cells were almost 3.5 times higher compared to naked cells. Furthermore, the relative electron transport rate was 114 % higher and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) was 281 % higher in the calcified compared to the naked strain, implying higher energy transfer associated with higher NPQ in the presence of calcification. When exposed to natural solar radiation including UV radiation, the maximal quantum yield of photosystem II was only slightly reduced in the calcified strain but strongly reduced in the naked strain. Our results reveal an important role of coccoliths in mitigating light and UV stress in E. huxleyi.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 325
Author(s):  
Chiu-Yueh Lan ◽  
Kuan-Hung Lin ◽  
Chun-Liang Chen ◽  
Wen-Dar Huang ◽  
Chang-Chang Chen

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivar Taichung SEL.2 (TCS2) is a salt-tolerance variety, but the mechanism involved remains unclear. This study aims to distinguish between the non-ionic osmotic and salt-mediated physiological effects on TCS2. Osmotic agents polyethylene glycol (PEG) and sodium chloride (NaCl) were applied at three iso-osmotic levels, level 1 containing 24% (w/v) PEG and 200 mM NaCl, level 2 containing 26.5% (w/v) PEG and 250 mM NaCl), and level 3 containing 29% (w/v) PEG and 300 mM NaCl, respectively. According to the investigation of chlorophyll fluorescence in the better NaCl-treated seedlings, maximal quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII) (Fv/Fm) and significant higher effective quantum yield of PSII (ΦPSII) at level 3 were observed. Meanwhile, the non-photochemical quenching of PSII (NPQ) and the quantum yield of regulated energy dissipation of PSII [Y(NPQ)] were significantly higher in the NaCl-treated seedlings, and the quantum yield of non-regulated energy dissipation of PSII [Y(NO)] in the NaCl-treated seedlings was lower than the PEG-treated ones at level 2 and level 3. Furthermore, the less extensive degradation of photosynthetic pigments, the better ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity and the less accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) were also observed in NaCl-treated seedlings. In the morphological traits, shoot elongation in NaCl-treated seedlings was also preserved. These results suggest that TCS2 is more resistant to NaCl-induced osmotic stress than to the PEG-induced stress. This study contributes to plant breeder interest in drought- and/or salt-tolerant wheat varieties.


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