Acclimation by the Thylakoid Membranes to Growth Irradiance and the Partitioning of Nitrogen Between Soluble and Thylakoid Proteins

1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
JR Evans

Three characteristics of shade plants are reviewed. Firstly, they have relatively more chlorophyll b and the associated light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein complex (LHC). Two currently accepted reasons for this are not supported by quantitative analysis. Instead, the reduced protein cost of complexing chlorophyll in LHC and the turnover of the 32 kDa herbicide binding protein are considered. Secondly, shade plants have low electron transport capacities per unit of chlorophyll. This is primarily related to a reduction in the amount of electron transport components such as the cytochrome f complex and the ATPase. The nitrogen cost of the thylakoid membranes per unit of light absorbed is thereby reduced, but the irradiance range over which light is used with high efficiency is also reduced. Thirdly, shade plants have less RuP2 carboxylase and other soluble proteins for a given amount of chlorophyll. However, while the ratio of RuP2 carboxylase protein to thylakoid protein declined, the ratio of the RuP2 carboxylase activity to electron transport activity increased. For several species, the relationship between the rate of CO2 assimilation and leaf nitrogen content depends on the irradiance during growth.


1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 495 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Andrews ◽  
Neil R. Baker

Wheat (C3) and maize (C4) leaves were exposed to light treatments that were limiting for CO2 assimilation and which excite preferentially photosystem I (PSI) or photosystem II (PSII) and induce State 1 or State 2, respectively. In order to examine the relationships between linear electron transport and CO2 in leaves during State transitions, simultaneous measurements of CO2 assimilation, chlorophyll fluorescence and absorbance at 820 nm were used to estimate the quantum efficiencies of CO2 assimilation and PSII and PSI photochemistry. In wheat leaves with photorespiratory activity, no significant change in quantum efficiency of CO2assimilation was observed during State transitions. This was not the case when photorespiration was inhibited with either 2% O2 or 1000 ppm CO2 and transition from State 2 to State 1 was accompanied by a large decrease (c. 20%) in the quantum efficiency of CO2 assimilation which was not associated with a decrease in the quantum efficiency of electron transport through PSII. Photorespiration appears to buffer the quantum efficiency of CO2 assimilation from changes associated with decreases in the rate of CO2 fixation resulting from imbalances in PPFD absorption by PSI and PSII. When maize leaves were subjected to similar State transitions, no significant change in the quantum efficiency of CO2 assimilation was observed on transition from State 2 to State 1, but on switching back to State 2 a very large decrease (c. 40%) was observed. This decrease could be prevented if leaves were maintained in either 2% O2 or 593 ppm CO2. The possible occurrence of photorespiration in maize leaves on transition from State 1 to State 2, which could result from an inhibition of the CO2 concentrating mechanism, cannot account for the decrease in the quantum efficiency of CO2 assimilation since the relationship between PSII electron transport and CO2 assimilation remained similar throughout the State transitions. Also changes in the phosphorylation status of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein associated with PSII cannot be implicated in this phenomenon.



1991 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 267 ◽  
Author(s):  
JP Krall ◽  
GE Edwards

The partitioning of light energy absorbed by photosystem (PS) II in the C4 species maize was investigated under various photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFD), temperatures, and intercellular CO2 concentrations. The relationship between the quantum yield of PSII electron transport (�e) and the quantum yield of CO2 assimilation (ΦCO2) was generally found to be linear, with similar slopes. This indicates that PSII electron transport is tightly coupled to CO2 assimilation such that measurements of �e may be used to estimate photosynthetic rates in maize. Coefficients of quenching of PSII chlorophyll fluorescence indicated that, under excessive PPFD or when CO2 assimilation was decreased due to suboptimal or supraoptimal temperature or low Ci, the energy in excess of that needed to drive the reduced rate of PSII electron transport was dissipated via a mechanism known to be correlated to the trans-thylakoid proton gradient (high energy quenching, qE) and a mechanism believed to arise in the PSII antenna chlorophyll (qN(slow)). At suboptimal temperature the energy dissipation was principally at the antenna level and qE was low, while at supraoptimal temperature the reverse was true. The results are discussed relative to coupling of PSII activity to CO2 fixation and mechanisms of energy dissipation in this C4 species.



1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Harbinson ◽  
Bernard Genty ◽  
Neil R. Baker


1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 952-961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moacyr Bernardino Dias-Filho

Ipomoea asarifolia (Desr.) Roem. & Schultz (Convolvulaceae) and Stachytarpheta cayennensis (Rich) Vahl. (Verbenaceae), two weeds found in pastures and crop areas in the Brazilian Amazonia, Brazil, were grown in controlled environment cabinets under high (800-1000 µmol m-² s-¹) and low (200-350 µmol m-² s-¹) light regimes during a 40-day period. The objective was to determine the effect of shade on photosynthetic features and leaf nitrogen content of I. asarifolia and S. cayennensis. High-irradiance grown I. asarifolia leaves had significantly higher dark respiration and light saturated rates of photosynthesis than low-irradiance leaves. No significant differences for these traits, between treatments, were observed in S. cayennensis. Low-irradiance leaves of both species displayed higher CO2 assimilation rates under low irradiance. High-irradiance grown leaves of both species had less nitrogen per unit of weight. Low-irradiance S. cayennensis had more nitrogen per unit of leaf area than high-irradiance plants; however, I. asarifolia showed no consistent pattern for this variable through time. For S. cayennensis, leaf nitrogen content and CO2 assimilation were inversely correlated to the amount of biomass allocated to developing reproductive structures. These results are discussed in relation to their ecological and weed management implications.



1990 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
RT Furbank ◽  
CLD Jenkins ◽  
MD Hatch

The relationship between overcycling of the C4 acid cycle in C4 photosynthesis (due to CO2 leakage) and the quantum yield of photosynthesis is considered. From a comparison of theoretical and measured quantum yields we suggest that the high efficiency of light utilisation by most C4 plants can only be explained by the mandatory involvement of both the Q-cycle and cyclic or pseudocyclic electron transport in the proton partitioning process. The existence of the Q-cycle mechanism may have been a prerequisite for the evolution of the C4 pathway.



1990 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 135 ◽  
Author(s):  
RF Sage ◽  
TD Sharkey ◽  
RW Pearcy

The CO2 response of photosynthesis was studied in the C3 annual, Chenopodium album L. Both the initial slope of the photosynthetic CO2 response and the CO2 saturated rate of photosynthesis were linearly dependent on organic leaf nitrogen content. As leaf nitrogen increased or leaf temperature declined, the CO2 saturation point of photosynthesis declined. Increasing leaf temperature from 15 to 34°C stimulated the CO2-saturated rate of photosynthesis but had little effect on the initial slope of the photosynthetic CO2 response. According to the photosynthesis model of Sharkey (1985 Bot. Rev. 51: 53-105), these results indicate that as leaf nitrogen increased, the capacity for RuP2 carboxylase and RuP2 regeneration increased to a greater extent than the capacity of starch and sucrose synthesis to regenerate orthophosphate. As a result, in high nitrogen leaves, photosynthesis appeared to be limited by the capacity to regenerate phosphate at lower CO2 partial pressures than in low nitrogen leaves. In high nitrogen leaves, increasing temperature appeared to enhance the phosphate regeneration capacity to a greater extent than the capacity of RuP2 carboxylase. Consequently, while under cool conditions (<20°C), CO2 assimilation in normal atmospheric air appeared to be limited by the phosphate regeneration capacity, under warm conditions (34°C), RuP2 carboxylase capacity appeared to limit CO2 assimilation.



1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 885 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Loreto ◽  
D Tricoli ◽  
GD Marco

We examined the effect of carbon metabolism inhibition, temperature, and water stress on the relationship between the linear electron transport and photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in sweet sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. Carbon metabolism was inhibited either by removing CO2 from the air or by feeding glyceraldehyde to the leaves. Irrespective of the method used, the linear electron transport and photosynthesis were coordinately inhibited. However, when photosynthesis was totally inhibited, a residual electron transport between 20 and 35 μmol m-2 s-1 could be measured. The residual electron transport increased with increasing leaf temperature up to 38�C and was higher in water-stressed leaves than in control leaves. Temperature affected photosynthesis in intact leaves. The optimal temperature for photosynthesis in control leaves was between 30 and 35�C. The ratio between linear electron transport and photosynthesis showed a temperature dependency similar to that of photosynthesis. As a consequence, the electrons required to fix one mole of CO2 were 5.5 at suboptimal temperatures but were 6.5 at 30�C. Our results indicate that the relationship between linear electron transport and photosynthesis is not perfectly steady in nature but is subject to transient changes. The observed changes in the linear electron transport were mostly related to changes in the efficiency of light trapping by open photosystem II (PSII) reaction centres, while the fractions of open PSII reaction centres were relatively constant during the experiment. Water stress severely reduced the photosynthetic CO2 assimilation of sweet sorghum leaves. The greater the water stress, the lower the temperature at which optimal photosynthesis was reached. The linear electron transport was coordinately inhibited by water stress but a residual electron transport was again found when photosynthesis was extremely reduced by water stress. Under water-stress conditions the fraction of PSII reaction centres in an open state was very low but constant, and the temperature dependent reduction of linear electron transport was caused by the reduction of the efficiency of energy capture of PSII reaction centres.



HortScience ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 578c-578
Author(s):  
Lailiang Cheng ◽  
Sunghee Guak ◽  
Leslie H. Fuchigami

Fertigation of young Fuji/M26 apple trees (Malus domestica Borkh.) with different nitrogen concentrations by using a modified Hoagland solution for 6 weeks resulted in a wide range of leaf nitrogen content in recently expanded leaves (from 0.9 to 4.4 g·m–2). Net photosynthesis at ambient CO2, carboxylation efficiency, and CO2-saturated photosynthesis of recently expanded leaves were closely related to leaf N content expressed on both leaf area and dry weight basis. They all increased almost linearly with increase in leaf N content when leaf N < 2.4 g·m–2, leveled off when leaf N increased further. The relationship between stomatal conductance and leaf N content was similar to that of net photosynthesis with leaf N content, but leaf intercellular CO2 concentration tended to decrease with increase in leaf N content, indicating non-stomatal limitation in leaves with low N content. Photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency was high when leaf N < 2.4 g·m–2, but decreased with further increase in leaf N content. Due to the correlation between leaf nitrogen and phosphorus content, photosynthesis was also associated with leaf P content, but to a lesser extent.



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