Photosynthetic and Morphological Acclimation to High and Low Light Environments in Petasites japonicus subsp. giganteus

Within each species, leaf traits such as light-saturated photosynthetic rate or dark respiration rate acclimate to local light environment. Comparing only static physiological traits, however, may not be sufficient to evaluate the effects of such acclimation in the shade because the light environment changes diurnally. We investigated leaf photosynthetic and morphological acclimation for a perennial herb, butterbur (Petasites japonicus (Siebold et Zucc.) Maxim. subsp. giganteus (G.Nicholson) Kitam.) (Asteraceae), in both a well-lit clearing and a shaded understory of a temperate forest. Diurnal changes in light intensity incident on the leaves were also measured on a sunny day and an overcast day. Leaves in the clearing were more folded and upright, whereas leaves in the understory were flatter. Leaf mass per area (LMA) was approximately twofold higher in the clearing than in the understory, while light-saturated photosynthetic rate and dark respiration rate per unit mass of leaf were similar between the sites. Consequently, both light-saturated photosynthetic rate and dark respiration rate per unit area of leaf were approximately twofold higher in the clearing than in the understory, consistent with previous studies on different species. Using this experimental dataset, we performed a simulation in which sun and shade leaves were hypothetically exchanged to investigate whether such plasticity increased carbon gain at each local environment. As expected, in the clearing, the locally acclimated sun leaves gained more carbon than the hypothetically transferred shade leaves. By contrast, in the understory, the daily net carbon gain was similar between the simulated sun and shade leaves on the sunny day due to the frequent sunflecks. Lower LMA and lower photosynthetic capacity in the understory reduced leaf construction cost per area rather than maximizing net daily carbon gain. These results indicate that information on static photosynthetic parameters may not be sufficient to evaluate shade acclimation in forest understories.

Light regimen-induced variability of photosynthetic pigments and UV-B absorbing compounds in Luzula sylvatica from Arcto-Alpine tundra

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different in situ light regimen on ecophysiological parameters of Luzula sylvatica leaves. Plants of L. sylvatica grown under natural sunny and shade conditions in arcto-alpine tundra were analyzed with respect to their leaf anatomy, content of photosynthetic pigments, UV absorbing compounds and phenanthrenoid compounds. Relationship between chlorophyll concentrations (Chla+b) and SPAD values was determined for sun and shade leaves measured repeatedly within summer and autumn seasons 2019 and 2020. Pooled data showed curvilinear Chla+b to SPAD relationship with the highest Chla+b and SPAD values found for shade leaves. Sun leaves had higher UV-B absorbing compounds contents than shade ones. The HPLC-DAD analysis revealed significant amount of soluble flavonoids in Luzula sylvatica leaves, amongst others the flavone-luteolin and its derivatives (e.g. tentatively identified luteolin-methyl-glucoside and luteolin-glucoside). The accumulation of luteolin based compounds in sun acclimated leaves is also plausible explanation for the higher antioxidant activity determined in sun leaf extraxts. Such response of flavonoid metabolism may help L.S. to cope with excessive-light stress through UV-attenuation mechanism and ROS scavanging. Additionally, phenanthrenoid compounds contents in L. sylvatica leaves were determined. Altogether, 9 phenanthrenoid compounds were identified by HPLC-HRMS. Their content was markedly different (up to the factor of 5) between sun and shade leaves of L.sylvatica.

Similar temperature dependence of photosynthetic parameters in sun and shade leaves of three tropical tree species

Photosynthetic carbon uptake by tropical forests is of critical importance in regulating the earth’s climate, but rising temperatures threaten this stabilizing influence of tropical forests. Most research on how temperature affects photosynthesis focuses on fully sun-exposed leaves, and little is known about shade leaves, even though shade leaves greatly outnumber sun leaves in lowland tropical forests. We measured temperature responses of light-saturated photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and the biochemical parameters VCMax (maximum rate of RuBP carboxylation) and JMax (maximum rate of RuBP regeneration, or electron transport) on sun and shade leaves of mature tropical trees of three species in Panama. As expected, biochemical capacities and stomatal conductance were much lower in shade than in sun leaves, leading to lower net photosynthesis rates. However, the key temperature response traits of these parameters—the optimum temperature (TOpt) and the activation energy—did not differ systematically between sun and shade leaves. Consistency in the JMax to VCMax ratio further suggested that shade leaves are not acclimated to lower temperatures. For both sun and shade leaves, stomatal conductance had the lowest temperature optimum (~25 °C), followed by net photosynthesis (~30 °C), JMax (~34 °C) and VCMax (~38 °C). Stomatal conductance of sun leaves decreased more strongly with increasing vapor pressure deficit than that of shade leaves. Consistent with this, modeled stomatal limitation of photosynthesis increased with increasing temperature in sun but not shade leaves. Collectively, these results suggest that modeling photosynthetic carbon uptake in multi-layered canopies does not require independent parameterization of the temperature responses of the biochemical controls over photosynthesis of sun and shade leaves. Nonetheless, to improve the representation of the shade fraction of carbon uptake dynamics in tropical forests, better understanding of stomatal sensitivity of shade leaves to temperature and vapor pressure deficit will be required.

Photophysiology and Spectroscopy of Sun and Shade Leaves of Phragmites australis and the Effect on Patches of Different Densities

Remote sensing of vegetation has largely been revolving around the measurement of passive or active electromagnetic radiation of the top of the canopy. Nevertheless, plants hold a vertical structure and different processes and intensities take place within a plant organism depending on the environmental conditions. One of the main inputs for photosynthesis is photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and a few studies have taken into account the effect of the qualitative and quantitative changes of the available PAR within the plants canopies. Mostly large plants (trees, shrubs) are affected by this phenomena, while signs of it could be observed in dense monocultures, too. Lake Balaton is a large lake with 12 km2 dense reed stands, some of which have been suffering from reed die-back; consequently, the reed density and stress condition exhibit a vertical PAR variability within the canopy due to the structure and condition of the plants but also a horizontal variability attributed to the reedbed’s heterogeneous density. In this study we investigate the expression of photosynthetic and spectroscopic parameters in different PAR conditions. We concentrate on chlorophyll fluorescence as this is an early-stage indicator of stress manifestation in plants. We first investigate how these parameters differ across leaf samples which are exposed to a higher degree of PAR variability due to their vertical position in the reed culm (sun and shade leaves). In the second part, we concentrate on how the same parameters exhibit in reed patches of different densities. We then look into hyperspectral regions through graphs of coefficient of determination and associate the former with the physiological parameters. We report on the large variability found from measurements taken at different parts of the canopy and the association with spectral regions in the visible and near-infrared domain. We find that at low irradiance plants increase their acclimation to low light conditions. Plant density at Phragmites stands affects the vertical light attenuation and consequently the photophysiological response of basal leaves. Moreover, the hyperspectral response from the sun and shade leaves has been found to differ; charts of the coefficient of determination indicate that the spectral region around the red-edge inflection point for each case of sun and shade leaves correlate strongly with ETRmax and α. When analysing the data cumulatively, independent of their vertical position within the stand, we found correlations of R2 = 0.65 (band combination 696 and 651) and R2 = 0.61 (band combination 636 and 642) for the ETRmax and α, respectively.

PHOTOSYNTHETIC TRAITS OF CANOPY LEAVES OF DINIZIA EXCELSA (FABACEAE)

ABSTRACT The response of leaf traits to irradiance and [CO2] in canopy leaves of several tall trees remains to be determined under natural conditions. Thus, the objective of this work was to determine gas-exchange parameters in sun and shade leaves of Dinizia excelsa Ducke in 35-45 m tall trees of Central Amazonia. We assessed light saturated photosynthesis (Amax), stomatal conductance (gs), mesophyll conductance (gm), transpiration rates (E), water use efficiency (WUE), intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi), maximum electron transport rate (Jmax), the maximum carboxylation rate of Rubisco (Vcmax), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci)specific leaf area (SLA) and fresh leaf thickness. We also estimated the CO2 concentration at the chloroplast level (Cc) and determined the light and CO2 saturated photosynthesis (Apot). Amax was obtained at light saturation (1200 µmol m-2 s-1), whereas Apot, Vcmax, Jmax and gm were obtained after constructing A/Ci response curves. There was a significant difference between sun and shade leaves in Ci and Cc, but for other parameters no differences were observed. Amax was positively correlated with gs, gm and E, and there was also a significant correlation between gs and gm (p ≤ 0.05), as well as between Jmax and Vcmax. Thicker leaves had higher values of Amax, gs, Ci, Cc and E. Apot was limited by the electron transport rate and by low gm. The canopy of the tree caused a decrease in irradiance (30-40%), but this reduction was not enough to reduce important photosynthetic parameters. Thus, all resources allocated to leaf production led to maximum use of the solar energy received by the leaves, which allowed this species to grow at fairly rapid rates.

Effect of Light on the Photosynthesis, Pigment Content and Stomatal Density of Sun and Shade Leaves of Vernonia Amygdalina

Light affects the growth and development of plants by influencing the physical appearance of one leaf as well as the appearance of the whole plant. Plant photosynthesis, stomata density, and pigment contents are all influenced by light The objective of this research is to determine the effect of light on the photosynthesis, pigment content and stomatal density of Sun and Shade Leaves of Vernonia amygdalina. Gas exchange was measured using Li-6400 and the data obtained was used to create a light response curve where parameters including light saturation point (LSP), light compensation point (LCP) and apparent quantum yield were estimated. Photosynthetic pigment were quantified spectrophotometrically. Moreover, the stomatal density was counted under light microscope, after making a nail polish impression of the leaf. The results discovered shows that as the light intensity increases, the gas exchange and stomatal density increases while the photosynthetic pigment of the studied plant decreases (P<0.05). In addition, LSP and LCP increases with increasing light intensity. Besides, statistically significant negative correlation (P<0.05) was achieved among stomatal density and transpiration rate thereby leading to a conclusion that sun leaves of Vernonia amygdalina contribute the highest assimilation rate to the plant than shade leaves. Yet, the higher stomatal density of sun leaves provides water saving to the plant.