Abstract
Seasonal changes in water relations, net photosynthetic rate (P N), and fluorescence of chlorophyll (Chl) a of two perennial C3 deciduous shrubs, Ipomoea carnea and Jatropha gossypifolia, growing in a thorn scrub in Venezuela were studied in order to establish the possible occurrence of photoinhibition during dry season and determine whether changes in photochemical activity of photosystem 2 (PS2) may explain variations of P N in these species. Leaf water potential (ψ) decreased from −0.2 to −2.1 MPa during drought in both species. The P N decreased with ψ in I. carnea and J. gossypifolia by 64 and 74 %, respectively. Carboxylation efficiency (CE) decreased by more than 50 and 70 % in I. carnea and J. gossypifolia, respectively. In I. carnea, relative stomatal limitation (Ls) increased by 17 % and mesophyll limitation (Lm) by 65 % during drought, while in J. gossypifolia Ls decreased by 27 % and Lm increased by 51 %. Drought caused a reduction in quantum yield of PS2 (ϕPS2) in both species. Drought affected the capacity of energy dissipation of leaves, judging from the changes in the photochemical (qP) and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) coefficients. Photoinhibition during drought in I. carnea and J. gossypifolia was evidenced in the field by a drop in the maximum quantum yield of PS2 (Fv/Fm) below 0.8 and also by non-coordinated changes in ϕPS2 and quantum yield of non-photochemical excitation quenching (Yn). Total soluble protein content on an area basis increased with ψ but the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase content remained unchanged. A reduction of total Chl content with drought was observed. Hence in the species studied photoinhibition occurred, which imposed an important limitation on carbon assimilation during drought.
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Abbreviations
- C i :
-
intercellular CO2 concentration
- CE:
-
carboxylation efficiency
- Chl:
-
chlorophyll
- Fv/Fm :
-
maximum quantum yield of photosystem 2
- g s :
-
stomatal conductance
- J:
-
total electron-transport rate in leaves
- Ls :
-
relative stomatal limitation
- Lm :
-
relative mesophyll limitation
- NPQ:
-
non-photochemical quenching coefficient
- PS:
-
photosystem
- qP :
-
photochemical quenching coefficient of chlorophyll a fluorescence
- P N :
-
net photosynthetic rate
- P Nsat :
-
CO2-saturated P N
- PPFD:
-
photosynthetic photon flux density
- RuBPCO:
-
ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase
- TSP:
-
total soluble protein
- Yn :
-
quantum yield of non-photochemical quenching
- ϕPS2 :
-
relative quantum yield of photosystem 2
- ψ:
-
morning leaf water potential
- ψs :
-
osmotic potential
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Tezara, W., Marín, O., Rengifo, E. et al. Photosynthesis and photoinhibition in two xerophytic shrubs during drought. Photosynthetica 43, 37–45 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-005-7045-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-005-7045-5