Interaction of drought and elevated CO2 concentration on photosynthetic down-regulation and susceptibility to photoinhibition in Japanese white birch seedlings grown with limited N availability.

The interaction of drought and elevated carbon dioxide concentration ([CO(2)]) on carboxylation capacity of Rubisco (V(cmax)) and susceptibility to photoinhibition may be an important determinant of plant responses to seasonal fluctuations in precipitation in an anticipated elevated [CO(2)] environment. Japanese white birch (Betula platyphylla var. japonica) leaves that developed wholly during a period of drought showed an increase in leaf nitrogen and a decrease in leaf carbohydrates that could ameliorate photosynthetic down-regulation, defined as a decrease in V(cmax) in response to elevated [CO(2)]. Photochemical quenching (q(P)) was decreased by elevated [CO(2)] but increased by drought when compared at a given intercellular [CO(2)] (C(i)), indicating that elevated [CO(2)] could increase the risk of photoinhibition, whereas long-term drought could alleviate the risk of photoinhibition. However, only a small variation in q(P) was measured among seedlings in the various water availability x [CO(2)] treatment combinations, consistent with the small treatment differences in chronic photoinhibition among the seedlings, as indicated by the ratio of variable to maximum chlorophyll fluorescence after overnight dark-adaptation. Our results suggest that the offsetting responses-reduced V(cmax) plus increased C(i) at elevated [CO(2)] and increased V(cmax) plus reduced C(i) under drought conditions-resulted in a narrow range of susceptibility to photoinhibition at the growth [CO(2)] in Japanese white birch seedlings grown in various water availability x [CO(2)] treatment combinations.

Tradeoff between shade adaptation and mitigation of photoinhibition in leaves of Quercus mongolica and Acer mono acclimated to deep shade.

We investigated susceptibility to photoinhibition in leaves acclimated to different light regimes in intermediately shade-tolerant Japanese oak (Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Turcz. var. crispula (Blume) Ohashi) and shade-tolerant Japanese maple (Acer mono Maxim. var. glabrum (Lév. et Van't.) Hara), to elucidate adaptability to gap formation in leaves differing in shade acclimation. We hypothesized that there is a tradeoff between shade adaptation and capacity to mitigate photoinhibition associated with leaf morphology. We simultaneously measured chlorophyll fluorescence and gas exchange in seedlings that had been grown in full sunlight (open), 10% of full sun (moderate shade) and 5% of full sun (deep shade). Shade-tolerant A. mono adapted to deep shade through changes in leaf morphology, lowering its leaf mass per area (LMA), but Q. mongolica showed little change in LMA between moderate and deep shade. Photochemical quenching (qP) did not differ between species in full sunlight and moderate shade; however, in deep shade, qP of Q. mongolica was higher than that of A. mono, suggesting that Q. mongolica grown in deep shade is less susceptible to photoinhibition at gap formation. This is consistent with the finding that chronic photoinhibition 3 days after the transfer to full sunlight, indicated by the decrease in maximum photochemical efficiency, Fv/Fm, at predawn, was less in deep-shade-grown Q. mongolica than in deep shade-grown A. mono. In deep shade, the electron transport rate (ETR) of Q. mongolica was higher than that of A. mono, whereas thermal energy dissipation through photosystem II antennae, indicated by non-photochemical quenching, was lower in Q. mongolica than in A. mono. In deep shade, the greater ETR capacity in Q. mongolica in association with higher LMA and higher leaf N content could contribute to maintaining high qP and mitigating photoinhibition. These results indicate that, by maintaining a high electron transport capacity even in deep shade, the gap-dependent and intermediate-shade-tolerant Q. mongolica trades improved shade adaptation for higher growth potential when a gap event occurs.

Variations in leaf ß13C along a vertical profile of irradiance in a temperate Japanese forest.

The vertical profile of stable carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) of leaves was analyzed for 13 tree species in a cool-temperate deciduous forest in Japan. The vertical distribution of long-term averaged δ13C in atmospheric CO2 (δa) was estimated from δ13C of dry matter from NADP-malic enzyme type C4 plant (Zea mays L. var. saccharata Sturt.) grown at a tower in the forest for 32␣days, assuming constant Δ value (3.3‰) in Z. mays against height. The δa value obtained from δ13C in Z.␣mays was lowest at the forest floor (-9.30 ± 0.03‰), increased with height, and was almost constant above 10␣m (-7.14 ± 0.14‰). Then leaf Δ values for the tree species were calculated from tree leaf δ13 C andδa. Mean leaf Δ values for the three tall deciduous species (Fraxinus mandshurica, Ulmus davidiana, and Alnus hirsuta) were significantly different among three height levels in the forest: 23.1 ± 0.7‰ at the forest floor (understory), 21.4 ± 0.5‰ in lower canopy, and 20.5 ± 0.3‰ in upper canopy. The true difference in tree leaf Δ among the forest height levels might be even greater, because Δ in Z. mays probably increased with shading by up to ∼‰. The difference in tree leaf Δ among the forest height levels would be mainly due to decreasing intercellular CO2 (C i) with the increase in irradiance. Potential assimilation rate for the three tree species probably increased with height, since leaf nitrogen content on an area basis for these species also increased with height. However, the increase in stomatal conductance for these tree species would fail to meet the increase in potential assimilation rate, which might lead to increasing the degree of stomatal limitation in photosynthesis with height.