Photosynthetica 2004, 42(3):431-437 | DOI: 10.1023/B:PHOT.0000046163.83729.e5

Photosynthetic Characteristics, Dark Respiration, and Leaf Mass Per Unit Area in Seedlings of Four Tropical Tree Species Grown Under Three Irradiances

Y. L. Feng1, K. F. Cao1, J. L. Zhang1
1 Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

We investigated the effect of growth irradiance (I) on photon-saturated photosynthetic rate (Pmax), dark respiration rate (RD), carboxylation efficiency (CE), and leaf mass per unit area (LMA) in seedlings of the following four tropical tree species with contrasting shade-tolerance. Anthocephalus chinensis (Rubiaceae) and Linociera insignis (Oleaceae) are light-demanding, Barringtonia macrostachya (Lecythidaceae) and Calophyllum polyanthum (Clusiaceae) are shade-tolerant. Their seedlings were pot-planted under shading nets with 8, 25, and 50 % daylight for five months. With increase of I, all species displayed the trends of increases of LMA, photosynthetic saturation irradiance, and chlorophyll-based Pmax, and decreases of chlorophyll (Chl) content on both area and mass bases, and mass-based Pmax, RD, and CE. The area-based Pmax and CE increased with I for the light-demanders only. Three of the four species significantly increased Chl-based CE with I. This indicated the increase of nitrogen (N) allocation to carboxylation enzyme relative to Chl with I. Compared to the two shade-tolerants, under the same I, the two light-demanders had greater area- and Chl-based Pmax, photosynthetic saturation irradiance, lower Chl content per unit area, and greater plasticity in LMA and area- or Chl-based Pmax. Our results support the hypothesis that light-demanding species is more plastic in leaf morphology and physiology than shade-tolerant species, and acclimation to I of tropical seedlings is more associated with leaf morphological adjustment relative to physiology. Leaf nitrogen partitioning between photosynthetic enzymes and Chl also play a role in the acclimation to I.

Additional key words: acclimation to irradiance; Anthocephalus; Barringtonia; Calophyllum; carboxylation efficiency; chlorophyll; leaf mass per unit area; Linociera; net photosynthetic rate; nitrogen

Published: September 1, 2004  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Feng, Y.L., Cao, K.F., & Zhang, J.L. (2004). Photosynthetic Characteristics, Dark Respiration, and Leaf Mass Per Unit Area in Seedlings of Four Tropical Tree Species Grown Under Three Irradiances. Photosynthetica, 42(3), 431-437. doi: 10.1023/B:PHOT.0000046163.83729.e5
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Arnon, D.I.: Copper enzymes in isolated chloroplasts. Polyphe-noloxidase in Beta vulgaris. - Plant Physiol. 24: 1-15, 1949. Go to original source...
    2. Boardman, N.K.: Comparative photosynthesis of sun and shade plants. - Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 28: 355-377, 1977. Go to original source...
    3. Cai, S.Q., Xu, D.Q.: [Relationship between the CO2 compensa-tion and photorespiration in soybean leaves.] - Acta phyto-physiol. sin. 26: 545-550, 2000. [In Chin.]
    4. Canham, C.D.: Suppression and release during canopy recruitment in Fagus grandifolia. - Bull. Torrey bot. Club 117: 1-7, 1990 Go to original source...
    5. Cao, K.-F.: Leaf anatomy and chlorophyll content of 12 woody species in contrasting light conditions in a Bornean heath forest. - Can. J. Bot. 78: 1245-1253, 2000. Go to original source...
    6. Cao, K.-F., Ohkubo, T.: Suppression and release during canopy recruitment in Fagus crenata and Acer mono in two old-growth beech forests in Japan. - Plant Ecol. 145: 281-290, 1999. Go to original source...
    7. Cao, M., Zhang, J.H.: Tree species diversity of tropical forest vegetation in Xishuangbanna, SW China. - Biodivers. Conserv. 6: 995-1006, 1997. Go to original source...
    8. Chazdon, R.L., Pearcy, R.W., Lee, D.W., Fetcher, N.: Photo-synthetic responses of tropical forest plants to contrasting light environments. - In: Mulkey, S.S., Chazdon, R.L., Smith, A.P. (ed.): Tropical Forest Plant Ecophysiology. Pp. 5-55. Chapman and Hall, New York 1996. Go to original source...
    9. FAO: Forest Resources Assessment 1990 - Tropical Countries. - United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome 1993.
    10. Givnish, T.J.: Adaptation to sun and shade: a whole-plant perspective. - Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 15: 63-92, 1988. Go to original source...
    11. Grubb, P.J.: The maintenance of species-richness in plant communities: the importance of the regeneration niche. - Biol. Rev. 52: 107-145, 1977. Go to original source...
    12. Lambers, H., Szaniawski, R.K., de Visser, R.: Respiration for growth, maintenance and ion uptake. An evaluation of con-cepts, methods, values and their significance. - Physiol. Plant. 58: 556-563, 1983. Go to original source...
    13. Le Roux, X., Walcroft, A.S., Daudet, F.A., Sinoquet, H., Chaves, M.M., Rodrigues, A., Osorio, L.: Photosynthetic light acclimation in peach leaves: importance of changes in mass:area ratio, N concentration, and leaf N portioning. - Tree Physiol. 21: 377-386, 2001. Go to original source...
    14. Lee, D.W., Bone, R.A., Tarsis, S.L., Storch, D.: Correlates of leaf optical properties in tropical forest sun and extreme-shade plants. - Amer. J. Bot. 77: 370-380, 1990. Go to original source...
    15. Liu, W.-J., Li, H.-M.: [The climatic characteristics and changes and the potential influence on the tropical crops in Mengleng District.] - Trop. Plant Res. 38: 16-22, 1996. [In Chin.]
    16. Lorimer, C.G., Frelich, L.E.: Estimating gap origin probabilities for canopy trees. - Ecology 69: 778-785, 1988. Go to original source...
    17. Lortie, C.J., Aarssen, L.W.: The specialization hypothesis for phenotypic plasticity in plants. - Int. J. Plant Sci. 157: 484-487, 1996. Go to original source...
    18. Lusk, C.H., Reich, P.B.: Relationships of leaf dark respiration with light environment and tissue nitrogen content in juve-niles of eleven cold-temperate tree species. - Oecologia 123: 318-329, 2000. Go to original source...
    19. Mitchell, K.A., Bolstad, P.V., Vose, J.M.: Interspecific and en-vironmentally induced variation in foliar dark respiration among eighteen southeastern deciduous tree species. - Tree Physiol. 19: 861-870, 1999. Go to original source...
    20. Nepstad, D.C., Veríssimo, A., Alencar, A., Nore, C., Lima, E., Lefebvre, P., Schlesinger, P., Potter, C., Moutinho, P., Mendoza, E., Cochrane, M., Brooks, V.: Large-scale impoverishment of Amazonian forests by logging and fire. - Nature 398: 505-508, 1999. Go to original source...
    21. Oldeman, R.A.A.: Forests: Elements of Silvology. - Springer-Verlag, Berlin 1990. Go to original source...
    22. Oliver, C.D., Larson, B.C.: Forest Stand Dynamics. - McGraw-Hill, New York 1990.
    23. Reich, P.B., Walters, M.B., Ellsworth, D.S.: From tropics to tundra: Global convergence in plant functioning. - Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. USA 94: 13730-13734, 1997. Go to original source...
    24. Rosati, A., Esparza, G. CDeJong, T.M. CPearcy, R.W.: Influence of canopy light environment and nitrogen avail-ability on leaf photosynthetic characteristics and photo-synthetic nitrogen-use efficiency of field-grown nectarine trees. - Tree Physiol. 19: 173-180, 1999. Go to original source...
    25. Ryan, M.G.: Foliar maintenance respiration of subalpine and boreal trees and shrubs in relation to nitrogen content. - Plant Cell Environ. 18: 765-772, 1995. Go to original source...
    26. Scheiner, S.M.: Genetics and evolution of phenotypic plasticity. - Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 24: 35-68, 1993. Go to original source...
    27. Valladares, F., Wright, S.J., Lasso, E., Kitajima, K., Pearcy, B.W.: Plastic phenotypic response to light of 16 congeneric shrubs from a Panamanian rainforest. - Ecology 81: 1925-1936, 2000. Go to original source...
    28. Warren, C.R., Adams, M.A.: Distribution of N, Rubisco and photosynthesis in Pinus pinaster and acclimation to light. - Plant Cell Environ. 24: 597-609, 2001. Go to original source...
    29. Whitmore, T.C.: Canopy gaps and two major groups of forest trees. - Ecology 70: 536-538, 1989. Go to original source...
    30. Wu, Z.Y. (ed.): [Vegetation of Yunnan.] - Science Press, Beijing 1987. [In Chin.]
    31. Zhang, X.-Q., Xu, D.-Q.: [Diurnal and seasonal changes of photosynthetic characteristics of needle leaves in different canopy positions of Chinese fir in a middle-aged forest.] - Sci. Silvae sin. 36(3): 19-26, 2000. [In Chin.]
    32. Zhu, H.: Ecological and biogeographical studies on the tropical rain forest of south Yunnan, SW China, with special reference to its relation with rain forests of tropical Asia. - Biogeogr. 24: 647-662, 1997. Go to original source...

    Return to the content