Photosynthetica 2008, 46(4):567-573 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-008-0095-8

Relationship between net photosynthesis and leaf respiration in Mediterranean evergreen species

L. Gratani1,*, L. Varone1, R. Catoni1
1 Department of Plant Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

The relationship between net photosynthetic (P N) and leaf respiration (R) rates of Quercus ilex, Phillyrea latifolia, Myrtus communis, Arbutus unedo, and Cistus incanus was monitored in the period February 2006 to February 2007. The species investigated had low R and P N during winter, increasing from March to May, when mean air temperature reached 19.2 °C. During the favourable period, C. incanus and A. unedo had a higher mean P N (16.4±2.4 µmol m-2 s-1) than P. latifolia, Q. ilex, and M. communis (10.0±1.3 µmol m-2 s-1). The highest R (1.89±0.30 µmol m-2 s-1, mean of the species), associated to a significant P N decrease (62 % of the maximum, mean value of the species), was measured in July (mean R/P N ratio 0.447±0.091). Q10, indicating the respiration sensitivity to short-term temperature increase, was in the range 1.49 to 2.21. Global change might modify R/P N determining differences in dry matter accumulation among the species, and Q. ilex and P. latifolia might be the most favoured species by their ability to maintain sufficiently higher P N and lower R during stress periods.

Additional key words: Arbutus; Cistus; Myrtus; Phillyrea; Q10; Quercus; seasonal course; temperature

Received: April 30, 2008; Accepted: July 18, 2008; Published: December 1, 2008  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Gratani, L., Varone, L., & Catoni, R. (2008). Relationship between net photosynthesis and leaf respiration in Mediterranean evergreen species. Photosynthetica, 46(4), 567-573. doi: 10.1007/s11099-008-0095-8
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. Amthor, J.S.: Respiration and Crop Productivity.-Springer-Verlag, New York 1989. Go to original source...
    2. Amthor, J.S.: Plant respiration responses to the environment and their effects on the carbon balance.-In: Wilkinson, R.E. (ed.): Plant-Environment Interactions. Pp. 501-554. Marcel Dekker, New York-Basel-Hong Kong 1994.
    3. Amthor, J.S.: The McCree-de Wit-Penning de Vries-Thornley respiration paradigms: 30 years later.-Ann. Bot. 86: 1-20, 2000. Go to original source...
    4. Armstrong, A.F., Logan, D.C., Atkin, O.K.: On the developmental dependence of leaf respiration: responses to short-and long-term changes in growth temperature.-Amer. J. Bot. 93: 1633-1639, 2006. Go to original source...
    5. Atkin, O.K., Evans, J.R., Ball, M.C., Siebke, K.: Relationship between the inhibition of leaf respiration by light and enhancement of leaf dark respiration following light treatment.-Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 25: 437-443, 1998a. Go to original source...
    6. Atkin, O.K., Evans, J.R., Ball, M.C., Siebke, K., Pons, T.L., Lambers, H.: Light inhibition of leaf respiration: the role of irradiance and temperature.-In: Moller, I.M., Gardestrom, P., Gliminius, K., Glaser, E. (ed.): Plant Mitochondria: from Gene to Function. Pp. 567-574. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden 1998b.
    7. Atkin, O.K., Holly, C., Ball, M.C.: Acclimation of snow gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora) leaf respiration to seasonal and diurnal variations in temperature: the importance of changes in the capacity and temperature sensitivity of respiration.-Plant Cell Environ. 23: 15-26, 2000. Go to original source...
    8. Atkin, O.K., Lambers, H.: Slow-growing alpine and fast-growing lowland species: a case study of factors associated with variation in growth rate among herbaceous higher plants under natural and controlled conditions.-In: Lambers, H., Poorter, H., Van Vuuren, M.M.I. (ed.): Inherent Variation in Plant Growth: Physiological Mechanism and Ecological Consequences. Pp. 259-288. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden 1998.
    9. Atkin, O.K., Tjoelker, M.G.: Thermal acclimation and the dynamic response of plant respiration to temperature.-Trends Plant Sci. 8: 343-351, 2003. Go to original source...
    10. Butler, D.R., Landsberg, J.J.: Respiration rates of apple trees, estimated by CO2-efflux measurements.-Plant Cell Environ. 4: 153-159, 1981. Go to original source...
    11. Cai, Z.-Q., Slot, M., Fan, Z.-X.: Leaf development and photosynthetic properties of three tropical tree species with delayed greening.-Photosynthetica 43: 91-98, 2005. Go to original source...
    12. Cannell, M.G.R., Thornley, J.H.M.: Modelling the components of plant respiration: Some guiding principles.-Ann. Bot. 85: 45-54, 2000. Go to original source...
    13. Carla, A., Gunderson, R.J.N., Wullschleger, S.D.: Acclimation of photosynthesis and respiration to simulated climatic warming in northern and southern populations of Acer saccharum: laboratory and field evidence.-Tree Physiol. 20: 87-96, 2000. Go to original source...
    14. Filella, I, Llusìa, J., Piñol, J., Peñuelas, J.: Leaf gas exchange and fluorescence of Phillyrea latifolia and Quercus ilex samplings in severe drought and high temperature conditions.-Environ. exp. Bot. 39: 213-220, 1998. Go to original source...
    15. Galmés, J., Ribas-Carbó, M., Medrano, H., Flexas, J.: Response of leaf respiration to water stress in Mediterranean species with different growth forms.-J. Arid Environ. 68: 206-222, 2007. Go to original source...
    16. García-Plazaola, J.I., Becerril, J.M.: Effects of drought on photoprotective mechanisms in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) seedlings from different provenances.-Trees 14: 485-490, 2000. Go to original source...
    17. Gifford, R.M.: Plant respiration in productivity models: conceptualisation, representation and issues for global terrestrial carbon-cycle research.-Funct. Plant Biol. 30: 171-186, 2003. Go to original source...
    18. Gratani, L., Bombelli, A.: Correlation between leaf age and other leaf traits in three Mediterranean maquis shrub species: Quercus ilex, Phillyrea latifolia and Cistus incanus.-Environ. exp. Bot. 43: 141-153, 2000. Go to original source...
    19. Gratani, L., Bombelli, A.: Differences in leaf traits among Mediterranean broad-leaves evergreen shrubs.-Ann. bot. fenn. 38: 15-24, 2001.
    20. Gratani, L., Crescente, M.F.: Phenology and leaf adaptive strategies of Mediterranean maquis plants.-Ecol. Medit. 23: 11-19, 1997. Go to original source...
    21. Gratani, L., Pesoli, P., Crescente, M.F., Aichner, K., Larcher, W.: Photosynthesis as a temperature indicator in Quercus ilex L.-Global Planet. Change 24: 153-163, 2000. Go to original source...
    22. Gratani, L., Varone, L.: Adaptative photosynthetic strategies of the Mediterranean maquis species according to their origin.-Photosynthetica 42: 551-558, 2004. Go to original source...
    23. Gratani, L., Varone, L., Bonito, A.: Environmental induced variations in leaf dark respiration and net photosynthesis of Quercus ilex L.-Photosynthetica 45: 633-636, 2007. Go to original source...
    24. Larcher, W.: Physiological Plant Ecology.-Springer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg 2003. Go to original source...
    25. Larigauderie, A., Körner, C.: Acclimation of leaf dark respiration to temperature in alpine and lowland plant-species.-Ann. Bot. 76: 245-252, 1995. Go to original source...
    26. McCree, K.J.: Whole-plant carbon balance during osmotic adjustment to drought and salinity stress.-Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 13: 33-43, 1986. Go to original source...
    27. Peñuelas, J., Filella, I., Lluisia, J., Siscart, D., Piñol, J.: Comparative field study of spring and summer leaf gas exchange and photobiology of the Mediterranean trees Quercus ilex and Phillyrea latifolia.-J. exp. Bot. 49: 229-238, 1998. Go to original source...
    28. Pesoli, P., Gratani, L., Larcher, W.: Responses of Quercus ilex from different provenances to experimentally imposed water stress.-Biol. Plant. 46: 577-581, 2003. Go to original source...
    29. Poorter, H., Remkes, C., Lambers, H.: Carbon and nitrogen economy of 24 wild species differing in relative growth rate.-Plant Physiol. 94: 621-627, 1990. Go to original source...
    30. Reich, P.B., Kloeppel, B.D., Ellsworth, D.S.: Leaf lifespan in relation to leaf, plant and stand characteristic among diverse ecosystems.-Ecol. Monogr. 62: 365-392, 1992. Go to original source...
    31. Reich, P.B., Kloeppel, B.D., Ellsworth, D.S., Walters, M.B.: Different photosynthesis-nitrogen relations in deciduous hardwood and evergreen coniferous tree species.-Oecologia 104: 24-30, 1995. Go to original source...
    32. Reich, P.B., Walters, M.B., Ellsworth, D.S., Vose, J.M., Volin, J.C., Gresham, C., Bowman, W.D.: Relationship of leaf dark respiration to leaf nitrogen, specific leaf area and leaf lifespan - a test across biomes and functional groups.-Oecologia 114: 471-482, 1998. Go to original source...
    33. Reichstein, M., Tenhunen, J.D., Roupsard, O., Ourcival, J.M., Rambal, S., Dore, S., Valentini, R.: Ecosystem respiration in two Mediterranean evergreen Holm Oak forests: drought effects and decomposition dynamics.-Funct Ecol. 16: 27-39, 2002. Go to original source...
    34. Rouhi, V., Samson, R., Lemeur, R., Van Damme, P.: Photosynthetic gas exchange characteristics in three different almond species during drought stress and subsequent recovery.-Environ. exp. Bot. 59: 117-129, 2007. Go to original source...
    35. Ryan, M.G.: Effects of climate change on plant respiration.-Ecol. appl. 1: 157-167, 1991. Go to original source...
    36. Ryan, M.G., Lavigne, M.B., Gower, S.T.: Annual carbon cost of autotrophic respiration in boreal forest ecosystems in relation to species and climate.-J. geophys. Res. 102: 28 871-28 883, 1997. Go to original source...
    37. Schimel, D.S.: Terrestrial ecosystems and carbon cycle.-Global Change Biol. 1: 77-91, 1995. Go to original source...
    38. Turnbull, M.H., Whitehead., D., Tissue, D.T., Schuster, W.S.F., Brown, K.J., Griffin, K.L.: Scaling foliar respiration in two contrasting forest canopies.-Funct. Ecol. 17: 101-114, 2003. Go to original source...
    39. Varone, L., Gratani, L.: Physiological response of eight Mediterranean maquis species to low air temperatures during winter.-Photosynthetica 45: 385-391, 2007. Go to original source...
    40. Whitehead, D., Griffin, K.L., Turnbull, M.H., Tissue, D.T., Engel, V.C., Brown, K.J., Schuster, W.S.F., Walcroft, A.S.: Response of total night-time respiration to differences in total daily photosynthesis for leaves in a Quercus rubra L. canopy: implications for modelling canopy CO2 exchange.-Global Change Biol. 10: 925-938, 2004. Go to original source...
    41. Wright, I.J., Reich, P.B., Westoby, M.: Strategy-shift in leaf physiology, structure and nutrient content between species of high and low rainfall and high and low nutrient habitats.-Funct. Ecol. 15: 423-434, 2001. Go to original source...
    42. Zaragoza-Castells, J., Sánchez-Gómez, D., Valladares, F., Hurry, V., Atkin, O.K.: Does growth irradiance affect temperature dependence and thermal acclimation of leaf respiration? Insight from a Mediterranean tree with long-lived leaves.-Plant Cell Environ. 30: 820-833, 2007. Go to original source...

    Return to the content