Abstract
Primary photochemistry of photosystem II (F v/F m) of the Antarctic hair grass Deschampsia antarctica growing in the field (Robert Island, Maritime Antarctic) and in the laboratory was studied. Laboratory plants were grown at a photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 180 μmol m−2 s−1 and an optimal temperature (13 ± 1.5°C) for net photosynthesis. Subsequently, two groups of plants were exposed to low temperature (4 ± 1.5°C day/night) under two levels of PPFD (180 and 800 μmol m−2 s−1) and a control group was kept at 13 ± 1.5°C and PPFD of 800 μmol m−2 s−1. Chlorophyll fluorescence was measured during several days in field plants and weekly in the laboratory plants. Statistically significant differences were found in F v/F m (=0.75–0.83), F 0 and F m values of field plants over the measurement period between days with contrasting irradiances and temperature levels, suggesting that plants in the field show high photosynthetic efficiency. Laboratory plants under controlled conditions and exposed to low temperature under two light conditions showed significantly lower F v/F m and F m. Moreover, they presented significantly less chlorophyll and carotenoid content than field plants. The differences in the performance of the photosynthetic apparatus between field- and laboratory-grown plants indicate that measurements performed in ex situ plants should be interpreted with caution.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- Fv/Fm:
-
Primary photochemical efficiency of PS II
- F m :
-
Maximum fluorescence
- F v :
-
Variable fluorescence
- F 0 :
-
Minimum fluorescence
- PS II:
-
Photosystem II
- LT:
-
Low temperature treatments
- LT-180:
-
Low temperature + PPFD of 180 μmol m−2 s−1
- LT-800:
-
Low temperature + PPFD of 800 μmol m−2 s−1
- FP:
-
Field plants
- CO-180:
-
13°C + PPFD of 180 μmol m−2 s−1
References
Alberdi M, Bravo LA, Gutiérrez A et al (2002) Ecophysiology of Antarctic vascular plants. Physiol Plant 115:479–486
Björkman O, Demmig B (1987) Photon yield of O2 evolution and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristic at 77 K among vascular plants of diverse origins. Planta 170:489–504
Bravo LA, Ulloa N, Zúñiga GE et al (2001) Cold resistance in Antarctic angiosperms. Physiol Plant 111:55–65
Casanova-Katny MA, Bravo LA, Molina-Montenegro M, Corcuera LJ, Cavieres LA (2007) Photosynthetic performance of Colobanthus quitensis (Kunth) Bartl. (Caryophyllaceae) in a high-elevation site of the Andes of Central Chile. Rev Chil Hist Nat 80:335–343
Casaretto JA, Corcuera LJ, Serey I, Zuñiga G (1994) Size structure of tussocks of a population of Deschampsia antarctica Desv. in Robert Island, Maritime Antarctic. Serie Científica Instituto Antártico Chileno 44:61–66
Edwards JA, Smith RIL (1988) Phosynthesis and respiration of Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica from the Maritime Antarctic. Br Antarct Surv Bull 81:43–63
Geringhausen U, Bräutigam K, Mustafa O, Peter HU (2003) Expansion of vascular plants on an Antarctic island—a consequence of climate change? In: Huiskes AHL, Gieskes WWC, Rozema J, Schorno RML, van der Vies SM, Wolf WJ (eds) Antarctic biology in a global context. Backhuys, Leiden, pp 79–83
Kennedy AD (1993) Water as a limiting factor in the Antarctic terrestrial environment: a biogeographical síntesis. Arct Alp Res 25:308–315
Kennedy AD (1999) Modeling the determinants of species distributions in Antarctica. Arct Antarct Alp Res 31:230–241
Komárková V, Poncet S, Poncet J (1985) Two native Antarctic vascular plants, Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis: a new southernmost locality and other localities in the Antarctic peninsula area. Arct Alp Res 17:401–416
Komárková V, Poncet S, Poncet J (1990) Additional and revisited localities of vascular plants Deschampsia antarctica Desv. and Colobathus quitensis (Kunth) Bartl. in the Antarctic peninsula area. Arct Alp Res 22:108–113
Körner C (1999) Alpine plant life: functional plant ecology of high mountain ecosystems. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg
Larcher W (1995) Physiological plant ecology. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, p 506
Lichtenthaler H, Wellburn AR (1983) Determinations of total carotenoids and chlorophyll a and b of leaf extracts in different solvents. Biochem Soc Trans 603:591–592
Long SP, Humpries S (1994) Photoinhibition of photosynthesis in nature. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 45:662–663
Lütz C (1996) Avoidance of photoinhibition and examples of photodestruction in high alpine Eriophorum. J Plant Physiol 148:120–128
Manuel N, Cornic G, Aubert S, Choler P, Bligny R, Heber U (1999) Protection against photoinhibition in the alpine plant Geum montanum. Oecologia 119:149–158
Montiel PO, Smith A, Keiller D (1999) Photosynthetic responses of selected Antarctic plants to solar radiation in the southern Maritime Antarctic. Polar Res 18:229–235
Moore DM (1970) Studies in Colobanthus quitensis (Kunth) Bartl. and Deschampsia antarctica Desv. II. Taxonomy, distribution and relationships. Br Antarct Surv Bull 23:63–80
Ochyra R (1998) The moss flora of King George Island Antarctica. W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow
Perez-Torres E, García A, Dinamarca J, Alberdi M, Gutierrez A, Gidekel M, Ivanov AG, Huner NPA, Corcuera LJ, Bravo LA (2004) The role of photochemical quenching and antioxidants in photoprotection of Deschampsia antarctica. Funct Plant Biol 31:731–741
Perez-Torres E, Bascuñan L, Sierra A, Bravo LA, Corcuera LJ (2006) Robustness of activity of Calvin cycle enzymes after high light and low temperature conditions in Antarctic vascular plants. Polar Biol 29:909–916
Pittermann J, Sage RF (2000) Photosynthetic performance at low temperature of Bouteloua gracilis Lag., a high-altitude C4 grass from the Rocky Mountains, USA. Plant Cell Environ 23:811–823
Romero M, Casanova A, Iturra G, Reyes A, Montenegro G, Alberdi M (1999) Leaf anatomy of Deschampsia antarctica (Poaceae) from the Maritime Antarctic and its plastic response to changes in the growth conditions. Rev Chil Hist Nat 72:411–425
Smith RIL (1994) Vascular plants as bioindicators of regional warming in Antarctica. Oecologia 99:322–328
Smith RIL (2003) The enigma of Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia Antarctica in Antarctica. In: Huiskes AHL, Gieskes WWC, Rozema J, Scorno RML, van der Vies SM, Wolf WJ (eds) Antarctic biology in a global context. Backhuys, Leiden, pp 234–239
Streb P, Feierabend J, Bligny R (1998) Divergent strategies of photoprotection in high-mountain plants. Planta 207:313–324
Xiong FS, Ruhland CT, Day TA (1999) Photosynthetic temperature response of the Antarctic vascular plants Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica. Physiol Plant 106:276–286
Xiong FS, Mueller EC, Day TA (2000) Photosynthetic and respiratory acclimation and growth response of Antarctic vascular plants to contrasting temperature regimes. Am J Botany 87:700–710
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the effort of the three referees who helped us to substantially improve the manuscript before publication. This work was supported by FONDECYT (Grant 1970637), Dirección de Investigación, Universidad Austral de Chile (Grant S-96-05) and Instituto Chileno Antártico (Grant 0894). Last but not least, I would thank my husband Dr. Götz Palfner for his unrestricted support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Casanova-Katny, M.A., Zúñiga, G.E., Corcuera, L.J. et al. Deschampsia antarctica Desv. primary photochemistry performs differently in plants grown in the field and laboratory. Polar Biol 33, 477–483 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-009-0723-1
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-009-0723-1