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When the sun never sets: daily changes in pigment composition in three subarctic woody plants during the summer solstice

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Subarctic plants in summer (subjected to continuous light) showed photosynthetic pigment contents mainly driven by PPFD (unrelated to day/night cycles) and a xanthophyll cycle responsiveness to PPFD exacerbated during night-times.

Abstract

Composition and content of photosynthetic pigments is finely tuned by plants according to a subtle equilibrium between the absorbed and used energy by the photosynthetic apparatus. Subarctic and Arctic plants are subjected to extended periods of continuous light during summer. This condition represents a unique natural scenario to study the influence of light on pigment regulation and the presence of diurnal patterns potentially governed by circadian rhythms. Here, we examined the modulation of the photosynthetic apparatus in three naturally co-occurring woody species: mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii), alpine bearberry (Arctostaphylos alpina) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) around the summer solstice, at 67 °N latitude. Plants were continuously exposed to solar radiation during the 3-day study period, although PPFD fluctuated, being lower during night-times. Photochemical efficiencies for a given PPFD were similar during daytime and night-time for the three species. In Scots pine, for a given PPFD, net assimilation was slightly higher during daytime than during night-time. Overall, the dynamism in pigment content was mainly driven by PPFD, and was generally unrelated to day/night cycles. Weak indications of potential circadian regulation were found over a few pigments only. Interestingly, the xanthophyll cycle was active at any time of the day in the three species but its responsiveness to PPFD was exacerbated during night-times. This was particularly evident for bearberry, which maintained a highly de-epoxidised state even at night-times. The results could indicate an incomplete acclimation to a 24-h photoperiod for these species, which have colonised subarctic latitudes only recently.

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Funding

Basque Government (UPV/EHU IT-1018-16); Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and the ERDF (FEDER) (CTM2014-53902-C2-2-P) to JIGP and BFM; and “Juan de la Cierva-Incorporation” Fellowship IJCI-2014-22489 to BFM; Finnish Academy (272041 and 293443); Funds of the University of Helsinki (490116).

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Author notes

  1. Jon Atherton and Beñat Olascoaga contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena sn, 48940, Leioa, Spain

    Beatriz Fernández-Marín & José I. García-Plazaola

  2. Optics of Photosynthesis Laboratory, Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR)/Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Latokartanonkaari 7, PO Box 27, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Jon Atherton, Beñat Olascoaga & Albert Porcar-Castell

  3. Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR)/Physics, University of Helsinki, PO Box 68, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Pasi Kolari

Authors
  1. Beatriz Fernández-Marín
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  2. Jon Atherton
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  3. Beñat Olascoaga
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  4. Pasi Kolari
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  5. Albert Porcar-Castell
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  6. José I. García-Plazaola
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Correspondence to Beatriz Fernández-Marín.

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The authors of this manuscript declare no conflict of interest.

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Communicated by A. Gessler.

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Fernández-Marín, B., Atherton, J., Olascoaga, B. et al. When the sun never sets: daily changes in pigment composition in three subarctic woody plants during the summer solstice. Trees 32, 615–630 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-018-1660-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-018-1660-9

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