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Comparison of morphological and physiological characteristics in two phenotypes of a rare and endangered plant, Begonia fimbristipula Hance

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

The rare and endangered plant, Begonia fimbristipula, shows red and green phenotypes, differentiated by a coloration of the abaxial leaf surface. In this study, we compared morphological and physiological traits of both phenotypes. The results showed that the red phenotype contained a significantly higher chlorophyll content, closer arrangement of chloroplasts, and a more developed grana. In addition, the red phenotype transferred significantly more light energy into the electron transport during the photoreaction. Similarly, the maximum photosynthetic rate, instantaneous water-use and light-use efficiencies of the red B. fimbristipula were all significantly higher than those of the green individuals. The differentiation between these two phenotypes could be caused by their different survival strategies under the same conditions; epigenetic variations may be in some correlation with this kind of phenotype plasticity. Red B. fimbristipula has an advantage in resource acquisition and utilization and possesses a better self-protection mechanism against changes in environmental conditions, therefore, it might adapt better to global climate change compared to the green phenotype. Further studies on the possible epigenetic regulation of those phenotypic differentiations are needed.

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Abbreviations

AQY:

apparent quantum yield

Car:

carotenoids

Chl:

chlorophyll

F0 :

minimal fluorescence yield of the darkadapted state

F0':

minimal fluorescence yield of the light-adapted state

Fm :

maximal fluorescence yield of the dark-adapted state

Fm':

maximal fluorescence yield of the light-adapted state

Fs :

steady-state fluorescence yield

Fv/Fm :

maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry

ILUE:

instantaneous light-use efficiency

IWUE:

instantaneous water-use efficiency

LA:

leaf area

LCP:

lightcompensation point

LSP:

light-saturation point

NPQ:

nonphotochemical quenching

P max :

light-saturated net photosynthetic rate

P N :

net photosynthetic rate

qP:

photochemical fluorescence quenching coefficient

R D :

respiration rate

SEM:

scanning electron microscope

SLA:

specific leaf area

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China

    Y. Wang, J. Wang, H. Ren & Q. M. Zhang

  2. College of Life Science, Zhaoqing University, Zhaoqing, 526061, China

    L. Shao & X. W. Chen

  3. International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, 33199, USA

    H. Liu

  4. Forestry College, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China

    H. Liu

  5. Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center, USDA Forest Service, RTP, NC, 27709, New York, USA

    Y. Wang, L. Shao, J. Wang & Q. F. Guo

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  1. Y. Wang
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  2. L. Shao
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  3. J. Wang
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  4. H. Ren
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  5. H. Liu
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  6. Q. M. Zhang
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  8. X. W. Chen
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Correspondence to H. Ren.

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Acknowledgments: The authors express their gratitude to Dr. Nan Liu and Mr. Zhifang Lin for valuable suggestions for this research; to Dr. Shuguang Jian and Shizhong Liu for fieldwork assistance; to Mrs. Chunqing Long, Mrs. Rufang Deng, and Mrs. Xiaoying Hu for index measurements. This research was supported by Guangzhou Science and Technology Program (2014J4500035), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (31570422). Thanks are also due to Prof. Jennifer Richards and Ms. Elizabeth Hamblin for English editing and constructive comments.

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Wang, Y., Shao, L., Wang, J. et al. Comparison of morphological and physiological characteristics in two phenotypes of a rare and endangered plant, Begonia fimbristipula Hance. Photosynthetica 54, 381–389 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-016-0199-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-016-0199-5

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