Abstract
The immediate effects of short exposures to high concentrations of different air pollutants (20 min SO2, 2 h O3, and 4 h NO2, 5 ppm each) on chlorophyll fluorescence and P700 absorbance changes at 830 nm of intact spinach leaves were investigated. Three different types of fluorescence measurements were used: Fluorescence rise kinetics in saturating light, fast fluorescence induction kinetics (Kautsky-effect), and slow induction kinetics with repetitive application of saturation pulses (saturation pulse method).
The results show that the various air pollutants caused rather different damage in the photosynthetic apparatus of the leaves:
-
1.
SO 2: The main effect is due to the acidifying action, weakening the PS II donor side (suppression of I1-I2-P phase in fluorescence) and inhibiting Calvin cycle activation (no relaxation of membrane energization).
-
2.
O 3: Ozone has apparently no specific point of attack due to its high reactivity. It obviously reacts with all cell membranes, but primarily with the plasma membrane which it first passes on the way into the leaf.
-
3.
NO 2: NO2 produces HNO3 and HNO2, when dissolved in the leaf water. The nitrite reductase, however, is highly effective, so that (in the light) nearly all nitrite is reduced. By the reduction of nitrite to ammonia, OH- is produced preventing net acidification. Obviously, the electron transport rates, which are possible with nitrite as acceptor are very high, being comparable to those observed with the well-known Hill reagent methylviologen, as revealed by P700 measurements in saturating light. Such high reactivities with NO2 - must prevent assimilatory electron flow.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- Cyt. b/f :
-
Cytochrome b/f
- FR:
-
Far-red light
- MV:
-
Methylviologen
- ppm:
-
Parts per million
- PQ:
-
Plastoquinone
- PS II/I:
-
Photosystem II/I
- QA :
-
Ubiquinone A, the primary electron acceptor of PS II
References
Bilger H-W, Schreiber U and Lange OL (1984) Determination of leaf heat resistance: Comparative investigation of chlorophyll fluorescence changes and tissue necrosis methods. Oecologia 63: 256–262
Bilger W, Schreiber U and Lange OL (1987) In: Tenhunen et al. (eds) Plant Response to Stress, pp 391–399. Springer Verlag
Harbinson J and Woodward FI (1987) The use of light induced absorbance changes at 820 nm to monitor the oxidation state of P700 in leaves. Plant Cell Environ 10: 131–140
Hetherington SE and Öquist G (1988) Monitoring chilling injury: A comparison of chlorophyll fluorescence measurements, post-chilling growth and visible symptoms of injury in Zea mays. Physiol Plant 72: 241–247
Kaplan D, Mayer AM and Lips SH (1979) In: Hewitt EJ and Cutting CV (eds) Nitrogen Assimilation of Plants, pp 315–320. Academic Press, London-New York-San Francisco
Kolbowski J, Rümmele S, Reisberg G, Urbach W and Heber U (1988) Ozon-Aufnahme und damit verbundene Membranschädigungen. Tagung der Dt. Botanischen Gesellschaft, Gießen 1988, Tagungsband S.40
Neubauer Chr and Schreiber U (1987) The polyphasic rise of chlorophyll fluorescence upon onset of strong continuous illumination: I. Saturation characteristics and partial control by the photosystem II acceptor side. Z Naturforsch 42c: 1246–1254
Pfanz H, Martinoia E, Lange OL and Heber U (1987a) Mesophyll resistances to SO2 fluxes into leaves. Plant Physiol 85: 922–927
Pfanz H, Martinoia E, Lange OL and Heber U (1987b) Flux of SO2 into leaf cells and cellular acidification by SO2. Plant Physiol 85: 928–933
Schmidt W, Schreiber U and Urbach W (1988) SO2 injury in intact leaves, as detected by chlorophyll fluorescence. Z Naturforsch 43c: 269–274
Schreiber U and Bilger W (1987) In: Tenhunen et al. (eds) Plant Response to Stress, pp 27–53. Springer Verlag
Schreiber U, Klughammer Chr and Neubauer Chr (1988) Measuring P700 absorbance changes around 830 nm with a new type of pulse modulation system. Z Naturforsch 43c: 686–698
Schreiber U and Neubauer Chr (1987) The polyphasic rise of chlorophyll fluorescence upon onset of strong continuous illumination: II. Partial control by the photosystem II donor side and possible ways of interpretation. Z Naturforsch 42c: 1255–1264
Schreiber U, Vidaver W, Runeckles VC and Rosen P (1978) Chlorophyll fluorescence assay for ozone injury in intact plants. Plant Physiol 61: 80–84
Shimazaki K, Ito K, Kondo N and Sugahara K (1984) Reversible inhibition of the photosynthetic water-splitting enzyme system by SO2-fumigation assayed by chlorophyll fluorescence and EPR signal in vivo. Plant Cell Physiol 25: 795–803
Smillie RM, Nott R, Hetherington SE and Öquist G (1987) Chilling injury and recovery in detached and attached leaves measured by chlorophyll fluorescence. Physiol Plant 69: 419–428
Weis E, Ball T and Berry J (1987) Photosynthetic control of electron transport in leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris. Evidence for regulation of photosystem II by the proton gradient. In: Biggins J (ed) Progress in Photosynthesis Research, Vol 2, pp 553–556. Dordrecht: Martinus Nijhoff
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schmidt, W., Neubauer, C., Kolbowski, J. et al. Comparison of effects of air pollutants (SO2, O3, NO2) on intact leaves by measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence and P700 absorbance changes. Photosynth Res 25, 241–248 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00033165
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00033165