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Acclimation of Arabidopsis thaliana to the light environment: the existence of separate low light and high light responses

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Abstract.

The capacity for photosynthetic acclimation in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. cv. Landsberg erecta was assessed during growth over a broad range of irradiance. Discontinuities in the response to growth irradiance were revealed for the light- and CO2-saturated rate of photosynthesis (P max) and the ratio of chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b (Chl a/b). Three separate phases in the response of P max and Chl a/b to growth light were evident, with increases at low and high irradiance ranges and a plateau at intermediate irradiance. By measuring all chlorophyll-containing components of the thylakoid membrane that contribute to Chl a/b we reveal that distinct strategies for growth at low and high irradiance underlie the discontinuous response. These strategies include, in addition to changes in the major light-harvesting complexes of photosystem II (LHCII), large shifts in the amounts of both reaction centres as well as significant changes in the levels of minor LHCII and LHCI components.

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Bailey, S., Walters, R.G., Jansson, S. et al. Acclimation of Arabidopsis thaliana to the light environment: the existence of separate low light and high light responses. Planta 213, 794–801 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004250100556

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004250100556

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