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Water relations, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and contents of saccharides in tree species of a tropical forest in response to flood

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

We studied the seasonal changes in water relations, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and leaf saccharide contents of the tropical flood-tolerant trees Acosmium nitens, Campsiandra laurifolia, Eschweilera tenuifolia, Symmeria paniculata, and Psidium ovatifolium. Xylem water potential increased with flooding to a larger extent than leaf sap osmotic potential in all the species, and soluble sugars contributed up to 66 % of osmotic potential at maximum flooding. Starch was accumulated in leaves. Maximum quantum yield of photosystem 2 decreased in emerged leaves, values being always higher than 0.76. Daily maximum net photosynthetic rate and leaf conductance decreased in all the species. This reduction was associated in all the species but S. paniculata with the absence of a compensatory increase in non-photochemical quenching.

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Abbreviations

Chl:

chlorophyll

g s :

stomatal conductance to water vapour

NPQ:

non-photochemical quenching coefficient

P N :

net photosynthetic rate

PPFD:

photosynthetic photon flux density

PS:

photosystem

RH:

relative humidity

ψ:

xylem water potential

ψs :

leaf sap osmotic potential

ΦPS2 :

quantum yield of photosystem 2

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Ecologia, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Altos de Pipe, Apartado, Caracas, Venezuela

    E. Rengifo

  2. Instituto de Biologia Experimental, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado 47577, Caracas, 1041A, Venezuela

    W. Tezara & A. Herrera

Authors
  1. E. Rengifo
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  2. W. Tezara
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  3. A. Herrera
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Herrera.

Additional information

This research was financially supported by CONICIT grant S1-96001345. E. Rengifo was funded by a CONICIT scholarship.

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Rengifo, E., Tezara, W. & Herrera, A. Water relations, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and contents of saccharides in tree species of a tropical forest in response to flood. Photosynthetica 43, 203–210 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-005-0034-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-005-0034-x

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