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Gas exchanges of three co-occurring species of Cypripedium in a scrubland in the Hengduan Mountains

  • Published:
Photosynthetica

Abstract

Gas exchanges and related leaf traits of three co-occurring species of genus Cypripedium (C. yunnanense Franch., C. guttatum SW., and C. flavum P.F. Hunt et Summerch.) were investigated in a scrubland at 3 460 m a.s.l. in the Hengduan Mountains. The considered species had similar photosynthetic responses to photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and air temperature. The photosynthetic capacity (P max), carboxylation efficiency (CE), apparent quantum efficiency (AQE), PPFD-saturated rate of electron transport (Jmax), respiration rate (R D), and leaf nitrogen content per unit area (LNC) of C. guttatum were higher than those of C. yunnanense and C. flavum. The highest P max of C. guttatum was related to the highest LNC and the lowest ratio of intercellular CO2 concentration to atmospheric CO2 concentration (C i/C a). However, no significant differences in stomatal conductance (g s) and relative stomatal limitations (RSL) were observed among the three species. Hence biochemical limitation had a dominant role in P max differences among the considered species.

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Abbreviations

AQE:

apparent quantum efficiency

Chl:

chlorophyll

CE:

carboxylation efficiency

CI:

compensation irradiance for photosynthesis

C i/C a :

the ratio of intercellular to the ambient CO2 concentration

E:

transpiration rate

g s :

stomatal conductance

Jmax :

PPFD saturated rate of electron transport

LNC:

leaf nitrogen content per unit leaf area

P day :

daily mean P N

P max :

light-saturated P N

P N :

net photosynthetic rate

PPFD:

photosynthetic photon flow density

R D :

respiration rate

RSL:

relative stomatal limitation

SI:

saturation irradiance for photosynthesis

Tl :

leaf temperature

Topt :

optimum temperature for photosynthesis

TPU:

rate of triose phosphate utilization

Vcmax :

maximum RuBP saturated rate of carboxylation

WUE:

water use efficiency

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kunming Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, China

    S. B. Zhang, H. Hu, K. Xu & Z. R. Li

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  1. S. B. Zhang
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  2. H. Hu
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  3. K. Xu
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  4. Z. R. Li
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Correspondence to H. Hu.

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Zhang, S.B., Hu, H., Xu, K. et al. Gas exchanges of three co-occurring species of Cypripedium in a scrubland in the Hengduan Mountains. Photosynthetica 44, 241–247 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-006-0014-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-006-0014-9

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