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Photosynthetic and cytological recovery on remoistening Syntrichia caninervis Mitt., a desiccation-tolerant moss from Northwestern China

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

Syntrichia caninervis Mitt. is the dominant species in the moss crusts of the Gurbantunggut Desert, Northwestern China. We experimented with this species under controlled environmental conditions. Modulated chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence was used to test the speed of recovery as evidenced by the time course of photosynthetic activity following remoistening. Transmission electron microscopy was used to explore the cytological characteristics of the leaf cells. Minimum and maximum fluorescence (F0 and FM) and photosynthetic yield (FV/FM) of photosystem II (PSII) recovered quickly when shoots were remoistened in the dark. This was especially the case of FV/FM; within the first minute of remoistening this reached 90% or more of the value attained after 30 min. These physiological changes were closely paralleled by cytological changes that indicated no damage to membranes or organelles. Correlation analysis showed that Chl fluorescence decreased both above and below a narrow moisture optimum. Our results underline the capability of S. caninervis to photosynthesize after remoistening. Utilizing precipitation events such as dew, fog, rain, and melting snow allows S. caninervis to survive and grow in a harsh desert environment.

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Abbreviations

Chl:

chlorophyll

F0 and FM :

minimum and maximum fluorescence in dark-adapted state

FV/FM :

maximum quantum yield of PSII

PSII:

photosystem II

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Wei Meili for her help in the analysis of the ultrastructural observations. This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program (No. 2009CB825104), the Key Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KZCX2-YW-336), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40771114).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi, 830011, China

    J. Zhang, Y. -M. Zhang, N. Wu & B. -C. Zhang

  2. Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China

    J. Zhang, N. Wu & B. -C. Zhang

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia

    A. Downing

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  1. J. Zhang
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  2. Y. -M. Zhang
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  3. A. Downing
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  4. N. Wu
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  5. B. -C. Zhang
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Correspondence to Y. -M. Zhang.

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Zhang, J., Zhang, Y.M., Downing, A. et al. Photosynthetic and cytological recovery on remoistening Syntrichia caninervis Mitt., a desiccation-tolerant moss from Northwestern China. Photosynthetica 49, 13–20 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-011-0002-6

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