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Mesophyll conductance variations in response to diurnal environmental factors in Myrcia paivae and Minquartia guianensis in Central Amazonia

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

Mesophyll conductance (g m) is essential to determine accurate physiological parameters used to model photosynthesis in forest ecosystems. This study aimed to determine the effects of time of day on photosynthetic parameters, and to assess the effect of using either intercellular CO2 concentration (C i) or chloroplast CO2 concentration (C c), on maximum carboxylation velocity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), V cmax. We used Amazonian saplings of Myrcia paivae and Minquartia guianensis. Photosynthetic parameters were measured using an infrared gas analyzer (IRGA); g m was determined using both gas exchange and chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence and gas-exchange data alone. Leaf thickness (L T) and specific leaf area (SLA) were also measured. Air temperature, relative humidity or understory light did not correlate with g m and on average daily IRGA-fluorometer-determined g m was 0.04 mol(CO2) m−2 s−1 for M. paivae and 0.05 mol(CO2) m−2 s−1 for M. guianensis. Stomatal conductance (g s), g m, electron transport rate (J F), and light-saturated net photosynthetic rate (P Nmax) were lower in the afternoon than in the morning. However, no effect of time of day was observed on V cmax. L T and SLA did not affect any of the examined parameters. IRGA-determined g m was almost the double of the value obtained using the IRGA-fluorescence method. V cmax values determined using C c were about 25% higher than those obtained using C i, which highlighted the importance of using C c in V cmax calculation. Decline in P Nmax at the end of the afternoon reflected variations in g s and g m rather than changes in V cmax. Diurnal variation in g m appeared to be associated more with endogenous than with atmospheric factors.

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Abbreviations

C i :

intercellular CO2 concentration

C c :

chloroplast CO2 concentration

Chl:

chlorophyll

[CO2]:

CO2 concentration

Fm :

maximum chlorophyll fluorescence of a dark adapted leaf

Fm′:

maximum fluorescence of an illuminated leaf

Fs :

steady state fluorescence

g m :

mesophyll conductance

g s :

stomatal conductance

I e :

photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by a leaf

J F :

electron transport rate

J F-cal :

J F corrected

J c :

flow of electrons used for carboxylation of RuBP

J o :

flow of electrons used for oxygenation of RuBP

L T :

fresh leaf thickness

K c :

Michaelis constant of Rubisco for carboxylation

K o :

Michaelis constant of Rubisco for oxygenation

PAR:

photosynthetically active radiation

P N :

net photosynthetic rate

P Nmax :

lightsaturated net photosynthetic rate

P N /C i :

response of photosynthesis to intercellular CO2 concentration

PSII:

photosystem II

RH:

air relative humidity

R L :

leaf respiration in the light

Rubisco:

ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase

RuBP:

ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate

S*:

specificity factor of Rubisco

S :

Rubisco specificity in vitro (2,560 mol mol−1)

SLA:

specific leaf area

T air :

air temperature

V cmax :

maximum carboxylation velocity of Rubisco

α:

leaf absorptance

ϕPSII :

quantum yield of photosystem II

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Research in the Amazon, Botany Graduate Program, Avenida André Araújo, 2936, 69060-001, Manaus, P.O. Box 2273, AM, Brazil

    H. C. S. Nascimento

  2. Coordination of Environment Dynamic, Tree Ecophysiology Laboratory, Avenida André Araújo, 2936, 69060-001, Manaus, P.O. Box 2273, AM, Brazil

    R. A. Marenco

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  1. H. C. S. Nascimento
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Correspondence to R. A. Marenco.

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Acknowledgements: To the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas (FAPEAM, UA 6203164.12) for financial support. We also thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for scholarship.

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Nascimento, H.C.S., Marenco, R.A. Mesophyll conductance variations in response to diurnal environmental factors in Myrcia paivae and Minquartia guianensis in Central Amazonia. Photosynthetica 51, 457–464 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-013-0046-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-013-0046-x

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