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Electron Transport in Leaves: A Physiological Perspective

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Photosynthesis

Part of the book series: Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration ((AIPH,volume 34))

Summary

Light absorbed by photosystems I and II is used to drive linear electron transport, and associated proton transport, in the thylakoid membranes of leaves. In healthy leaves operating under non-stressful conditions and in which photorespiration is inhibited, photosynthetic electron transport is used primarily to reduce NADP+ to NADPH, which is then used to drive the assimilation of CO2 into carbohydrates with ca. 88% of electrons being consumed in this process. However, such a high quantum efficiency of CO2 assimilation is frequently not observed in leaves. We examine the intrinsic physiological, metabolic and environmental factors that can modify photosynthetic electron transport in leaves. Electron transport is also required for the reduction and activation of key enzymes involved in photosynthetic metabolism and driving other metabolic processes, such as nitrogen and sulfur metabolism. Oxygen can act as an electron acceptor, being reduced by electrons from photosystem I via a Mehler reaction or by electrons from photosystem II via the plastid terminal oxidase. Although such photoreductions of oxygen do not appear to have a significant role in healthy, non-stressed leaves, there is evidence to support the contention that these processes can be important for photoprotection of photosystem II in leaves under light stress. Cyclic electron transport can occur around photosystem I; however, this process would also appear to only be of physiological importance when the ability of the leaf to assimilate CO2 is severely restricted. It is concluded that leaves exhibit a high degree of plasticity in their ability to modify the pathways of photosynthetic electron transport in order to deal with fluctuations in metabolic demands and environmental stresses.

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Abbreviations

Ca – :

Molar ratio of CO2 in ambient air;

Ci – :

Molar ratio of CO2 concentration in intercellular leaf space;

CET1 –:

Cyclic electron transfer around PS I;

FBPase –:

Fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase;

FNR –:

Ferredoxin NADP oxidoreductase;

LET –:

Linear electron transfer;

LHCII –:

Light-harvesting complexes associated with PS II;

MDA –:

Monodehydroascorbate;

MDH –:

Malate dehydrogenase;

Ndh –:

NAD(P)H dehydrogenase complex;

PPFD –:

Photosynthetically-active photon flux density;

PS I –:

Photosystem I;

PS II –:

Photosystem II;

PTOX –:

Plastid terminal oxidase;

Rubisco –:

Ribulose 1,5-­bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase;

φCO2max – :

Maximum quantum yield of CO2 assimilation;

φO2max – :

Maximum quantum yield of O2 evolution

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank CNRS and the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences and Natural Environment Research Councils for support of research related to the subject of this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d’Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, Faculté des sciences d’Orsay, Bât. 362, Université Paris Sud-XI, F-91405, Orsay, France

    Gabriel Cornic

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, Essex, CO4 3SQ, UK

    Neil R. Baker

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  1. Gabriel Cornic
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  2. Neil R. Baker
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Correspondence to Gabriel Cornic .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Julian J. Eaton-Rye

  2. School of Life Sciences, University of New Delhi, New Delhi, 110067, India

    Baishnab C. Tripathy

  3. Biochemistry Building 410, East Lansing, 48824, Michigan, USA

    Thomas D. Sharkey

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Cornic, G., Baker, N.R. (2012). Electron Transport in Leaves: A Physiological Perspective. In: Eaton-Rye, J., Tripathy, B., Sharkey, T. (eds) Photosynthesis. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration, vol 34. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1579-0_23

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