Evaluation of photosynthetic electron flow using simultaneous measurements of gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence under photorespiratory conditions

Abstract

Simultaneous measurements of leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence for Koelreuteria paniculata Laxm. at 380 ± 5.6 and 600 ± 8.5 μmol mol⁻¹ were conducted, and the photosynthetic electron flow via photosystem II (PSII) to photosynthesis, photorespiration, and other electron-consuming processes were calculated. The results showed that the photosynthetic electron flow associated with carboxylation (J _c), oxygenation (J _o), and other electron-consuming processes (J _r) were 72.7, 45.7, and 29.4 μmol(e⁻) m⁻² s⁻¹ at 380 μmol mol⁻¹, respectively; and 86.1, 35.3, and 48.2 μmol(e⁻) m⁻² s⁻¹ at 600 μmol mol⁻¹, respectively. Our results revealed that other aspects associated with electronconsuming processes, except for photosynthesis and respiration, were neither negligible nor constant under photorespiratory conditions. Using maximum net photosynthetic rate (P _max), day respiration (R), photorespiration rate (R _l), and maximum electron flow via PSII (J _max), the use efficiency of electrons via PSII at saturation irradiance to fix CO₂ was calculated. The calculated results showed that the use efficiency of electrons via PSII to fix CO₂ at 600 μmo^l mol⁻¹ was almost as effective as that at 380 μmol mol⁻¹, even though more electrons passed through PSII at 600 μmol mol⁻¹ than at 380 μmol mol⁻¹.