Effects of temperature and CO2 enrichment on kinetic properties of phospho-enol-pyruvate carboxylase in two ecotypes of Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv., a C4 weed grass species

Summary Two populations of Echinochloa crus-galli (Québec, Mississippi) were grown at the Duke University Phytotron under 2 thermoperiods (28°/22°C, 21°/15°C day/night) and 2 CO₂ regimes (350 and 675 l l^-1). Thermostability, energy of activation (E _a ),K _m (PEP), K _m (Mg⁺⁺), and specific activity of phospho-enol-pyruvate carboxylase (PEP_c) were analyzed in partially purified enzyme preparations of plants grown for 5 weeks. Thermostability of PEP_c from extracts (in vitro) and leaves (in situ) was significantly higher in Mississippi plants. In vitro denaturation was not appreciably modified by thermal acclimation but CO₂ enrichment elicited higher thermostability of PEP_c. In situ thermostability was significantly higher than that of in vitro assays and was higher in Mississippi plants acclimated at 28°/22°C and in plants of the two ecotypes grown at 675 l l^-1 CO₂. E _a (Q ₁₀ 30°/20°C) for PEP_c was significantly lower in Québec plants as compared to Mississippi and no acclimatory shifts were observed. Significantly higher K _m's (PEP) in 20°C assays were obtained for Mississippi as compared to Québec plants but values were similar at 30°C and 40°C assays. K _m (Mg⁺⁺) decreased at higher assay temperatures and were significantly lower for PEP_c of the Québec ecotype. No significant changes in K _m (Mg⁺⁺) values were associated with modifications in temperature on CO₂ regimes. PEP_c activity measured at 30°C was significantly higher for Québec plants when measured on a leaf fresh weight, leaf area or protein basis but not on a chlorophyll basis. Significantly higher PEP_c activity for both genotypes was observed for plants acclimated at 21°/15°C or grown at 675 l l^-1 CO₂. Net photosynthesis (Ps) and net assimilation rates (NAR) were higher in Québec plants and were enhanced by CO₂ enrichment. NAR was higher in plants acclimated at low temperature, while an opposite trend was observed for Ps. PEP_c activities were always in excess of the amounts required to support observed rates of CO₂ assimilation.     

Effect of low temperature on the photosynthetic metabolism of the C4 grass Echinochloa crus-galli

Summary CO₂ curves of photosynthesis and activities of the four C₄ enzymes and Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (RUBP_c) were compared in two populations of the C₄ grass Echinochloa crus-galli from contrasting thermal environments (Québec and Mississippi). Analyses were conducted both before and after 14 h of chilling at 7°C under high light conditions. This comparison provides the opportunity to assess which steps of the C₄ pathway are more susceptible to become limiting at low temperatures. Both populations maintained, after chilling, a pattern of CO₂ fixation typical of C₄ plants with photosynthesis saturating at low external CO₂ concentrations. However, the chilling treatment led to reductions in carbon uptake and in the activities of the C₄ enzymes. RUBP_c activity was not significantly affected by chilling. Reductions in photosynthesis and in C₄ enzyme activities following the chilling treatment were significantly larger for plants of the Mississippi population. The enzyme data suggest that two steps of the C₄ pathway, NADP⁺-malate dehydrogenase and pyruvate P_i dikinase, are likely to be associated with the reduction of CO₂ uptake in C₄ plants under cool conditions. When the experiment was replicated under enriched atmospheric CO₂ (675 l l^-1 CO₂), similar differences were observed between the two populations. CO₂ enrichment resulted in an increase of activity for phospho-enol-pyruvate carboxylase and NADP⁺-malate dehydrogenase while activities of phospho-enol-pyruvate carboxylase and NADP⁺-malic enzyme were less reduced following chilling. Such an interaction was not observed for gas exchange parameters but net photosynthesis was lower when plants were grown under enriched CO₂.     

Temperature-dependent feedback inhibition of photosynthesis in peanut

Arachis hypogaea L. is a tropical crop that is slow-growing at temperatures below 25°C. Unadapted CO₂-assimilation rate (A) showed insufficient variation between 15 and 30°C in the short term (hours) to explain this marked reduction in growth. However, at longer periods (12 d), A was depressed as were growth rate and leafproduction rate. To examine the possible relationship between growth, A and sink demand plants were transferred from 30°C, which is near the optimum for growth, to a suboptimal temperature (19°C). In the first 2 d of cooling, A decreased by 50–70%, the stomata stayed open, and the intercellular CO₂ concentration (c_i) rose, i.e. the decrease in A of the cooled plants was the result of non-stomatal factors. Changes in dark respiration did not account for the decline in A.Clear evidence was obtained of sink control of A by independently manipulating the temperature of different leaves on the plant. Cooling (to 19°C) most of the plant (the sink) led to a 70% decline in A of the remaining leaves at 30°C after 3 d, whereas the converse treatments (30°C sink, 19°C source) resulted in small changes (17%). In plants at 19°C which were exposed to low CO₂ concentration to prevent photosynthesis, A was not reduced when measured at normal CO₂ concentrations, indicating that carbohydrate accumulation was responsible for the decline in A. Dry-matter build-up at suboptimal temperature was also consistent with end-product inhibition of photosynthesis.Abbreviations and symbols A (mol·m^-2·s^-1) rate of net CO₂ assimilation - C_i (l·l^-1) substomatal CO₂ concentration - DW (g) dry weight - g (mol·m^-2·s^-1) stomatal conductance to diffusion of water vapour - PFD (mol·m^-2·s^-1) photon flux density     

The recovery of photosynthesis in tomato subsequent to chilling exposure

The overall success of a plant in coping with low temperature sensitivity of photosynthesis is dependent not only on the maximum extent of inhibition suffered for a given time of low temperature exposure but also on the persistence of the inhibition after normal growth temperatures are restored. Thus the capacity of recovery and the speed with which a plant can recover from the effects of chilling exposure are important parameters in determining how devastating the chilling event will be on season-long growth and yields. We have studied the recovery of CO₂-saturated photosynthesis from the injury caused by exposing intact tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Floramerica) or detached tomato leaves to a temperature of 1°C in the dark for varying periods of time. We found that net photosynthesis was fully recovered within 12 h after returning the plants to 25°C in the dark, even after chilling exposures as long as 45 h. This was true for intact plants as well as for detached leaves that were supplied with water. When chilling took place in the light (4°C, 1000 E · m^-2 · s^-1, PAR) inhibition of photosynthesis was more severe and appeared more quickly and the recovery was slower and incomplete. A 12 h chilling exposure in the light resulted in injury to net photosynthesis that was not fully recovered even after 50 h. Chilling damage to photosynthesis developing in the light was distinguished from chilling in the dark by the decreased photosynthetic quantum yield. Not only did high intensity illumination enhance chilling damage of photosynthesis but bright light subsequent to the chilling exposure also delayed the recovery of photosynthesis. At none of the three ambient CO₂ concentrations investigated (300, 1500 and 5000 1.1^-1) did the recovery of photosynthesis depend on stomatal conductance.     

Inhibition of photosynthesis by chilling in moderate light: a comparison of plants sensitive and insensitive to chilling

Photosynthetic activity, in leaf slices and isolated thylakoids, was examined at 25° C after preincubation of the slices at either 25° C or 4° C at a moderate photon flux density (PFD) of 450 mol·m^–2·s^–1, or at 4° C in the dark. The plants used wereSpinacia oleracea L.,Cucumis sativus L. andNerium oleander L. which was acclimated to growth at 20° C or 45° C. The plants were grown at a PFD of 550 mol·m^–2·s^–1. Photosynthesis, measured as CO₂-dependent O₂ evolution, was not inhibited in leaf slices from any plant after preincubation at 25° C at a moderate PFD or at 4° C in the dark. However, exposure to 4° C at a moderate PFD induced an inhibition of CO₂-dependent O₂ evolution within 1 h inC. sativus, a chilling-sensitive plant, and in 45° C-grownN. oleander. The inhibition in these plants after 5 h reached 80% and 40%, respectively, and was independent of the CO₂ concentration but was reduced at O₂ concentrations of less than 3%. Methyl-viologen-dependent O₂ exchange in leaf slices from these plants was not inhibited. There was no photoxidation of chlorophyll, in isolated thylakoids, or any inhibition of electron transport at photosystem (PS)II, PSI or through both photosystems which would account for the inhibition of photosynthesis. The conditions which inhibit photosynthesis in chilling-sensitive plants do not cause inhibition inS. oleracea, a chilling-insensitive plant, or in 20° C-grownN. oleander. The CO₂-dependent photosynthesis, measured at 5° C, was reduced to about 3% of that recorded at 25° C in chilling-sensitive plants but only to about 30% in the chilling-insensitive plants. Methyl-viologen-dependent O₂ exchange, measured at 5° C, was greater than 25% of the activity at 25° C in all the plants. The results indicate that the mechanism of the chilling-induced inhibition of photosynthesis does not involve damage to PSII. That inhibition of photosynthesis is observed only in the chilling-sensitive plants indicates it is related, in some way, to the disproportionate decrease in photosynthetic activity in these plants at chilling temperatures.Abbreviations Chl chlorophyll - DPIPH reduced form of 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol - DMQ 2,5-dimethyl-p-benzoquinone - MV methyl viologen - 20°-oleander Nerium oleander grown at 20° C - 45°-oleander N. oleander grown at 45° C - PFD photon flux density (photon fluence rate) - PSI and PSII photosystem I and II, respectively     

Effects of temperature and CO2 enrichment on kinetic properties of NADP+-malate dehydrogenase in two ecotypes of Barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv.) from contrasting climates

Summary The apparent energy of activation (E _a), Michaelis-Menten constant (K _mfor oxaloacetate), V _max/K _mratios and specific activities of NADP⁺-malate dehydrogenase (NADP⁺-MDH; EC 1.1.1.82) were analyzed in plants of Barnyard grass from Québec (QUE) and Mississippi (MISS) acclimated to two thermoperiods 28/22°C, 21/15°C, and grown under two CO₂ concentrations, 350 l l^-1 and 675 l l^-1. E _avalues of NADP⁺-MDH extracted from QUE plants were significantly lower than those of MISS plants. K _mvalues and V _max/K _mratios of the enzyme from both ecotypes were similar over the range of 10–30°C but reduced V _max/K _mratios were found for the enzyme of QUE plants at 30 and 40°C assays. MISS plants had higher enzyme activities when measured on a chlorophyll basis but this trend was reversed when activities were expressed per fresh weight leaf or per leaf surface area. Activities were significantly higher in plants of both populations acclimated to 22/28°C. CO₂ enrichment did not modify appreciably the catalytic properties of NADP⁺-MDH and did not have a compensatory effect upon catalysis or enzyme activity under cool acclimatory conditions. NADP⁺-MDH activities were always in excess of the amount required to support observed rates of CO₂ assimilation and these two parameters were significantly correlated. The enhanced photosynthetic performance of QUE plants under cold temperature conditions, as compared to that of MISS plants, cannot be attributed to kinetic differences of NADP⁺-malate dehydrogenase among these ecotypes.     

Photosynthetic recovery in the resurrection plant Selaginella lepidophylla after wetting

Summary Photosynthetic recovery (PR) in a southwest Texas, USA population of Selaginella lepidophylla (Hook and Grev.) (Selaginellaceae), a poikilohydric spikemoss, was examined in the laboratory. Infrared CO₂ gas analysis and ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase activity measurements indicated that optimal temperature for PR was near 25°C in terms of: (1) rapidity of net CO₂ uptake after hydration (5.4 h), (2) maximum net photosynthetic rate at 2000 E·m^-2·s^-1 (2.44 mg CO₂·g(DWT)^-1·h^-1), and (3) maximum net CO₂ assimilation per 30 h hydration event (43.8 mg CO₂·g(DWT)^-1·30 h^-1). The PR was much slower at both 15° and 35° C, with lower photosynthetic rates and net carbon gains per hydration event. High respiratory costs were incurred at 45°C and no net photosynthesis was observed. Increases in RuBP carboxylase activity and chlorophyll content during 24 h hydration were also greatest near 25°C. Dry plants had 60% of the enzyme activity of fully recovered (24 h hydration) plants, indicating enzyme conservation. Actinomycin D and cycloheximide did not appear to inhibit PR, but chloramphenicol appeared to totally inhibit RuBP carboxylase activity increases over levels conserved in dry plants. Therefore, rapid PR in S. lepidophylla was achieved by both rapid increase in RuBP carboxylase activity, possibly via de novo synthesis, and conservation of the photosynthetic enzyme. Both mechanisms are essential to maximize assimilation in S. lepidophylla in an environment where hydrated periods are rare and of short duration.     

Moderately Elevated Temperature Eliminates Resistance of Rice Plants with Enhanced Expression of Glutathione Reductase to Intensive Photooxidative Stress

We developed transgenic rice plants (Oryza sativa L. cv. Daeribbyeo) overproducing cytosolic glutathione reductase (GR) using a GR gene from Brassica campestris and studied their response to photo-oxidative stress in the presence of methyl viologen (MV, 10 and 50 M concentrations) under room (25 °C) and moderately elevated (35 °C) temperature by analysis of chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence parameters (F_V/F_M, q_N, and q_P) and of Chl content. Elevated temperature enhanced and accelerated the photo-oxidative damage to photosynthetic apparatus expressed mainly by a fast decrease of q_N. Higher temperature supported the protective reaction in transformed rice plants for lower MV concentration (10 M) and eliminated the enhanced tolerance of photosystem 2 photochemistry to photooxidative stress for higher (50 M) MV concentration. Different mechanisms and temperature dependence of oxidative and protective reactions explain the results.     

Long-term chilling of young tomato plants under low light and subsequent recovery

The influence of unfavourable climatic conditions at the onset of the growth period on chilling-sensitive tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., cv. Abunda) was studied by exposing young plants to combinations of low temperature and low light (60–100 mol quanta · m^–2 · s^–1) for several weeks. When the temperature did not decrease below a critical point (8 ° C) no loss of developmental capacity of the plants was detected. However, while new leaves were readily formed upon return to normal growth conditions (22/18 °C, day/night, in a greenhouse), net accumulation of biomass showed a lag phase of approximately one week. This delay was accompanied by a strong, irreversible inhibition of photosynthesis in the fully expanded leaves which had been exposed to the chilling treatment. When plants were subjected to temperatures below 8 ° C, survival rates decreased after three weeks at 6 ° C and irreversible damage of apical meristematic tissue occurred. Drought-hardening prior to chilling ensured survival at 6 ° C and protected the plants against meristem loss.Abreviation Chl chlorophyll Thanks are due to G.P. Telkamp for technical assistance. This research is financially supported by the Netherlands Technology Foundation (STW, Utrecht, The Netherlands), and is coordinated by the Foundation for Biological Research (BION, 's-Gravenhage, The Netherlands).     

Stimulation of photosynthesis by 2% oxygen at low temperatures is restored by phosphate

The effect of phosphate feeding on the influence of low (2%) oxygen on photosynthetic carbon assimilation has been investigated in leaf discs of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) at 12°C. The following observations were made. First, after the transition from 20% O₂ to 2% O₂, the rate of CO₂ uptake was inhibited at CO₂ concentrations between about 250 and about 800 l CO₂·l^-1. Second, phosphate feeding stimulated the rate of CO₂ uptake in 20% O₂ at higher concentrations of CO₂ (500–900 l·l^-1). Third, phosphate feeding stimulated the rate of CO₂ uptake in 2% O₂ at all but the highest (900 l·l^-1) and lowest 74 (l·l^-1) concentrations of CO₂ employed. Phosphate thereby restored the stimulation of photosynthesis by 2% O₂ and it did so over a wide range of lower temperatures. Fourth, oscillatory behaviour, however generated, was dampened by phosphate feeding, even at very low concentrations of CO₂. Contents of leaf metabolites were measured during the transition to 2% O₂ in control and phosphate-fed leaf discs. During this period the ratio glycerate-3-phosphate/triose phosphate rose steeply, but fell again only in the phosphate-treated leaf discs. These data, taken together with measured ATP/ADP ratios, showed that assimilatory power, the ratio [ATP]·[NAD(P)H]/[ADP]·[Pi]·[NAD(P)], decreased when leaves were exposed to 2% O₂, but that this decrease was minimised by previous feeding of phosphate. The mechanism of phosphate limitation is discussed in the light of the results.Abbreviations C_i intercellular concentration of CO₂ - RuBP ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate     

Effects of CO2 enrichment and water stress on gas exchange of Liquidambar styraciflua and Pinus taeda seedlings grown under different irradiance levels

Summary The effects of CO₂ enrichment and water stress on gas exchange of Liquidambar styraciflua L. (sweetgum) and Pinus taeda L. (loblolly pine) seedlings were examined for individuals grown from seed under high (1000 mol·m^-2·s^-1) and low (250 mol·m^-2·s^-1) photosynthetic photon flux density at 350, 675 and 1000 l·l^-1 CO₂. At 8 weeks of age, half the seedlings in each CO₂-irradiance treatment were subjected to a drying cycle which reduced plant water potential to about -2.5 MPa in the most stressed plants, while control plants remained well-watered (water potentials of -0.3 and -0.7 MPa for sweetgum and loblolly pine, respectively). During this stress cycle, whole seedling net photosynthesis, transpiration and stomatal conductance of plants from each CO₂-irradiance-water treatment were measured under respective growth conditions.For both species, water stress effects on gas exchange were greatest under high irradiance conditions. Waterstressed plants had significantly lower photosynthesis rates than well-watered controls throughout most of the drying cycle, with the most severe inhibition occurring for low CO₂, high irradiance-grown sweetgum seedlings. Carbon dioxide enrichment had little effect on gas exchange rates of either water-stressed or well-watered loblolly pine seedlings. In contrast, water stress effects were delayed for sweetgum seedlings grown at elevated CO₂, particularly in the 1000 l·l^-1 CO₂, high irradiance treatment where net photosynthesis, transpiration and conductance of stressed plants were 60, 36 and 33% of respective control values at the end of the drying cycle. Development of internal plant water deficits was slower for stressed sweetgum seedlings grown at elevated CO₂. As a result, these seedlings maintained higher photosynthetic rates over the drying cycle than stressed sweetgum seedlings grown at 350 l·l^-1 CO₂ and stressed loblolly pine seedlings grown at ambient and enriched CO₂ levels. In addition, water-stressed sweetgum seedlings grown at elevated CO₂ exhibited a substantial increase in water use efficiency.The results suggest that with the future increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration, sweetgum seedlings should tolerate longer exposure to low soil moisture, resulting in greater first year survival of seedlings on drier sites of abandoned fields in the North Carolina piedmont.     

Superoxide production by thylakoids during chilling and its implication in the susceptibility of plants to chilling-induced photoinhibition

Factors influencing the rate of superoxide (O ₂ ^- ) production by thylakoids were investigated to determine if increased production of the radical was related to injury induced by chilling at a moderate photon flux density (PFD). Plants used were Spinacia oleracea L., Cucumis sativus L. and Nerium oleander L. grown at either 200° C or 45° C. Superoxide production was determined by electron-spin-resonance spectroscopy of the (O ₂ ^- )-dependent rate of oxidation of 2-ethyl-1-hydroxy-2,5,5-trimethyl-3-oxazolidine (OXANOH) to the corresponding oxazolidinoxyl radical, OXANO ·. For all plants, the steady-state rate of O ₂ ^- production by thylakoids, incubated at 25° C and 350 mol photon · m^–2 · s^–1 (moderate PFD) with added ferredoxin and NADP, was between 7.5 and 12.5 mol · (mg chlorophyll)^–1 · h^–1. Incubation at 5° C and a moderate PFD, decreased the rate of O ₂ ^- production 40% and 15% by thylakoids from S. oleracea and 20° C-grown N. oleander, chillinginsensitive plants, but increased the rate by 56% and 5% by thylakoids from C. sativus and 45° C-grown N. oleander, chilling-sensitive plants. For all plants, the addition of either ferredoxin or methyl viologen increased the rate of O ₂ ^- -production at 25° C by 75–100%. With these electron acceptors, lowering the temperature to 5° C caused only a slight decrease in O ₂ ^- production. In the absence of added electron acceptors, thylakoids produced O ₂ ^- at a rate which was about 45% greater than that when ferredoxin and NADP were present. The addition of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea reduced O ₂ ^- production under all conditions tested. The results show that the rate of O ₂ ^- production increases in thylakoids when the rate of electron transfer to NADP is reduced. This could explain differences in the susceptibility of thylakoids from chilling-sensitive and chilling-insensitive plants to chilling at a moderate PFD, and is consistent with the proposal that O ₂ ^- production is involved in the injury leading to the inhibition of photosynthesis induced under these conditions.Abbreviations Chl chlorophyll - DCMU 3-(3,4-dichlorophen-yl)-1,1-dimethylurea - Fd ferredoxin - MV methyl viologen - 20°oleander Nerium oleander grown at 20° C - 45°-oleander N. oleander grown at 45° C - OXANOH 2-ethyl-1-hydroxy-2,5,5-tri-methyl-3-oxazolidine - PFD photon flux density (photon fluence rate) - TEMED tetramethyl ethylenediamine We would like to thank R.T. Furbank, R.S.B.S., Australian National University, Canberra, A.C.T., and C.B. Osmond, now of Duke University, Durham, N.C., USA, for the gift of ferredoxin, R.A.J.H. was supported by a Commonwealth Postgraduate Research Award.     

CO2 gas exchange of the understory plantAsarum europaeum L. in November

The CO₂ gas exchange rates of the Central European perennial understory plantAsarum europaeum L. were measured in late autumn (October 30 to November 30) in its natural habitat day and night.During these measurements the temperature ranged from 0 to 15°C and the absolute air humidity from 3 to 10 mg H₂O·1^–1. Temperature and absolute air humidity over these ranges did not affect CO₂ net assimilation which was determined almost entirely by quantum flux density.CO₂ net assimilation was light saturated at about 100 M·m^–2·s^–1 quantum flux density. The uptake rate at this point was 4.3 mg·dm^–2·h^–1. The compensation point occurred at approximately 1 M·m^–2·s^–1.     

Diurnaler Säurerhythmus bei Tillandsia usneoides: Untersuchungen über den Weg des Kohlenstoffs sowie die Abhängigkeit des CO2-Gaswechsels von Lichtintensität,Temperatur und Wassergehalt der Pflanze

Summary Tillandsia usneoides, in the common sense a non-succulent plant, exhibits CO₂ exchange characterized by net CO₂ dark fixation during the night and depression of CO₂ exchange during the day. Malate has been demonstrated to accumulate during CO₂ dark fixation and to be converted to carbohydrates in light. Thus, T. usneoides exhibits CAM like typical succulents.Net CO₂ uptake during the day is increased with net CO₂ output being suppressed in duration of time and extent when light intensity increases. Furthermore, a slight increase in CO₂ fixation during the following night can be observed if the plants were treated with high light intensity during the previous day.Curves of CO₂ exchange typical for CAM are obtained if T. usneoides is kept at 15°C and 20°C. Lower temperature tend to increase CO₂ uptake during the day and to inhibit CO₂ dark fixation. Temperatures higher than 20°C favour loss of CO₂ by respiration, which becomes apparent during the whole day and night at 30°C and higher temperatures. Thus, T. usneoides gains carbon only at temperatures well below 25°C.Net CO₂ uptake during the day occurs only in moist plant material and is inhibited in plants cept under water stress conditions. However, CO₂ uptake during the night is clearly favoured if the plants dry out. Therefore dry plants gain more carbon than moist ones.Curves of CO₂ exchange typical for CAM were also obtained with 13 other species of the genus Tillandsia.The exhibition of CAM by the non-succulent T. usneoides calls for a new definition of the term succulence if it is to remain useful in characterizing this metabolic pathway. Because CO₂-fixing cells of T. usneoides possess relatively large vacuoles and are relatively poor in chloroplasts, they resembles the assimilatory cells of typical CAM-exhibiting succulents. Therefore, if succulence only means the capacity of big vacuoles to store malate, the assimilatory cells in T. usneoides are succulent. It seems to be useful to investigate parameters which would allow a definition of the term succulence on the level of the cell rather than on the level of the whole plant or plant organs.     

Effects of extreme high temperature,drought and elevated CO2 on photosynthesis of the Mojave Desert evergreen shrub,Larrea tridentata

The interaction of extreme temperature events with future atmospheric CO₂ concentrations may have strong impacts on physiological performance of desert shrub seedlings, which during the critical establishment phase often endure temperature extremes in conjunction with pronounced drought. To evaluate the interaction of drought and CO₂ on photosynthesis during heat stress, one-year-old Larrea tridentata[DC] Cov. seedlings were exposed to nine days of heat with midday air temperature maxima reaching 53 °C under three atmospheric CO₂ concentrations (360, 550 and 700 mol mol^–1) and two water regimes (well-watered and droughted). Photosynthetic gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and water potential responses were measured prior to, during and one week following the high temperature stress event. Heat stress markedly decreased net photosynthetic rate (A _net), stomatal conductance (g _s), and the photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (F _v/F _m) in all plants except for well-watered L. tridentata grown in 700 mol mol^–1 CO₂. A _net and g _s remained similar to pre-stress levels in these plants. In droughted L. tridentata, A _net was ca. 2× (in 550 mol mol^–1 CO₂) to 3× (in 700 mol mol^–1 CO₂) higher than in ambient-CO₂-grown plants, while g _s and F _v/F _m were similar and low in all CO₂ treatments. Following heat stress, g _s in all well-watered plants rose dramatically, exceeding pre-stress levels by up to 100%. In droughted plants, g _s and A _net rose only in plants grown at elevated CO₂ following release from heat. This recovery response was strongest at 700 mol mol^–1 CO₂, which returned to A _net and g _s values similar to pre-heat following several days of recovery. Extreme heat diminished the photosynthetic down-regulation response to growth at elevated CO₂ under well-watered conditions, similar to the action of drought. Ambient-CO₂-grown L. tridentata did not show significant recovery of photosynthetic capacity (A _\max and CE) after alleviation of temperature stress, especially when exposed to drought, while plants exposed to elevated CO₂ appeared to be unaffected. These findings suggest that elevated CO₂ could promote photosynthetic activity during critical periods of seedling establishment, and enhance the potential for L. tridentata to survive extreme high temperature events.     

Adaptation to chilling: photosynthetic characteristics of the cultivated tomato and a high altitude wild species

Abstract When tomato plants of the high-altitude species Lycopersicon hirsutum and of the cultivated Lycopersicon esculentum were grown at 24/18°C (day/night), the effects of temperature, photon flux density, and intercellular CO₂ concentration up to about 600 μl l^?1 on net CO₂ uptake were similar in the two species. Acclimation of these plants at 12/6°C (day/night) resulted, after 4 d or longer, in a similar downward shift of about 5°C in the optimum temperature for CO₂ uptake. However, in comparison with the cultivated species, the high-altitude plants achieved a higher rate of CO₂ uptake at saturating concentrations of intercellular CO₂, maintained a higher level of saturating-light CO₂ uptake rate at 10°C after exposure to chilling stress (10°C and photon flux density of 400 μmol m^?2s^?1 d and 5°C night) for 7–18 d, and displayed a better capacity for rapid recovery after prolonged stress. The greater capacity for CO₂ uptake observed in the high-altitude species during and after exposure to chilling stress was also reflected in its higher growth rate under those conditions compared with plants of L. esculentum. These advantages of the high-altitude species may partly explain its ability to survive and complete its life cycle under the environmental conditions prevailing in its natural habitat.     

Effects of Temperature and CO(2) Enrichment on Carbon Translocation of Plants of the C(4) Grass Species Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. from Cool and Warm Environments

Plants of Echinochloa crus-galli from Québec and Mississippi were grown under two thermoperiods (28°C/22°C, 21°C/15°C) and two atmospheric CO₂ concentrations (350 and 675 microliters per liter) to examine possible differential responses of northern and southern populations of this C₄ grass species. Translocation was monitored using radioactive tracing with short-lived ¹¹C. CO₂ enrichment induced a decrease in the size of the export pool in plants of both populations. Other parameters did not strongly respond to elevated CO₂. Low temperature reduced translocation drastically for plants from Mississippi in normal CO₂ concentration, but this reduction was ameliorated at high CO₂. Overall, plants from Québec had a higher ¹¹C activity in leaf phloem and a higher percentage of ¹¹C exported, whereas these northern plants had lower turnover time and smaller pool size than plants from the southern population.     

Influence of rain,tidal wetting and relative humidity on release of carbon dioxide by standing-dead salt-marsh plants

Summary Dead parts of salt-marsh plants form a considerable fraction of their annual average standing crop. A microbial assemblage living on and in the standing-dead leaves and stems of Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus responds to saltwater, freshwater or water-vapor wetting by immediately beginning to release CO₂. Water-saturated, standing-dead leaves and culms of S. alterniflora release CO₂ at steady rates of as much as about 200 and 140 g CO₂–C·g^-1 dry·h^-1, respectively, at temperatures of 25–30°C, after an initial burst of higher rates. These CO₂-release rates are within the range of maximal rates reported for decaying terrestrial litter, and are as high as most rates reported for S. alterniflora decaying under continuously wetted or submerged conditions.     

Effects of elevated CO2 and increased nitrogen deposition on photosynthesis and growth of understory plants in spruce model ecosystems

We studied the effects of atmospheric CO₂ enrichment (280, 420 and 560 l CO₂ l^–1) and increased N deposition (0,30 and 90 kg ha^–1 year^–1) on the spruce-forest understory species Oxalis acetosella, Homogyne alpina and Rubus hirtus. Clones of these species formed the ground cover in nine 0.7 m² model ecosystems with 5-year-old Picea abies trees (leaf area index of approx 2.2). Communities grew on natural forest soil in a simulated montane climate. Independently of N deposition, the rate of light-saturated net photosynthesis of leaves grown and measured at 420 l CO₂ l^–1 was higher in Oxalis and in Homogyne, but was not significantly different in Rubus compared to leaves grown and measured at the pre-industrial CO₂ concentration of 280 l l^–1. Remarkably, further CO₂ enrichment to 560 l l^–1 caused no additional increase of CO₂ uptake. With increasing CO₂ supply concentrations of non-structural carbohydrates in leaves increased and N concentrations decreased in all species, whereas N deposition had no significant effect on these traits. Above-ground biomass and leaf area production were not significantly affected by elevated CO₂ in the more vigorously growing species O. acetosella and R. hirtus, but the slow growing H. alpina produced almost twice as much biomass and 50% more leaf area per plant under 420 l CO₂ l^–1 compared to 280 l l^–1 (again no further stimulation at 560 l l^–1). In contrast, increased N addition stimulated growth in Oxalis and Rubus but had no effect on Homogyne. In Oxalis (only) biomass per plant was positively correlated with microhabitat quantum flux density at low CO₂, but not at high CO₂ indicating carbon saturation. On the other hand, the less shade-tolerant Homogyne profited from CO₂ enrichment at all understory light levels facilitating its spread into more shady micro-habitats under elevated CO₂. These species-specific responses to CO₂ and N deposition will affect community structure. The non-linear responses to elevated CO₂ of several of the traits studied here suggest that the largest responses to rising atmospheric CO₂ are under way now or have already occurred and possible future responses to further increases in CO₂ concentration are likely to be much smaller in these understory species.     

Respiration rates of two species of Gnathostomulids

Summary Respiration rates for two species of Gnathostomulida from poorly oxygenated subtidal sands of Bermuda were measured using Cartesian diver respirometers.ForHaplognathia cf.ruberrima a respiration-body weight regression gaveR=0.790·W ^0,649 (in l·10^-3O₂/h and g wet weight). Respiration rates for adult animals ofGnathostomula sp. of a mean weight of 1.3 g ranged between 0.25 and 0.63 l·10^-3 O₂/h. These rates are low when compared with literature data on meiobenthic species from a wider habitat range but similar to respiration rates of marine and limnic nematodes living in sediments with strongly reducing capacity.