Photosynthetic acclimation to CO2 enrichment related to ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylation limitation in wheat

Net photosynthetic rate (P _N) measured at the same CO₂ concentration, the maximum in vivo carboxylation rate, and contents of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO) and RuBPCO activase were significantly decreased, but the maximum in vivo electron transport rate and RuBP content had no significant change in CO₂-enriched [EC, about 200 μmol mol⁻¹ above the ambient CO₂ concentration (AC)] wheat leaves compared with those in AC grown wheat leaves. Hence photosynthetic acclimation in wheat leaves to EC is largely due to RuBP carboxylation limitation.     

Photosynthesis and fluorescence responses of C<Subscript>4</Subscript> plant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Andropogon gerardii</Emphasis> acclimated to temperature and carbon dioxide

Increase in both atmospheric CO₂ concentration [CO₂] and associated warming are likely to alter Earths’ carbon balance and photosynthetic carbon fixation of dominant plant species in a given biome. An experiment was conducted in sunlit, controlled environment chambers to determine effects of atmospheric [CO₂] and temperature on net photosynthetic rate (P _N) and fluorescence (F) in response to internal CO₂ concentration (C _i) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) of the C₄ species, big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman). Ten treatments were comprised of two [CO₂] of 360 (ambient, AC) and 720 (elevated, EC) μmol mol⁻¹ and five day/night temperature of 20/12, 25/17, 30/22, 35/27 and 40/32 °C. Treatments were imposed from 15 d after sowing (DAS) through 130 DAS. Both F-P _N/C _i and F-P _N/PAR response curves were measured on top most fully expanded leaves between 55 and 75 DAS. Plants grown in EC exhibited significantly higher CO₂-saturated net photosynthesis (P _sat), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) efficiency, and electron transport rate (ETR). At a given [CO₂], increase in temperature increased P _sat, PEPC efficiency, and ETR. Plants grown at EC did not differ for dark respiration rate (R _D), but had significantly higher maximum photosynthesis (P _max) than plants grown in AC. Increase in temperature increased Pmax, R _D, and ETR, irrespective of the [CO₂]. The ability of PEPC, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, and photosystem components, derived from response curves to tolerate higher temperatures (>35 °C), particularly under EC, indicates the ability of C₄ species to sustain photosynthetic capacity in future climates.     

Effect of high temperature on photosynthesis and transpiration of sweet corn (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Zea mays</Emphasis> L. var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">rugosa</Emphasis>)

Four temperature treatments were studied in the climate controlled growth chambers of the Georgia Envirotron: 25/20, 30/25, 35/30, and 40/35 °C during 14/10 h light/dark cycle. For the first growth stage (V3-5), the highest net photosynthetic rate (P _N) of sweet corn was found for the lowest temperature of 28–34 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ while the P _N for the highest temperature treatment was 50–60 % lower. We detected a gradual decline of about 1 P _N unit per 1 °C increase in temperature. Maximum transpiration rate (E) fluctuated between 0.36 and 0.54 mm h⁻¹ (≈5.0–6.5 mm d⁻¹) for the high temperature treatment and the minimum E fluctuated between 0.25 and 0.36 mm h⁻¹ (≈3.5–5.0 mm d⁻¹) for the low temperature treatment. Cumulative CO₂ fixation of the 40/35 °C treatment was 33.7 g m⁻² d⁻¹ and it increased by about 50 % as temperature declined. The corresponding water use efficiency (WUE) decreased from 14 to 5 g(CO₂) kg⁻¹(H₂O) for the lowest and highest temperature treatments, respectively. Three main factors affected WUE, P _N, and E of Zea: the high temperature which reduced P _N, vapor pressure deficit (VPD) that was directly related to E but did not affect P _N, and quasi stem conductance (QC) that was directly related to P _N but did not affect E. As a result, WUE of the 25/20 °C temperature treatment was almost three times larger than that of 40/35 °C temperature treatment.     

Photosynthetic response of wheat cultivar to long-term exposure to elevated temperature

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. HD 2285) was grown in control (C) and heated (H) open top chambers (OTCs) for entire period of growth and development till maturity. The mean maximum temperature of the entire period was 3 °C higher in H-compared to C-OTCs. Net photosynthetic rate (P _N) measured at different temperature (20–40 °C) of C-and H-grown plants showed greater sensitivity to high temperature in H-plants. P _N measured at respective growth temperature was lower in H-compared to C-plants. The CO₂ and irradiance response curves of photosynthesis also showed lesser response in H-compared to C-plants. The initial slope of P _N versus internal CO₂ concentration (P _N/C _i) curve was lower in H-than C-plants indicating ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO) limitation. In irradiance response curve, the plateau was lower in H-compared to C-plants which is interpreted as RuBPCO limitation. RuBPCO content in the leaves of C-and H-plants, however, was not significantly different. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPC) initial activity was lower in H-plants, whereas activity of fully activated enzyme was not affected, indicating a decrease in activation state of the enzyme. This was further substantiated by the observed decrease in RuBPCO activase activity in H-compared to C-plants. RuBPCO activase was thus sensitive even to moderate heat stress. The decrease in P _N under moderate heat stress was mainly due to a decrease in activation state of RuBPCO catalysed by RuBPCO activase.     

Elevated CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and temperature differentially affect photosynthesis and resource allocation in flag and penultimate leaves of wheat

Differences in acclimation to elevated growth CO₂ (700 μmol mol⁻¹, EC) and elevated temperature (ambient +4 °C, ET) in successive leaves of wheat were investigated in field chambers. At a common measurement CO₂, EC increased photosynthesis and the quantum yield of electron transport (Φ) early on in the growth of penultimate leaves, and later decreased them. In contrast, EC did not change photosynthesis, and increased Φ at later growth stages in the flag leaf. Contents of chlorophyll (Chl), ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO), and total soluble protein were initially higher and subsequently lower in penultimate than flag leaves. EC decreased RuBPCO protein content relative to soluble protein and Chl contents throughout the development of penultimate leaves. On the other hand, EC initially increased the RuBPCO:Chl and Chl a/b ratios, but later decreased them in flag leaves. In the flag leaves but not in the penultimate leaves, ET initially decreased initial and specific RuBPCO activities at ambient CO₂ (AC) and increased them at EC. Late in leaf growth, ET decreased Chl contents under AC in both kinds of leaves, and had no effect or a positive one under EC. Thus the differences between the two kinds of leaves were due to resource availability, and to EC-increased allocation of resources to photon harvesting in the penultimate leaves, but to increased allocation to carboxylation early on in growth, and to light harvesting subsequently, in the flag leaves.     

Photosynthetic responses of apricot (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus armeniaca</Emphasis> L.) to photosynthetic photon flux density,leaf temperature,and CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> concentration

Two cultivars (Katy and Erhuacao) of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) were evaluated under open-field and solar-heated greenhouse conditions in northwest China, to determine the effect of photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), leaf temperature, and CO₂ concentration on the net photosynthetic rate (P _N). In greenhouse, Katy registered 28.3 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ for compensation irradiance and 823 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ for saturation irradiance, which were 73 and 117 % of those required by Erhuacao, respectively. The optimum temperatures for cvs. Katy and Erhuacao were 25 and 35 °C in open-field and 22 and 30 °C in greenhouse, respectively. At optimal temperatures, P _N of the field-grown Katy was 16.5 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹, 21 % less than for a greenhouse-grown apricot. Both cultivars responded positively to CO₂ concentrations below the CO₂ saturation concentration, whereas Katy exhibited greater P _N (18 %) and higher carboxylation efficiency (91 %) than Erhuacao at optimal CO₂ concentration. Both cultivars exhibited greater photosynthesis in solar-heated greenhouses than in open-field, but Katy performed better than Erhuacao under greenhouse conditions.     

Photosynthetic Response of Carrots to Varying Irradiances

Response to irradiance of leaf net photosynthetic rates (P _N) of four carrot cultivars: Cascade, Caro Choice (CC), Oranza, and Red Core Chantenay (RCC) were examined in a controlled environment. Gas exchange measurements were conducted at photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) from 100 to 1 000 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ at 20 °C and 350 μmol (CO₂) mol⁻¹(air). The values of P _N were fitted to a rectangular hyperbolic nonlinear regression model. P _N for all cultivars increased similarly with increasing PAR but Cascade and Oranza generally had higher P _N than CC. None of the cultivars reached saturation at 1 000 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹. The predicted P _N at saturation (P _Nmax) for Cascade, CC, Oranza, and RCC were 19.78, 16.40, 19.79, and 18.11 μmol (CO₂) m⁻² s⁻¹, respectively. The compensation irradiance (I _c) occurred at 54 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ for Cascade, 36 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ for CC, 45 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ for Oranza, and 25 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ for RCC. The quantum yield among the cultivars ranged between 0.057–0.033 mol(CO₂) mol⁻¹(PAR) and did not differ. Dark respiration varied from 2.66 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ for Cascade to 0.85 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ for RCC. As P _N increased with PAR, intercellular CO₂ decreased in a non-linear manner. Increasing PAR increased stomatal conductance and transpiration rate to a peak between 600 and 800 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ followed by a steep decline resulting in sharp increases in water use efficiency. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Differential inhibition of photosynthesis under drought stress in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Flaveria</Emphasis> species with different degrees of development of the C<Subscript>4</Subscript> syndrome

The effect of drought stress (DS) on photosynthesis and photosynthesis-related enzyme activities was investigated in F. pringlei (C₃), F. floridana (C₃–C₄), F. brownii (C₄-like), and F. trinervia (C₄) species. Stomatal closure was observed in all species, probably being the main cause for the decline in photosynthesis in the C₃ species under ambient conditions. In vitro ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO) and stromal fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (sFBP) activities were sufficient to interpret the net photosynthetic rates (P _N), but, from the decreases in P _N values under high CO₂ (C _a = 700 μmol mol^{− 1}) it is concluded that a decrease in the in vivo rate of the RuBPCO reaction may be an additional limiting factor under DS in the C₃ species. The observed decline in the photosynthesis capacity of the C₃–C₄ species is suggested to be associated both to in vivo decreases of RuBPCO activity and of the RuBP regeneration rate. The decline of the maximum P _N observed in the C₄-like species under DS was probably attributed to a decrease in maximum RuBPCO activity and/or to decrease of enzyme substrate (RuBP or PEP) regeneration rates. In the C₄ species, the decline of both in vivo photosynthesis and photosynthetic capacity could be due to in vivo inhibition of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) by a twofold increase of the malate concentration observed in mesophyll cell extracts from DS plants.     

A coupled model of stomatal conductance and photosynthesis for winter wheat

The model couples stomatal conductance (g _s) and net photosynthetic rate (P _N) describing not only part of the curve up to and including saturation irradiance (I _max), but also the range above the saturation irradiance. Maximum stomatal conductance (g _smax) and I _max can be calculated by the coupled model. For winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) the fitted results showed that maximum P _N (P _max) at 600 μmol mol⁻¹ was more than at 350 μmol mol⁻¹ under the same leaf temperature, which can not be explained by the stomatal closure at high CO₂ concentration because g _smax at 600 μmol mol⁻¹ was less than at 350 μmol mol⁻¹. The irradiance-response curves for winter wheat had similar tendency, e.g. at 25 °C and 350 μmol mol⁻¹ both P _N and g _s almost synchronously reached the maximum values at about 1 600 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹. At 25 °C and 600 μmol mol⁻¹ the I _max corresponding to P _max and g _smax was 2 080 and 1 575 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹, respectively.     

Changes of Photosynthetic Characteristics in Relation to Leaf Senescence in Two Maize Hybrids with Different Senescent Appearance

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the changes in chlorophyll (Chl) and nitrogen (N) contents, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) contents and PEPC activity, and the photon-saturated net photosynthetic rate (P _Nsat), and their relationships with leaf senescence in two maize hybrids with different senescent appearance. One stay-green (cv. P3845) and one earlier senescent (cv. Hokkou 55) hybrid were used in this study, and we found that Chl and N contents and the P _Nsat in individual leaves of P3845 were greater than those in corresponding leaves of Hokkou 55 at the successive growth stages. In addition, larger contents of RuBPCO and PEPC, and a greater activity of PEPC were observed in P3845. Due to the lower rates of decrease of Chl, RuBPCO, and PEPC amounts per unit of N, and the lower net C translocation rate per unit of N in the stay-green hybrid, leaf senescence was delayed in comparison to the earlier senescent hybrid.     

Effects of different irradiances on the photosynthetic process during ex-vitro acclimation of Anoectochilus plantlets

Six months old in vitro-grown Anoectochilus formosanus plantlets were transferred to ex-vitro acclimation under low irradiance, LI [60 μmol(photon) m⁻² s⁻¹], intermediate irradiance, II [180 μmol(photon) m⁻² s⁻¹], and high irradiance, HI [300 μmol(photon) m⁻² s⁻¹] for 30 d. Imposition of II led to a significant increase of chlorophyll (Chl) b content, rates of net photosynthesis (P _N) and transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (g _s), electron transfer rate (ETR), quantum yield of electron transport from water through photosystem 2 (Φ_PS2), and activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/ oxygenase (RuBPCO, EC 4.1.1.39). This indicates that Anoectochilus was better acclimated at II compared to LI treatment. On the other hand, HI acclimation led to a significant reduction of Chl a and b, P _N, E, g _s, photochemical quenching, dark-adapted quantum efficiency of open PS2 centres (F_v/F_m), probability of an absorbed photon reaching an open PS2 reaction centre (F_v′/F_m′), ETR, Φ_PS2, and energy efficiency of CO₂ fixation (Φ_CO2/Φ_PS2). This indicates that HI treatment considerably exceeded the photo-protective capacity and Anoectochilus suffered HI induced damage to the photosynthetic apparatus. Imposition of HI significantly increased the contents of antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin (ZEA), non-photochemical quenching, and conversion of violaxanthin to ZEA. Thus Anoectochilus modifies its system to dissipate excess excitation energy and to protect the photosynthetic machinery.     

Activities of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase and Ribulose-1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase in Leaves and Fruit Pericarp Tissue of Different Coffee (Coffea sp.) Genotypes

In order to study photosynthetic characteristics, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO) activities as well as soluble protein and chlorophyll contents were determined in leaf and fruit pericarp samples from diverse coffee genotypes (Coffea arabica cv. Colombia, Caturra, Caturra Erecta, San Pacho, Tipica, C. stenophylla, C. eugenioides, C. congensis, C. canephora, C. canephora cv. Arabusta, C. arabica cv. Caturra×C. canephora and Hibrido de Timor. We found a slightly higher PEPC activity in fruit pericarp than in leaves, while RuBPCO activity was much lower in pericarp than leaf tissue. Partial purification of PEPC and RuBPCO was carried out from leaves of C. arabica cv. Caturra and Michaelis-Menten kinetics for RuBPCO (K_m CO₂ = 5.34 µM), (K_m RuBP = 9.09 µM) and PEPC (K_m PEP = 19.5 µM) were determined. Leaf tissues of Colombia, Hibrido de Timor, and Caturra consistently showed higher content of protein [55.4–64.4 g kg^–1 (f.m.)] than San Pacho, C. stenophylla, Tipica, Caturra Erecta, and Caturra×C. canephora [25.6–36.9 g kg^–1 (f.m.)] and C. canephora cv. Arabusta, Borbon, C. congensis, C. eugenioides, and C. canephora [16.1–21.1 g kg^–1 (f.m.)].     

CO2 uptake by the cultivated hemiepiphytic cactus, Hylocereus undatus

The climate of the native tropical forest habitats of Hylocereus undatus, a hemiepiphytic cactus cultivated in 20 countries for its fruit, can help explain the response of its net CO2 uptake to environmental factors. Under wet conditions, about 85% of the total daily net CO₂ uptake occurs at night via Crassulacean acid metabolism, leading to a high water‐use efficiency. Total daily net CO₂ uptake is reduced 57% by only 10 days of drought, possibly involving stomatal closure induced by abscisic acid produced in the roots, which typically occupy a small substrate volume. Total daily net CO₂ uptake for H. undatus is maximal at day/night air temperatures of 30/20°C, optimal temperatures that are higher than those for desert cacti but representative of ambient temperatures in the tropics; its total daily net CO₂ uptake becomes zero at day/night air temperatures of 42/32°C. Stem damage occurs at 45°C for H. undatus, whose photosynthetic cells show little acclimation to high temperatures compared with other cacti and are also sensitive to low temperatures, ‐1.5°C killing half of these cells. Consistent with its shaded habitat, total daily net CO2 uptake is appreciable at a total daily PPF of only 2 mol m2 day' and is maximal at 20 mol m^?2 day^?1, above which photoinhibition reduces net CO₂ uptake. Net CO₂ uptake ability, which is highly correlated with stem nitrogen and chlorophyll contents, changes only gradually (halftimes of 2–3 months) as the concentration of applied N is changed. Doubling the atmospheric CO₂ concentration raises the total daily net CO₂ uptake of H. undatus by 34% under optimal conditions and by even larger percentages under adverse environmental conditions.     

Relationship between net photosynthesis and leaf respiration in Mediterranean evergreen species

The relationship between net photosynthetic (P _N) and leaf respiration (R) rates of Quercus ilex, Phillyrea latifolia, Myrtus communis, Arbutus unedo, and Cistus incanus was monitored in the period February 2006 to February 2007. The species investigated had low R and P _N during winter, increasing from March to May, when mean air temperature reached 19.2 °C. During the favourable period, C. incanus and A. unedo had a higher mean P _N (16.4±2.4 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) than P. latifolia, Q. ilex, and M. communis (10.0±1.3 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹). The highest R (1.89±0.30 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹, mean of the species), associated to a significant P _N decrease (62 % of the maximum, mean value of the species), was measured in July (mean R/P _N ratio 0.447±0.091). Q₁₀, indicating the respiration sensitivity to short-term temperature increase, was in the range 1.49 to 2.21. Global change might modify R/P _N determining differences in dry matter accumulation among the species, and Q. ilex and P. latifolia might be the most favoured species by their ability to maintain sufficiently higher P _N and lower R during stress periods.     

Environmental induced variations in leaf dark respiration and net photosynthesis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus ilex</Emphasis> L.

The relationships between dark respiration rate (R _D) and net photosynthetic rate (P _N) in Quercus ilex L. shrubs growing at the Botanical Garden in Rome were analysed. Correlation analysis of the data sets collected in the year 2006 confirmed the dependence among the considered leaf traits, in particular, R _D was significantly (p<0.05) correlated with P _N (r = 0.40). R _D and P _N increased from March to May [1.40±0.10 and 10.1±1.8 μmol(CO₂) m⁻² s⁻¹ mean values of the period, respectively], when air temperature was in the range 14.8–25.2 °C, underlining the highest metabolic activity in the period of the maximum vegetative activity that favoured biomass accumulation. On the contrary, the highest R _D [1.60±0.02 μmol(CO₂) m⁻² s⁻¹], associated to the lowest P _N rates (44 % of the maximum) and carbon use efficiency (CUE) in July underlined the mobilization of stored material during drought stress by a higher air temperature (32.7 °C).     

Photosynthetic and leaf respiration activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Malcolmia littorea</Emphasis> (L.) R. Br. in response to air temperature

Plant traits of Malcolmia littorea growing at the Botanic Garden of Rome and transplanted from the wild population developing along the Latium coast (Italy) were analyzed. The highest photosynthetic rates [P _N, 22.5 ± 0.5 μmol(CO₂) m⁻² s⁻¹], associated to the highest chlorophyll content (Chl, 60 ± 5 SPAD units), and respiration rates [R, 11.1 ± 0.2 μmol(CO₂) m⁻² s⁻¹] were reached in spring, when mean air temperature (T _m) was in the range 17°C to 23°C. P _N, Chl, and R decreased by 86, 38, and 59% in summer when mean maximum air temperature (T _max) was 30.3 ± 2.6°C. Leaf water potential decreased by 34% in summer compared to the spring value, and it was associated to a relative water content (RWC) of 74 ± 4%, and to a water-use efficiency (WUE) of 2.15 ± 0.81 μmol(CO₂) mmol⁻¹(H₂O). Moreover, also low air temperatures determined a significant P _N and R decreases (by 52 and 40% compared to the maximum, respectively). Responsiveness of gross photosynthetic rate (P _g) to R was higher than that to P _N as underlined by the slope of the regression line between the two variables. The results underlined a low tolerance to both high- and low air temperatures of M. littorea. The selected key traits (R, WUE, Chl) by the discriminant analysis might be used to monitor the M. littorea wild population in the long time. The ex situ cultivated plants could be propagated and used to increase the individuals number of the wild population.     

Photosynthetic Activity of Ripening Tomato Fruit

Gas exchanges, chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence and carboxylation activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) were determined in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruits picked at different developmental stages (immature, red-turning, mature, and over-ripe). The fruits did not show signs of CO₂ fixation. However, photochemical activity was detectable and an effective electron transport was observed, the values of Chl fluorescence parameters in green fruits being similar to those determined in the leaves. The RuBPCO activity, which was similar to those recorded in the leaves at the immature stage of the fruit, decreased as the fruit ripened. PEPC activity was always higher than RuBPCO activity.     

N2O, CH4 and CO2 emissions from seasonal tropical rainforests and a rubber plantation in Southwest China

The main focus of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil moisture and temperature on temporal variation of N₂O, CO₂ and CH₄ soil-atmosphere exchange at a primary seasonal tropical rainforest (PF) site in Southwest China and to compare these fluxes with fluxes from a secondary forest (SF) and a rubber plantation (RP) site. Agroforestry systems, such as rubber plantations, are increasingly replacing primary and secondary forest systems in tropical Southwest China and thus effect the N₂O emission in these regions on a landscape level. The mean N₂O emission at site PF was 6.0 ± 0.1 SE μg N m⁻² h⁻¹. Fluxes of N₂O increased from <5 μg N m⁻² h⁻¹ during dry season conditions to up to 24.5 μg N m⁻² h⁻¹ with re-wetting of the soil by the onset of first rainfall events. Comparable fluxes of N₂O were measured in the SF and RP sites, where mean N₂O emissions were 7.3 ± 0.7 SE μg N m⁻² h⁻¹ and 4.1 ± 0.5 SE μg N m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively. The dependency of N₂O fluxes on soil moisture levels was demonstrated in a watering experiment, however, artificial rainfall only influenced the timing of N₂O emission peaks, not the total amount of N₂O emitted. For all sites, significant positive correlations existed between N₂O emissions and both soil moisture and soil temperature. Mean CH₄ uptake rates were highest at the PF site (−29.5 ± 0.3 SE μg C m⁻² h⁻¹), slightly lower at the SF site (−25.6 ± 1.3 SE μg C m⁻² h⁻¹) and lowest for the RP site (−5.7 ± 0.5 SE μg C m⁻² h⁻¹). At all sites, CH₄ uptake rates were negatively correlated with soil moisture, which was also reflected in the lower uptake rates measured in the watering experiment. In contrast to N₂O emissions, CH₄ uptake did not significantly correlate with soil temperature at the SF and RP sites, and only weakly correlated at the PF site. Over the 2 month measurement period, CO₂ emissions at the PF site increased significantly from 50 mg C m⁻² h⁻¹ up to 100 mg C m⁻² h⁻¹ (mean value 68.8 ± 0.8 SE mg C m⁻² h⁻¹), whereas CO₂ emissions at the SF and RP site where quite stable and varied only slightly around mean values of 38.0 ± 1.8 SE mg C m⁻² h⁻¹ (SF) and 34.9 ± 1.1 SE mg C m⁻² h⁻¹ (RP). A dependency of soil CO₂ emissions on changes in soil water content could be demonstrated for all sites, thus, the watering experiment revealed significantly higher CO₂ emissions as compared to control chambers. Correlation of CO₂ emissions with soil temperature was significant at the PF site, but weak at the SF and not evident at the RP site. Even though we demonstrated that N and C trace gas fluxes significantly varied on subdaily and daily scales, weekly measurements would be sufficient if only the sink/ source strength of non-managed tropical forest sites needs to be identified.     

Nitrogen and carbon partitioning in soybean under variable nitrogen supplies and acclimation to the prolonged action of elevated CO2

This study was conducted to determine reciprocal effects of low to high doses of nitrogenous fertilizer (N₃₀, N₄₀, N₅₀, N₆₀ and N₇₀ — 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 kg ha⁻¹ respectively) and CO₂ enriched environment on C and N partitioning in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merril cv JS-335). Plants were grown from seedling emergence to maturity inside open top chambers under ambient, AC (350±50 mol mol⁻¹) and elevated, EC (600±50 mol mol⁻¹) CO₂ and analyzed at seedling, vegetative, flowering, pod setting and maturity stages. Soybean responded to both CO₂ enrichment and N supply. Leaves, stem and root reserves at different growth stages were analyzed for total C and N contents. Consistent increase in the C contents of the leaf, stem and root was observed under EC than in AC. N contents in the different plant parts were found to be decreased under EC-grown plants specially at seedling and vegetative stage despite providing N doses to the soil. Significant increase observed for C to N dry mass ratio under EC in the root, stems and leaves at seedling and vegetative stage was decreased in the middle and later growth stages possibly due to combined impact of N doses to the soil and increased N₂ fixing activities due to EC conditions. Critical analysis of our findings reveals that the composition and partitioning of C and N of soybean under variable rates of N supply and CO₂ enrichment alter according to need under altered metabolic process. These changes eventually may lead to alteration in uptake of not only N but other essential nutrients also under changing atmosphere.     

Photosynthesis and respiration ofPinus pumila needles in relation to needle age and season

Rates of net photosynthesis and dark respiration were measured for detached needles ofPinus pumila trees growing on the Kiso mountain range in central Japan in 1987. Dependency of photosynthesis on light and temperature was examined in relation to needle age and season. The light saturation point of net photosynthesis was lower in 3- and 4-yr-old needles than that in current (flushed in 1987), 1- and 2-yr-old needles.P _nmax, net photosynthetic rates at 1000 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and 15°C, of needles from 1- to 4-yr-old generally decreased with needle age.P _nmax of 1- to 4-yr-old needles became higher in August than in other months, andP _nmax of current needles did so in September. Current needles showed high respiration rates (at 15°C) only in August. Optimum air temperatures for net photosynthesis at 1000 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ were between 10 and 15°C for current and 1-yr-old needles. The temperature coefficient of dark respiration rates was 2.3–3.3 for current needles from August to October, and 2.2 for 1-yr-old needles in mid-July.