On the significance of photoinhibition of photosynthesis in the field and its generality among species

Photoinhibition was examined in naturally exposed willow leaves in the field. In the afternoon on clear and warm days, the quantum yield of electron transport, derived from gas exchange data, was decreased by 28%. Besides this photoinhibition, decreases in the photosynthetic capacity and in the stomatal conductance were also observed. Of these three limitations of carbon assimilation, photoinhibition was the major one at limiting light only.To investigate the generality of photoinhibition, shade- and sun-acclimated leaves of fourteen different species were compared in a laboratory study. Photoinhibition was quantified by fluorescence measurements following exposure to moderate and high light for 30 min. The extent of photoinhibition was inversely related to the photochemical quenching, q_p, during exposure (the proportion of open PS II traps). This relationship was the same independent of the species, the light-acclimation state of the leaf and the light intensity. However, sun- and shade-acclimated leaves occupied opposite sides of the relationship: the sun-leaves showed lower photoinhibition and higher q_p. The sun-leaves were also more competent than shade-leaves by showing faster recovery from a given level of photoinhibition.Abbreviations F₀, F_V, F_M, F_S minimal, variable, maximal and steady-state fluorescence - q_N, q_i total and photoinhibitory non-photochemical quenching of variable fluorescence - q_p photochemical quenching