Thermal acclimation of photosynthesis by the arctic plant Saxifraga cernua
The thermal acclimations of net photosynthesis, dark respiration, and photorespiration have been studied in the arctic plant Saxifraga cernua. The gas exchange of whole plants grown to maturity under different temperature regimes was analysed for individual plants transferred from (i) 10 to 20 (refe...
| Published in: | Canadian Journal of Botany |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
1986
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/b86-011 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/b86-011 |
| Summary: | The thermal acclimations of net photosynthesis, dark respiration, and photorespiration have been studied in the arctic plant Saxifraga cernua. The gas exchange of whole plants grown to maturity under different temperature regimes was analysed for individual plants transferred from (i) 10 to 20 (referred to as high-temperature acclimation) and (ii) 20 to 5 °C (low-temperature acclimation). High- and low-temperature acclimation resulted in shifts of the leaf temperature optimum for net photosynthesis of whole plants in the direction of the new growth temperature. That the acclimating temperature directly affected the photosynthetic apparatus was indicated by (i) changes in the optimum temperature for gross photosynthesis of whole plants and (ii) a change in the oxygen sensitivity of net photosynthesis after acclimation to a new growth temperature. The change in the optimum temperature for net photosynthesis was also due, in part, to altered dark respiration rates which increased during acclimation to low growth temperatures. These results suggest that such acclimation in arctic species like S. cernua arose as a result of the selective pressure of fluctuating temperatures which are experienced during the growth season to maximize annual growth under arctic and subarctic conditions. |
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