Field integration of shoot gas-exchange and leaf chlorophyll fluorescence measurements to study the long-term regulation of photosynthesis in situ.

Understanding the diurnal and seasonal regulation of photosynthesis is an essential step to quantify and model the impact of the environment on plant function. Although the dynamics of photosynthesis have been widely investigated in terms of CO2 exchange measurements, a more comprehensive view can be obtained when combining gas-exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF). Until now, integrated measurements of gas-exchange and ChlF have been restricted to short-term analysis using portable infrared gas analyzer systems that include a fluorometer module.

Caught between two states: The compromise in acclimation of photosynthesis, transpiration and mesophyll conductance to different amplitudes of fluctuating irradiance.

While dynamic regulation of photosynthesis in fluctuating light is increasingly recognized as an important driver of carbon uptake, acclimation to realistic irradiance fluctuations is still largely unexplored. We subjected Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) wild-type and jac1 mutants to irradiance fluctuations with distinct amplitudes and average irradiance.

Seasonal dynamics and punctuated carbon sink reduction suggest photosynthetic capacity of boreal silver birch is reduced by the accumulation of hexose.

The 'assimilates inhibition hypothesis' posits that accumulation of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) in leaves reduces leaf net photosynthetic rate, thus internally regulating photosynthesis. Experimental work provides equivocal support mostly under controlled conditions without identifying a particular NSC as involved in the regulation. We combined 3-yr in situ leaf gas exchange observations (natural dynamics) in the upper crown of mature Betula pendula simultaneously with measurements of concentrations of sucrose, hexoses (glucose and fructose), and starch, and similar measurements during several one-day shoot girdling (perturbation dynamics).

Partitioning seasonal stem carbon dioxide efflux into stem respiration, bark photosynthesis, and transport-related flux in Scots pine.

Stem CO2 efflux is an important component of the carbon balance in forests. The efflux is considered to principally reflect the net result of two dominating and opposing processes: stem respiration and stem photosynthesis. In addition, transport of CO2 in xylem sap is thought to play an appreciable role in affecting the net flux.

Aerobic methane production in Scots pine shoots is independent of drought or photosynthesis.

Shoot-level emissions of aerobically produced methane (CH) may be an overlooked source of tree-derived CH, but insufficient understanding of the interactions between their environmental and physiological drivers still prevents the reliable upscaling of canopy CH fluxes. We utilised a novel automated chamber system to continuously measure CH fluxes from the shoots of Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine) saplings under drought to investigate how canopy CH fluxes respond to the drought-induced alterations in their physiological processes and to isolate the shoot-level production of CH from soil-derived transport and photosynthesis. We found that aerobic CH emissions are not affected by the drought-induced stress, changes in physiological processes, or decrease in photosynthesis.