Assessing key parameters in simultaneous simulation of rapid kinetics of chlorophyll a fluorescence and trans-thylakoid electric potential difference.

Our study attempts to address the following questions: among numerous photosynthetic modules, which parameters notably influence the rapid chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) rise, the so-called O-J-I-P transient, in conjunction with the P515 signal, as these two records are easily obtained and widely used in photosynthesis research, and how are these parameters ranked in terms of their importance? These questions might be difficult to answer solely through experimental assays. Therefore, we employed an established photosynthesis model. Firstly, we utilized the model to simulate the measured rapid ChlF rise and P515 kinetics simultaneously. Secondly, we employed the sensitivity analysis (SA) tool by randomly altering model parameters to observe their effects on model output variables. Thirdly, we systematically identified significant parameters for both or one of the kinetics across various scenarios. A novel aspect of our study is the application of the Morris method, a global SA tool, to simultaneously assess the significance of model parameters in shaping both or one of the kinetics. The Morris SA technique enables the quantification of how much a specific parameter affects O-J-I-P transient during particular time intervals (e.g., J, I, and P steps). This allowed us to theoretically analyze which step is more significantly influenced by the parameter. In summary, our study contributes to the field by providing a comprehensive analysis of photosynthesis kinetics and emphasizing the importance of parameter selection in modelling this process. These findings can inform future research efforts aimed at improving photosynthesis models and advancing our understanding of photosynthetic processes.