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Photosynthetic performance of the aquatic macrophyte Althenia orientalis to solar radiation along its vertical stems

  • Physiological ecology - Original Paper
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Abstract

We have studied the plasticity of the photosynthetic apparatus in the endangered aquatic macrophyte Althenia orientalis to the gradient of light availability within its meadow canopy. We determined diurnal change in situ irradiance, light quality, in vivo chlorophyll a fluorescence, ex situ oxygen evolution rates, respiration rate and pigment concentration. The levels of photosynthetic photon flux density (PFD) and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and the red/far-red ratio decreased with depth within the canopies of A. orientalis. Apical leaves had a greater decrease of the maximal quantum yield (F v/F m) in the morning and a faster recovery rate in the afternoon than those in the basal ones. The relative electron transport rate (ETRr) was not saturated at any time of the day, even in the apical leaves that received the highest light. The maximum light-saturated rate of gross photosynthesis (GPmax) took place in apical leaves around noon. The chlorophyll a/b ratio values were higher, and the chlorophyll/carotenoid ratio values lower, in apical leaves than basal ones. The highest concentrations in total carotenoids were reached in the apical leaves around noon. A. orientalis has a high capacity to acclimatize to the changes in the light environment, both in quality and quantity, presenting sun and shade leaves in the same stem through the vertical gradient in the canopy.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain (Project CICYT AMB97-1021-C02-01; CGL2008-05407-C03-01) and by Junta de Andalucía to the research group RNM-295 and RNM-115. Luis and Pilar collaborated with us in the field work. The authors would also like to acknowledge to the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments, which helped to significantly improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. EFYVE, Málaga, Spain

    Rafael M. Conde-Álvarez

  2. Departamento de Biología Vegetal (Botánica), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071, Málaga, Spain

    Elena Bañares-España, José Ma. Nieto-Caldera & Antonio Flores-Moya

  3. Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071, Malaga, Spain

    Félix L. Figueroa

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  1. Rafael M. Conde-Álvarez
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  2. Elena Bañares-España
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  3. José Ma. Nieto-Caldera
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  4. Antonio Flores-Moya
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  5. Félix L. Figueroa
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Correspondence to Rafael M. Conde-Álvarez.

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Communicated by Kouki Hikosaka.

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Conde-Álvarez, R.M., Bañares-España, E., Nieto-Caldera, J.M. et al. Photosynthetic performance of the aquatic macrophyte Althenia orientalis to solar radiation along its vertical stems. Oecologia 166, 853–862 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-1941-0

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