Abstract
Key message
Chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters underlie tropical tree species resource use strategies in protective plantations on deforested areas.
Abstract
The light use efficiency as derived from chlorophyll a fluorescence technique, a fast and not invasive method, can be indicated as a proxy for photosynthetic capacity. In this study, we evaluate whether chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters are also related to functional traits that are representatives of leaf economics spectrum—at an individual or species level—in tropical tree species planted on deforested areas. In seven tree species 15 months after planting, we measured 25 leaf traits related to leaf economics spectrum — leaf mass per area (LMA), nutrients, photosynthetic process, photosynthetic efficiency in the use of carbon, water, and nutrients, and five chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters (ChlF-P) derived from JIP test—ET0/TR0, efficiency with which a PSII-trapped electron is transferred from quinone A (QA−) to plastoquinone (PQ); RE0/ET0, efficiency with which an electron from plastoquinol (PQH2) is transferred to final acceptors of photosystem I (PSI); Fv/Fm, maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry; PIABS, performance index on absorption basis; and PItotal, total performance index on absorption basis. In both individual- and species-based approaches, chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters (RE0/ET0, PIABS and PItotal) were associated with LMA, leaf nutrient concentration, photosynthetic capacity, and photosynthetic efficiency in the use of nutrients and water. Species with a high LMA have the highest photochemical efficiency of the PSI before dawn but are those with the least capacity to increase the photochemical efficiency of the PSI at noon. A greater photochemical processing capacity—excluding any stomatal limitations—leads to substantial gains in CO2 assimilation either through its direct effects on photosynthetic capacity or its indirect effects by increasing the photosynthetic efficiency in the use of macronutrients. Photosynthetic efficiency in the use of water associated with photochemical efficiency at noon, indicating a link between stomatal functioning and electron transport during periods of the day with a high irradiance, air temperature, and vapor pressure demand. Tropical tree photochemical performance traits derived from the polyphasic chlorophyll a fluorescence transient (O–J–I–P) are related to leaf economics traits. Chlorophyll a fluorescence is a potential method to silvicultural and ecological studies on plant strategies of resource use.
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Acknowledgements
This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001. We are grateful to the Experimental Farm of the Federal University of Amazonas for the concession of the study site and logistical fieldwork support. We acknowledge to the Laboratório de Silvicultura team for support and data collection. We are grateful to the Wanda Lemos Paixão Nogueira and Narrúbia Oliveira de Almeida Martins for installing the experiment. M.J. Ferreira acknowledges the research productivity grant—PQ provided by CNPq, Process number 309870/2020-8.
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Guimarães, Z.T.M., dos Santos, V.A.H.F. & Ferreira, M.J. Chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters are related to the leaf economics spectrum of tropical tree species in a mixed plantation. Trees 36, 763–775 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-021-02248-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-021-02248-y