Review

A review of acclimation of photosynthetic pigment composition in plant leaves to shade environment

Expand
  • 1Department of Grassland Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
    2Landscape Planning and Designing Institute, Forestry Department of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610000, China

Received date: 2009-12-01

  Accepted date: 2010-01-20

  Online published: 2010-09-28

Abstract

Chlorophylls function in harvesting light energy, funneling the excitation to reaction center and converting sunlight into chemical energy, and carotenoids are responsible for light harvesting and photoprotection. Both are vital for photosynthesis. We summarized the distribution and function of the main photosynthetic pigments and variation of pigment composition and content in sun and shade plants. Sun plants possess larger xanthophyll cycle pool size (violaxanthin + antheraxanthin + zeaxanthin), but de-epoxidation level is lower than that of shade plants. The ratio of lutein to xanthophyll cycle pool size is positively correlated to plant shade tolerance. Light intensity and spectral quality vary between different shade sources. Generally for plant growth, building shade is better than vegetation shade, and deciduous shade exceeds coniferous shade. Variation in light intensity may activate two cycles in plants, xanthophyll cycle and lutein epoxide cycle, for light harvesting or energy dissipation. Some species may alter chlorophyll content and Chl a/b ratio to acclimate to different light intensity, but this character is not related to their shade tolerance. Temporary shade is not necessarily detrimental. Xanthophyll cycle pool size is not only determined by daily photon receipt, but also by the way photon flux is distributed over the daylight hours, because light and temperature are both essential for optimal photosynthetic metabolism. The best photosynthetic performances of plants were obtained with the reinforcement of blue, red and far red wavelengths and with a red: far red ratio closer to that observed in nature. We reviewed internal and external factors affecting photosynthetic pigment content and composition, and determined that during the acclimation to different light environments, plants altered pigment composition and content mainly through adjusting the ratio of reaction center to light harvesting complex and PSI/PSII. We also discussed current research problems and provided insight into future relevant research.

Cite this article

SUN Xiao-Ling, XU Yue-Fei, MA Lu-Yi, ZHOU He . A review of acclimation of photosynthetic pigment composition in plant leaves to shade environment[J]. Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 2010 , 34(8) : 989 -999 . DOI: 10.3773/j.issn.1005-264x.2010.08.012

References

[1] Amunts A, Drory O, Nelson N (2007). The structure of a plant photosystem I supercomplex at 3.4 ? resolution. Nature, 447, 58-63.
[2] Atanasova L, Stefanov D, Yordanov I, Kornova K, Kavard- zikov L (2003). Comparative characteristics of growth and photosynthesis of sun and shade leaves from normal and pendulum walnut (Juglans regia L.) trees. Photosynt- hetica, 41, 289-292.
[3] Baig MJ, Anand A, Mandal PK, Bhatt RK (2005). Irradiance influences contents of photosynthetic pigments and proteins in tropical grasses and legumes. Photosynthetica, 43, 47-53.
[4] Bell GE, Danneberger TK (1999). Temporal shade on creeping bentgrass turf. Crop Science, 39, 1142-1146.
[5] Bell GE, Danneberger TK, McMahon MJ (2000). Spectral irradiance available for turfgrass growth in sun and shade. Crop Science, 40, 189-195.
[6] Bertamini M, Muthuchelian K, Nedunchezhian N (2006). Shade effect alters leaf pigments and photosynthetic responses in Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) grown under field conditions. Photosynthetica, 44, 227-234.
[7] Bradburne JA, Kasperbauer MJ, Mathis JN (1989). Reflected far-red light effects on chlorophyll and light-harvesting chlorophyll protein (LHC-II) contents under field conditions. Plant Physiology, 91, 800-803.
[8] Chu ZX (储钟稀), Tong Z (童哲), Feng LJ (冯丽洁), Zhang Q (张群), Wen XG (温晓刚), Song ST (宋森田), Zhu XF (朱孝凤) (1999). Effect of different light quality on photosynthetic characteristics of cucumber leaves. Acta Botanica Sinica (植物学报), 41, 867-870. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[9] Dall’Osto L, Fiore A, Cazzaniga S, Giuliano G, Bassi R (2007). Different roles of α- and β-branch xanthophylls in photosystem assembly and photoprotection. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 282, 35056-35068.
[10] Dall’Osto L, Lico C, Alric J, Giuliano G, Havaux M, Bassi R (2006). Lutein is needed for efficient chlorophyll triplet quenching in the major LHCII antenna complex of higher plants and effective photoprotection in vivo under strong light. BMC Plant Biology, 6, 32.
[11] Davison PA, Hunter CN, Horton P (2002). Overexpression of [beta]-carotene hydroxylase enhances stress tolerance in Arabidopsis. Nature, 418, 203-206.
[12] Demmig-Adams B, Adams WW III (1992). Carotenoid composition in sun and shade leaves of plants with different life forms. Plant, Cell and Environment, 15, 411-419.
[13] Demmig-Adams B, Adams WW III (2000). Harvesting sunlight safely. Nature, 403, 371-374.
[14] Demmig-Adams B, Adams WW III (2006). Photoprotection in an ecological context: the remarkable complexity of thermal energy dissipation. New Phytologist, 172, 11-21.
[15] Demmig-Adams B, Gilmore AM, Adams WW III (1996). Carotenoids 3: in vivo function of carotenoids in higher plants. Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, 14, 402-412.
[16] Eichelmann H, Oja V, Rasulov B, Padu E, Bichele I, Pettai H, M?nd P, Kull O, Laisk A (2005). Adjustment of leaf photosynthesis to shade in a natural canopy: reallocation of nitrogen. Plant, Cell and Environment, 28, 389-401.
[17] Ferreira KN, Iverson TM, Maghlaoui K, Barber J, Iwata S (2004). Architecture of the photosynthetic oxygen- evolving center. Science, 303, 1831-1838.
[18] García-Plazaola JI, Becerril JM (2000). Photoprotection mechanisms in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) seedlings from diverse climatic origins. Trees, 14, 339-343.
[19] García-Plazaola JI, Matsubara S, Osmond CB (2007). The lutein epoxide cycle in higher plants: its relationships to other xanthophyll cycles and possible functions. Functional Plant Biology, 34, 759-773.
[20] Gilmore AM, Yamamoto HY (1991). Resolution of lutein and zeaxanthin using a non-endcapped, lightly carbon-loaded C18 high-performance liquid chromatographic column. Journal of Chromatography A, 543, 137-145.
[21] Glick RE, McCauley SW, Melis A (1985). Effect of light quality on chloroplact-membrane organization and function in pea. Planta, 164, 487-494.
[22] Hansen U, Fiedler B, Rank B (2002a). Variation of pigment composition and antioxidative systems along the canopy light gradient in a mixed beech/oak forest: a comparative study on deciduous tree species differing in shade tolerance. Trees, 16, 354-364.
[23] Hansen U, Schneiderheinze J, Rank B (2002b). Is the lower shade tolerance of Scots pine, relative to pedunculate oak, related to the composition of photosynthetic pigments? Photosynthetica, 40, 369-374.
[24] Hobe S, Trostmann I, Raunser S, Paulsen H (2006). Assembly of the major light-harvesting chlorophyll-a/b complex: thermodynamics and kinetics of neoxanthin binding. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 281, 25156-25166.
[25] Holt NE, Zigmantas D, Valkunas L, Li XP, Niyogi KK, Fleming GR (2005). Carotenoid cation formation and the regulation of photosynthetic light harvesting. Science, 307, 433-436.
[26] Jiang Y, Duncan RR, Carrow RN (2004). Assessment of low light tolerance of seashore paspalum and bermudagrass. Crop Science, 44, 587-594.
[27] Johnson GN, Scholes JD, Horton P, Young AJ (1993). Relationships between carotenoid composition and growth habit in British plant species. Plant, Cell & Environment, 16, 681-686.
[28] Kim JH, Glick RE, Melis A (1993). Dynamics of photosystem stoichiometry adjustment by light quality in chloroplasts. Plant Physiology, 102, 181-190.
[29] Koh KJ, Bell GE, Martin DL, Walker NR (2003). Shade and airflow restriction effects on creeping bentgrass golf greens. Crop Science, 43, 2182-2188.
[30] Leong TY, Goodchild DJ, Anderson JM (1985). Effect of light quality on the composition, function, and structure of photosynthetic thylakoid membranes of Asplenium australasicum (Sm.) Hook. Plant Physiology, 78, 561-567.
[31] Lin ZF (林植芳), Peng CL (彭长连), Lin GZ (林桂珠) (2006). Lutein and lutein epoxide-lutein cycle in plants. Plant Physiology Communications (植物生理学通讯), 42, 385-394. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[32] Liu Z, Yan H, Wang K, Kuang T, Zhang J, Gui L, An X, Chang W (2004). Crystal structure of spinach major light-harvesting complex at 2.72? resolution. Nature, 428, 287-292.
[33] Loll B, Kern J, Saenger W, Zouni A, Biesiadka J (2005). Towards complete cofactor arrangement in the 3.0? resolution structure of photosystem II. Nature, 438, 1040-1044.
[34] Ma JZ (马建忠), Lou SQ (娄世庆), Kuang TY (匡廷云), Li J (黎家), Tong Z (童哲), Tang PS (汤佩松) (1997). The effects of light quality on the development of chloroplast photosystems and the transcription of psbA gene of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum). Acta Genetica Sinica (遗传学报), 24, 464-470. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[35] Matsubara S, Gilmore AM, Osmond CB (2001). Diurnal and acclimatory responses of violaxanthin and lutein epoxide in the Australian mistletoe Amyema miquelii. Functional Plant Biology, 28, 793-800.
[36] Matsubara S, Krause GH, Aranda J, Virgo A, Beisel KG, Jahns P, Winter K (2009). Sun-shade patterns of leaf carotenoid composition in 86 species of neotropical forest plants. Functional Plant Biology, 36, 20-36.
[37] Matsubara S, Krause GH, Seltmann M, Virgo A, Kursar TA, Jahns P, Winter K (2008). Lutein epoxide cycle, light harvesting and photoprotection in species of the tropical tree genus Inga. Plant, Cell and Environment, 31, 548-561.
[38] Matsubara S, Morosinotto T, Osmond CB, Bassi R (2007). Short- and long-term operation of the lutein-epoxide cycle in light-harvesting antenna complexes. Plant Physiology, 144, 926-941.
[39] Maxwell K, Marrison JL, Leech RM, Griffiths H, Horton P (1999). Chloroplast acclimation in leaves of Guzmania monostachia in response to high light. Plant Physiology, 121, 89-96.
[40] McElroy JS, Kopsell DA, Sorochan JC, Sams CE (2006). Response of creeping bentgrass carotenoid composition to high and low irradiance. Crop Science, 46, 2606-2612.
[41] Munné-Bosch S, Pe?uelas J (2003). Photo-and antioxidative protection during summer leaf senescence in Pistacia lentvscus L. grown under mediterranean field conditions. Annals of Botany, 92, 385-391.
[42] Murchie EH, Horton P (1997). Acclimation of photosynthesis to irradiance and spectral quality in British plant species: chlorophyll content, photosynthetic capacity and habitat preference. Plant, Cell & Environment, 20, 438-448.
[43] Murchie EH, Horton P (1998). Contrasting patterns of photosynthetic acclimation to the light environment are dependent on the differential expression of the responses to altered irradiance and spectral quality. Plant, Cell & Environment, 21, 139-148.
[44] Ramalho JC, Marques NC, Semedo JN, Matos MC, Quartin VL (2002). Photosynthetic performance and pigment composition of leaves from two tropical species is determined by light quality. Plant Biology, 4, 112-120.
[45] Rosevear MJ, Young AJ, Johnson GN (2001). Growth conditions are more important than species origin in determining leaf pigment content of British plant species. Functional Ecology, 15, 474-480.
[46] Thayer SS, Bj?rkman O (1990). Leaf xanthophyll content and composition in sun and shade determined by HPLC. Photosynthesis Research, 23, 331-343.
[47] Thayer SS, Bj?rkman O (1992). Carotenoid distribution and deepoxidation in thylakoid pigment-protein complexes from cotton leaves and bundle-sheath cells of maize. Photosynthesis Research, 33, 213-225.
[48] Wherley BG, Gardner DS, Metzger JD (2005). Tall fescue photomorphogenesis as influenced by changes in the spectral composition and light intensity. Crop Science, 45, 562-568.
[49] Xu L (许莉), Liu SQ (刘世琦), Qi LD (齐连东), Liang QL (梁庆玲), Yu WY (于文艳) (2007). Effect of light quality on leaf lettuce photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence. Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin (中国农学通报), 23, 96-100. (in Chinese with English abstract)
Outlines

/