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Journal ArticleDOI

The effect of light intensity and temperature on plant growth and chloroplast ultrastructure in soybean

01 Nov 1970-American Journal of Botany (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd)-Vol. 57, Iss: 10, pp 1150-1159
TL;DR: Differences in growth rate, leaf anatomy, chloroplast ultrastructure, and chemical composition in soybean plants grown in cabinets under combinations of temperature and light similar to those occurring naturally are concerned.
Abstract: A B S T R A C T Soybean plants grown in controlled environment cabinets under light intensities of 220 w/m2 or 90 w/m2 (400-700 nm) and day to night temperatures of 27.5-22.5 C or 20.0-12.5 C in all combinations, exhibited differences in growth rate, leaf anatomy, chloroplast ultrastructure, and leaf starch, chlorophyll, and chloroplast lipid contents. Leaves grown under the lower light intensity at both temperatures had palisade mesophyll chloroplasts containing well-formed grana. The corresponding leaves developed under the higher light intensity had very rudimentary grana. Chloroplasts from high temperature and high light had grana consisting of two or three appressed thylakoids, while grana from the low temperature were confined to occasional thylakoid overlap. Spongy mesophyll chloroplasts were less sensitive to growth conditions. Transfer experiments showed that the ultrastructure of chloroplasts from mature leaves could be modified by changing the conditions, though the effect was less marked than when the leaf was growing. LITTLE IS known concerning the influence of light intensities and temperatures characteristic of field conditions on the chloroplast ultrastructure of developing and mature leaves of normal plants. Bjorkman and Holmgren (1963) using the light microscope showed that their higher light intensity destroyed the chloroplasts of shade ecotypes of Solidago virgaurea, whereas chloroplasts from exposed ecotypes were unaffected. The effect of light intensity on the ultrastructure of chloroplasts from pigment-deficient mutants was investigated by Walles (1965), Schmid, Price, and Gaffron (1966), Clewell and Schmid (1969); the effect of temperature and light on the greening of detached, etiolated leaves by Klein (1960), Eilam and Klein (1962); and the eff ect of transference of dark-grown seedlings to light by \'IcWilliam and Naylor (1967). This study concerned differences in growth rate, leaf anatomy, chloroplast ultrastructure, and chemical composition in soybean plants grown in cabinets under combinations of temperature and light similar to those occurring naturally. Comparisons were made with plants grown outside and in the glasshouse. The plants used were well beyond the seedling stage.
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Book ChapterDOI
10 Jan 1981
TL;DR: In any habitat the quantum flux density varies seasonally, diurnally, and spatially (such as within a canopy of a given plant stand) as mentioned in this paper, which is the most conspicuous environmental variable with which plants must cope.
Abstract: Growth of autotrophic plants is directly and dramatically influenced by the intensity of light — the driving force of photosynthesis — which provides nearly all of the carbon and chemical energy needed for plant growth. Moreover, light intensity (quantum flux density) is perhaps the most conspicuous environmental variable with which plants must cope. Contrasting terrestrial habitats may differ by at least two orders of magnitude in the daily quantum flux available for photosynthesis. In any habitat the quantum flux density varies seasonally, diurnally, and spatially (such as within a canopy of a given plant stand).

1,367 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Leaf thickness, dry weight, chlorophyll content, soluble carbohydrate level, photosynthetic CO2-fixation, height and width of grana stacks and starch content, are good parameters to describe the differences between LL- and HL-leaves; with some reservations concerning age and physiological stage of leaf.
Abstract: The photosynthetic CO2-fixation rates, chlorophyll content, chloroplast ultrastructure and other leaf characteristics (e.g. variable fluorescence, stomata density, soluble carbohydrate content) were studied in a comparative way in sun and shade leaves of beech (Fagus sylvatica) and in high-light and low-light seedlings. 1. Sun leaves of the beech possess a smaller leaf area, higher dry weight, lower water content, higher stomata density, higher chlorophyll a/b ratios and are thicker than the shade leaves. Sun leaves on the average contain more chlorophyll in a leaf area unit; the shade leaf exhibits more chlorophyll on a dry weight basis. Sun leaves show higher rates for dark respiration and a higher light saturation of photosynthetic CO2-fixation. Above 2000 lux they are more efficient in photosynthetic quantum conversion than the shade leaves. 2. The development of HL-radish plants proceeds much faster than that of LL-plants. The cotyledons of HL-plants show a higher dry weight, lower water content, a higher ratio of chlorophyll a/b and a higher gross photosynthesis rate than the cotyledons of the LL-plants, which possess a higher chlorophyll content per dry weight basis. The large area of the HL-cotyledon on the one hand, as well as the higher stomata density and the higher respiration rate in the LL-cotyledon on the other hand, are not in agreement with the characteristics of sun and shade leaves respectively. 3. The development, growth and wilting of wheat leaves and the appearance of the following leaves (leaf succession) is much faster at high quanta fluence rates than in weak light. The chlorophyll content is higher in the HL-leaf per unit leaf area and in the LL-leaf per g dry weight. There are no differences in the stomata density and leaf area between the HL- and LL-leaf. There are fewer differences between HL- and LL-leaves than in beech or radish leaves. 4. The chloroplast ultrastructure of shade-type chloroplasts (shade leaves, LL-leaves) is not only characterized by a much higher number of thylakoids per granum and a higher stacking degree of thylakoids, but also by broader grana than in sun-type chloroplasts (sun leaves, HL-leaves). The chloroplasts of sun leaves and of HL-leaves exhibit large starch grains. 5. Shade leaves and LL-leaves exhibit a higher maximum chlorophyll fluorescence and it takes more time for the fluorescence to decline to the steady state than in sun and HL-leaves. The variable fluorescence VF (ratio of fluorescence decrease to steady state fluorescence) is always higher in the sun and HL-leaf of the same physiological stage (maximum chlorophyll content of the leaf) than in the shade and LL-leaf. The fluorescence emission spectra of sun and HL-leaves show a higher proportion of chlorophyli fluorescence in the second emission maximum F2 than shade and LL-leaves. 6. The level of soluble carbohydrates (reducing sugars) is significantly higher in sun and HL-leaves than in shade and LL-leaves and even reflects changes in the amounts of the daily incident light. 7. Some but not all characteristics of mature sun and shade leaves are found in HL- and LL-leaves of seedlings. Leaf thickness, dry weight, chlorophyll content, soluble carbohydrate level, photosynthetic CO2-fixation, height and width of grana stacks and starch content, are good parameters to describe the differences between LL- and HL-leaves; with some reservations concerning age and physiological stage of leaf, a/b ratios, chlorophyll content per leaf area unit and the variable fluorescence are also suitable.

561 citations


Cites background from "The effect of light intensity and t..."

  • ...Transfer experiments from one light condition to the other show that the ultrastructure of soybean chloroplasts can also be modified in mature leaves [4]....

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  • ...m -2) possess only very rudimentary grana [4]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Although acclimation of the photosynthetic apparatus and moderation of light gradients are imperfect, these markedly raise the efficiency of photosynthesis and more mechanistic studies on these adaptive attributes are needed.
Abstract: Leaves and herbaceous leaf canopies photosynthesize efficiently although the distribution of light, the ultimate resource of photosynthesis, is very biased in these systems. As has been suggested in theoretical studies, if a photosynthetic system is organized such that every photosynthetic apparatus photosynthesizes in concert, the system as a whole has the sharpest light response curve and is most adaptive. This condition can be approached by (i) homogenization of the light environment and (ii) acclimation of the photosynthetic properties of leaves or chloroplasts to their local light environments. This review examines these two factors in the herbaceous leaf canopy and in the leaf. Changes in the inclination of leaves in the canopy and differentiation of mesophyll into palisade and spongy tissue contribute to the moderation of the light gradient. Leaf and chloroplast movements in the upper parts of these systems under high irradiances also moderate light gradients. Moreover, acclimation of leaves and chloroplasts to the local light environment is substantial. These factors increase the efficiency of photosynthesis considerably. However, the systems appear to be less efficient than the theoretical optimum. When the systems are optically dense, the light gradients may be too great for leaves or chloroplasts to acclimate. The loss of photosynthetic production attributed to the imperfect adjustment of photosynthetic apparatus to the local light environment is most apparent when the photosynthesis of the system is in the transition between the light-limited and light-saturated phases. Although acclimation of the photosynthetic apparatus and moderation of light gradients are imperfect, these markedly raise the efficiency of photosynthesis. Thus more mechanistic studies on these adaptive attributes are needed. The causes and consequences of imperfect adjustment should also be investigated.

379 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It was concluded that adaptation to a range of environmental conditions cannot be consistently attributed to changes in mesophyll cell volume or surface area.
Abstract: Fragaria vesca, the woodland strawberry, was grown under a series of controlled environments including variations in light intensity, average temperatures, and temperature amplitude around a constant mean. Observations on CO2 exchange capacities, leaf anatomy, and cell ultrastructure were made for each treatment to determine relationships between these variables. With increasing light intensity, leaf thickness, leaf density, and mesophyll cell surface area and volume per leaf surface area increased. Net photosynthesis (NPS) per leaf weight decreased with increasing light pretreatment while NPS per area increased from low to medium intensity, then decreased at the highest intensity. Depression of photosynthesis at the highest light pretreatment may have been due to massive starch accumulation in the chloroplasts associated with the sodium vapor lamps used. Correlation of all anatomical variables was highly significant with dark respiration and NPS per dry weight but insignificant for NPS per leaf area. In the variable temperature treatments, photosynthetic acclimation occurred with a shift in optimum temperature for NPS in the direction of prevailing growth temperature. Absolute rates were highest at moderate pretreatment temperatures and were reduced by extreme growth temperatures. Thick leaves with low density mesophyll became thinner and more dense with increasing growth temperature corresponding to an increase in maximum net photosynthetic rates. Leaves became thicker and more dense at the highest temperatures, but with an increase in cell damage and indications of changes in metabolic pathways. Highest correlations for gas exchange rates were with specific leaf weight (weight per area). Correlation with other anatomical variables were scattered or insignificant. It was concluded that adaptation to a range of environmental conditions cannot be consistently attributed to changes in mesophyll cell volume or surface area.

214 citations

References
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors described a simplified version of the method and reported the results of a study of its application to different tissues, including the efficiency of the washing procedure in terms of the removal from tissue lipides of some non-lipide substances of special biochemical interest.

59,550 citations

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TL;DR: The stain reported here differs from previous alkaline lead stains in that the chelating agent, citrate, is in sufficient excess to sequester all lead present, and is less likely to contaminate sections.
Abstract: Aqueous solutions of lead salts (1, 2) and saturated solutions of lead hydroxide (1) have been used as stains to enhance the electron-scattering properties of components of biological materials examined in the electron microscope. Saturated solutions of lead hydroxide (1), while staining more intensely than either lead acetate or monobasic lead acetate (l , 2), form insoluble lead carbonate upon exposure to air. The avoidance of such precipitates which contaminate surfaces of sections during staining has been the stimulus for the development of elaborate procedures for exclusion of air or carbon dioxide (3, 4). Several modifications of Watson's lead hydroxide stain (1) have recently appeared (5-7). All utilize relatively high pH (approximately 12) and one contains small amounts of tartrate (6), a relatively weak complexing agent (8), in addition to lead. These modified lead stains are less liable to contaminate the surface of the section with precipitated stain products. The stain reported here differs from previous alkaline lead stains in that the chelating agent, citrate, is in sufficient excess to sequester all lead present. Lead citrate, soluble in high concentrations in basic solutions, is a chelate compound with an apparent association constant (log Ka) between ligand and lead ion of 6.5 (9). Tissue binding sites, presumably organophosphates, and other anionic species present in biological components following fixation, dehydration, and plastic embedding apparently have a greater affinity for this cation than lead citrate inasmuch as cellular and extracellular structures in the section sequester lead from the staining solution. Alkaline lead citrate solutions are less likely to contaminate sections, as no precipitates form when droplets of fresh staining solution are exposed to air for periods of up to 30 minutes. The resultant staining of the sections is of high intensity in sections of Aralditeor Epon-embedded material. Cytoplasmic membranes, ribosomes, glycogen, and nuclear material are stained (Figs. 1 to 3). STAIN SOLUTION: Lead citrate is prepared by

24,137 citations

Book
01 Jan 1976
TL;DR: This book will help you to understand the chemistry and biochemistry of plant pigments book much better and the system of this book of course will be much easier.
Abstract: Reading is a hobby to open the knowledge windows. Besides, it can provide the inspiration and spirit to face this life. By this way, concomitant with the technology development, many companies serve the e-book or book in soft file. The system of this book of course will be much easier. No worry to forget bringing the chemistry and biochemistry of plant pigments book. You can open the device and get the book by on-line.

1,754 citations

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TL;DR: Very small amounts of sulfo- and galacto-lipids can be reproducibly estimated by this method and the sugar component is estimated by the reaction of the lipid on the thin-layer adsorbent with phenol and sulfuric acid.

299 citations