Defective photosynthetic adaptation mechanism in winter restricts the introduction of overwintering plant to high latitudes

Abstract

Highlights: Introduced overwintering species exhibited lower capacity for photosynthetic CO 2 fixation and higher susceptibility for photoinhibition than native overwintering species during winter, which may limit their growth and survival.Abstract: Because of the need for agriculture and landscaping, many overwintering evergreen and biennial species that maintain green leaves over winter were introduced to higher latitudes. The green leaves of introduced overwintering species have to withstand a harsher winter, especially lower temperature, than in their native region of origin. Although the responses and adaptability of photosynthetic apparatus to winter conditions in native overwintering species were widely studied, the experimental results on the introduced overwintering species are very limited. Here, the photosynthetic adaptability during winter was analyzed in two native overwintering 3 species, pine (woody plants), winter wheat (herb), and two introduced overwintering species, bamboo (woody plants), lilyturf (herb). The native species exhibited higher capacity for photosynthetic CO 2 fixation and lower susceptibility for photoinhibition than introduced species during winter. Photosynthesis related proteins, such as PsbA, PsaA, Rubisco and Lhcb1, were marginally affected in native species, but significantly degraded in introduced species during winter. More interestingly, the PSII photoinhibition was mainly caused by up-regulation of photoprotection mechanism, non-photochemical quenching, in native species, but by photodamage in introduced species. This study indicates that the growth and survival of introduced overwintering species is limited by their photosynthetic adaptability to the harsher winter conditions at high latitudes.

Effects of Low Temperature on the Relationship between Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence and Gross Primary Productivity across Different Plant Function Types

“…Some studies have reported that the proportion of energy allocated to each energy-dissipated pathway is not constant under different environmental stresses [33]. Under low-temperature conditions, the light-harvesting complex (LHC) cannot completely utilize the absorbed light for CO 2 fixation [49]. NPQ is an important photoprotective mechanism that plays a role in protecting photosystem II (PSII) from damage under low-temperature conditions [16,46].…”

“…Temperature has large effect on photosynthesis, and the effects of temperature on photosynthetic activities vary with the plant species [35,48]. The response of photosynthesis to low-growth-temperature conditions depends largely on the original distribution of the species [49]. Plants can be classified as species adapted to cold environmental conditions and species adapted to warm conditions (e.g., tropical or sub-tropical conditions).…”

Different Responses of Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence at the Red and Far-Red Bands and Gross Primary Productivity to Air Temperature for Winter Wheat

“…Until now, except for ENF, the effects of temperature on the SIF-GPP relationship in most plants have not been well-explored [31]. Furthermore, some studies have found that plant function types influenced SIF-GPP relationships and that the impacts of low temperatures on photosynthetic apparatuses of woody plants (for example, ENF) and herbaceous species (for example, winter wheat) may follow a different pattern during the winter [32]. Therefore, observations on winter wheat would represent an important contribution to our knowledge of the impact of the differences between SIF and GPP in response to temperature.…”