Effects of elevated CO2 on growth and chloroplast proteins in Prunus avium

Abstract

To predict the future carbon sequestering capacity of trees, we need information about the possible acclimatory mechanisms of plant growth and photosynthesis in rising atmospheric CO(2) under a variety of environmental conditions. We have, therefore, studied the growth response of a tree species (Prunus avium L. Stella (wild cherry)) to elevated CO(2) and characterized the associated changes in photosynthetic machinery of the leaf tissue. Self-pollinated seedlings and mature cuttings (clones) from the same parent plant of P. avium were grown for two consecutive growing seasons (about 60 days each) in ambient CO(2) (350 micro mol mol(-1) CO(2)) or elevated CO(2) (700 micro mol mol(-1) CO(2)) with a high or low nutrient supply. The degree of acclimation of leaf biochemistry and growth response to elevated CO(2) was dependent on the plant material (seedling or mature cutting) and nutrient supply. There was little or no growth response to elevated CO(2) in seedlings or cuttings in the low nutrient supply treatments, whereas, in both seasons, there was a strongly positive growth response to elevated CO(2) in seedlings and cuttings in the high nutrient supply regimes, resulting in increases in the root/shoot ratio and in carbon allocation to the roots. In contrast, the protein content and activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco, EC 4.1.1.39) were down regulated in elevated CO(2). The loss of Rubisco on an area basis in plants in the elevated CO(2) treatments was compensated for at the canopy level by increased leaf area. The loss of Rubisco protein was accompanied by decreases in the contents of chlorophyll and the thylakoid membrane proteins D(1), D(2) and cytochrome f, which are involved in light harvesting and photo-electron transport. We conclude that, in the medium- to long-term, the initial stimulation of biomass production by elevated CO(2) may be increasingly offset by a lower photosynthetic capacity per unit leaf area in perennial plants.

Growth, physiological and biochemical responses of Meliaceae species - Azadirachta indica and Melia dubia to elevated CO2 concentrations

“…This is in accordance with previous studies carried out under elevated CO 2 [47][48][49][50]. Plants lose the ability to take up soil nitrate (most common form of nitrogen) and convert it into organic compounds such as proteins at enriched CO 2 conditions.…”

The growth response of plants to elevated CO2 under non-optimal environmental conditions

“…Prunus avium -2.51 Wilkins (1994) 0.09 Centritto (1999) 0.21 Kerstiens (1994) Quercus petrea -1.36 Guehl (1994) …”

Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) seedlings acclimate to elevated CO2 and water stress: photosynthesis, growth, wood anatomy and hydraulic conductivity

“…Several explanations have been proposed for photosynthetic acclimation to elevated CO 2 , including a reduction in the activity of sinks for carbohydrate, and as a consequence a source-sink imbalance (Thomas and Strain 1991;Long and Drake 1992). Under elevated CO 2 , when photosynthesis greatly exceeds the capacity for photosynthate utilization, it has been shown that sugars accumulate and modulate the transcription of chloroplast proteins Willkins et al 1994). In the present study, the increase in the pool of total soluble sugars and starch in leaves of plants grown at elevated CO 2 suggests the down-regulation of photosynthesis in plants grown at elevated CO 2 .…”