Sunfleck limits the small-scale distribution of endangered Kingdonia uniflora in the natural habitat of subalpine forest proved by its photosynthesis

The physiological effects of sunflecks on understory plants are poorly understood. Kingdonia uniflora is an endemic and endangered species in China, with a patchy distribution over much of its range. Sunflecks are reportedly the likely dominant factor in determining its patchy distribution. We studi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta physiologiae plantarum 2016-04, Vol.38 (4), Article 100
Main Authors: Zhang, Chen-Guang, Liu, Xiao, Fan, Yi-Lei, Wang, Mao, Chai, Yong-Fu, Wan, Peng-Cheng, Wang, Ya-Min, Yue, Ming
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Life Sciences
Original Article
Plant Anatomy/Development
Plant Biochemistry
Plant Genetics and Genomics
Plant Pathology
Plant Physiology
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Summary:The physiological effects of sunflecks on understory plants are poorly understood. Kingdonia uniflora is an endemic and endangered species in China, with a patchy distribution over much of its range. Sunflecks are reportedly the likely dominant factor in determining its patchy distribution. We studied the photosynthesis of K. uniflora in the field to test whether understory sunflecks result in photoinhibition and, thereby, potentially influence its patchy distribution. K. uniflora exhibited the low dark respiration rates, low light compensation points, and low light saturation points characteristic of shade-tolerant plants, allowing maintenance during the long periods of low understory light. Moreover, K. uniflora was able to regulate light energy utilization by non-photochemical quenching in low light. Gas exchange parameters were measured in six treatments (sunfleck-enriched, sunfleck-enriched with added saturation light, sunfleck-enriched with filtered ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation , sunfleck-limited, sunfleck-limited with added saturation light, and sunfleck-limited with filtered UV-B). The sunfleck-enriched treatment caused photoinhibition in K. uniflora , in part due to a UV-B-induced decrease in Pn. In addition, the application of simulated sunflecks indicated that K. uniflora leaves do not need continuous light. The photosynthetic responses of K. uniflora to sunflecks indicate that the sunflecks are a limiting factor in the small-scale distribution of K. uniflora .
ISSN:0137-5881
1861-1664
DOI:10.1007/s11738-016-2112-z