Photosynthetic Acclimation of Alocasia macrorrhiza (L.) G. Don

Abstract

The photosynthetic acclimation of Alocasia macrorrhiza (L.) G. Don, a species naturally occurring in deep shade in rainforests, has been studied in relation to a wide range of controlled irradiances during growth (~3-780 µmol photons m^-2 s^-1 of fluorescent or incandescent light, 10 h light/ 14 h dark). At the maximum growth irradiances, the light- and CO²-saturated rates of O² evolution per unit leaf area were ~4 times as high as at low irradiance, and approached those of glasshouse-grown spinach. Growth at maximum irradiances reduced the quantum yield of O² evolution only slightly.

Changes in the anatomy of leaf tissue, the ultrastructure of chloroplasts and the composition of chloroplast components accompanied the changes in photosynthetic functional characteristics. At low growth irradiance, palisade cell chloroplasts were preferentially located adjacent to the distal periclinal cell walls and had large granal stacks, and the destacked thylakoids had a very low surface charge density. In contrast, at higher growth irradiance, palisade cell chloroplasts were preferentially located adjacent to the anticlinal cell walls; they had small granal stacks, large stromal space, and a high surface charge density on the destacked thylakoids. The number of chloroplasts per unit section length increased with growth irradiance. Ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase activity per unit leaf area increased markedly with irradiance. Photosystem II, cytochrome f and latent ATPase activity per unit chlorophyll increased to a lesser extent. While the chlorophyll a/chlorophyll b ratio increased substantially with growth irradiance, the chlorophyll content per unit leaf area declined slightly.

Our results show that coordinated changes in the structure of leaf tissue, and the organisation and composition of chloroplast components are responsible for Alocasia being capable of acclimation to high as well as low irradiance.