Journal
PHOTOSYNTHETICA
Volume 45, Issue 2, Pages 299-302Publisher
ACAD SCIENCES CZECH REPUBLIC, INST EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
DOI: 10.1007/s11099-007-0049-6
Keywords
construction cost; dark respiration rate; mesophyll; Morus; mulberry; net photosynthetic rate; photosynthetically active radiation
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Thick sun leaves have a larger construction cost per unit leaf area than thin shade leaves. To re-evaluate the adaptive roles of sun and shade leaves, we compared the photosynthetic benefits relative to the construction cost of the leaves. We drew photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)-response curves using the leaf-mass-based photosynthetic rate to reflect the cost. The dark respiration rates of the sun and shade leaves of mulberry (Morus bombycis Koidzumi) seedlings did not differ significantly. At irradiances below 250 mu mol m(-2) s(-1), the shade leaves tended to have a significantly larger net photosynthetic rate (PN) than the sun leaves. At irradiances above 250 mu mol m(-2) s(-1), the PN did not differ significantly. The curves indicate that plants with thin shade leaves have a larger daily CO2 assimilation rate per construction cost than those with thick sun leaves, even in an open habitat. These results are consistently explained by a simple model of PAR extinction in a leaf. We must target factors other than the effective assimilation when we consider the adaptive roles of thick sun leaves.
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