Whole Irradiated Plant Leaves Showed Faster Photosynthetic Induction Than Individually Irradiated Leaves via Improved Stomatal Opening

Comparison of photosynthetic efficiency and stomatal distribution in detached leaves of four rose species

Do small leaves expand faster than large leaves, and do shorter expansion times reduce herbivore damage?

Leaves are most vulnerable to herbivory during expansion. We hypothesised that one factor favouring small leaves could be that smaller-leaved species have shorter expansion times and are therefore exposed to high levels of herbivory for a shorter period than large leaves. In order to test this hypothesis, leaf expansion time and leaf area loss were measured for 51 species from Sydney, Australia...

Photosystem II Photosynthetic Unit Sizes from Fluorescence Induction in Leaves : CORRELATION TO PHOTOSYNTHETIC CAPACITY.

The use of fluorescence induction measurements in leaves infiltrated with 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea has been evaluated as a routine method for estimation of the concentration of the reaction centers of photosystem II relative to total chlorophyll in a wide variety of plant species. The procedure is based on a simple theory that takes into account the attenuation of light in passin...

Plant morphogenesis: Designing leaves

Leaves exhibit a wide range of form and function: as well as the flattened photosynthetic organs we are most familiar with, modifications of leaf morphology produce the rigid spines of cacti, the cup-shaped insect traps of pitcher plants, colorful flower parts such as petals and some of the tendrils used for attachment by climbing plants. One fundamental choice in leaf architecture is whether t...

Antioxidant defence in UV-irradiated tobacco leaves is centred on hydrogen-peroxide neutralization.

Greenhouse grown tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Petit Havana) plants were exposed to supplemental UV centred at 318 nm and corresponding to 13.6 kJ m(-2) d(-1) biologically effective UV-B (280-315 nm) radiation. After 6 days this treatment decreased photosynthesis by 30%. Leaves responded by a large increase in UV-absorbing pigment content and antioxidant capacities. UV-stimulated defence ag...