Traits related to light-energy processing have significant ecological implications for plant fitness. We studied the effects of elevated atmospheric CO(2) concentration ([CO(2)]) on chloroplast pigment traits of a red spruce (RS) (Picea rubens Sarg.)-black spruce (BS) (P. mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) genetic complex in two experiments: (1) a comparative species' provenance experiment from across the...

The partition of phylloquinone (vitamin K J, of chlorophylls a and b and of the two main carotenoids, /?-carotene and lutein, in subthylakoid particles (digitonin treatment) and chlorophyll protein complexes (sodium dodecylsulfate polyamide-gel electrophoresis) isolated from tobacco chloroplasts (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is described. 1. The “light particle” fractions (S 90000, S 150000) of digito...

The seasonal distributions of phytoplankton biovolume and chlorophyll a content were monitored for 14 months in a deep oligotrophic, high mountain lake (Redó, Pyrenees). An allometric relationship of chlorophyll with biovolume was found throughout the period studied, with a correlation coefficient of 0.66. However, the relationship changed with season and the taxonomic composition of the phytop...

Chlorophyll metabolism has been extensively studied with various organisms, and almost all of the chlorophyll biosynthetic genes have been identified in higher plants. However, only the gene for 3,8-divinyl protochlorophyllide a 8-vinyl reductase (DVR), which is indispensable for monovinyl chlorophyll synthesis, has not been identified yet. In this study, we isolated an Arabidopsis thaliana mut...

1. Although the carotenoid pigments are present in large concentration in the plastids of etiolated Avena seedlings as compared with protochlorophyll, the pigment precursor of chlorophyll, it is possible to show that the carotenoids do not act as filters of the light incident on the plant in the blue region of the spectrum where they absorb heavily. This suggests that the carotenoids are locate...

Accurate regulation of chlorophyll synthesis is crucial for chloroplast formation during the greening process in angiosperms. In this study, we examined the role of phytochrome B (phyB) in the regulation of chlorophyll synthesis in rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L.) through the characterization of a pale-green phenotype observed in the phyB mutant grown under continuous red light (Rc) irradiation...

Leaf chlorophyll content provides valuable information about physiological status of plants. Reflectance measurement makes it possible to quickly and non-destructively assess, in situ, the chlorophyll content in leaves. Our objective was to investigate the spectral behavior of the relationship between reflectance and chlorophyll content and to develop a technique for non-destructive chlorophyll...

BACKGROUND The concept of adaptive evolution implies underlying genetic mutations conferring a selective advantage to an organism under particular environmental conditions. Thus, a flow cytometry-based strategy was used to study the adaptive evolution in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii wild-type strain CC124 and starchless mutant sta6-1 cells, with respect to lipid metabolism under nitrogen-(N) deple...