title: Rapid regulation of light harvesting and plant fitness in the field.
abstract: We used Arabidopsis thaliana mutants to examine how a photosynthetic regulatory process, the qE-type or DeltapH-dependent nonphotochemical quenching, hereafter named feedback de-excitation, influences plant fitness in different light environments. We show that the feedback de-excitation is important for plant fitness in the field and in fluctuating light in a controlled environment but that it does not affect plant performance under constant light conditions. Our findings demonstrate that the feedback de-excitation confers a strong fitness advantage under field conditions and suggest that this advantage is due to the increase in plant tolerance to variation in light intensity rather than tolerance to high-intensity light itself.
authors.affiliation: Umeå Plant Science Center, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Külheim
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Agren
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jansson
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004579:Electron Transport; D025461:Feedback, Physiological; D005838:Genotype; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008027:Light; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; D009154:Mutation; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010788:Photosynthesis; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex; D010940:Plant Proteins; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; C489731:NPQ4 protein, Arabidopsis; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex; D010940:Plant Proteins; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C023290:violaxanthin de-epoxidase