title: Arabidopsis plants grown in the field and climate chambers significantly differ in leaf morphology and photosystem components.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plants exhibit phenotypic plasticity and respond to differences in environmental conditions by acclimation. We have systematically compared leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana plants grown in the field and under controlled low, normal and high light conditions in the laboratory to determine their most prominent phenotypic differences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to plants grown under field conditions, the "indoor plants" had larger leaves, modified leaf shapes and longer petioles. Their pigment composition also significantly differed; indoor plants had reduced levels of xanthophyll pigments. In addition, Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 levels were up to three times higher in the indoor plants, but differences in the PSI antenna were much smaller, with only the low-abundance Lhca5 protein showing altered levels. Both isoforms of early-light-induced protein (ELIP) were absent in the indoor plants, and they had less non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). The field-grown plants had a high capacity to perform state transitions. Plants lacking ELIPs did not have reduced growth or seed set rates, but their mortality rates were sometimes higher. NPQ levels between natural accessions grown under different conditions were not correlated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that comparative analysis of field-grown plants with those grown under artificial conditions is important for a full understanding of plant plasticity and adaptation.
authors.affiliation: Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Yogesh
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.forename: Hanna Johansson
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jänkänpää
authors.forename: Anett Z
authors.initials: AZ
authors.lastname: Kiss
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Funk
authors.forename: Wolfgang P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jansson
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000032:analysis; D008027:Light; D010641:Phenotype; D017440:Photoperiod; D010788:Photosynthesis; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D024341:Xanthophylls / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins; D024341:Xanthophylls; D002734:Chlorophyll