title: Pigment patterns and photoprotection of anthocyanins in the young leaves of four dominant subtropical forest tree species in two successional stages under contrasting light conditions.
abstract: Light-driven subtropical forest succession is a dynamic process in which mesophytic climax communities replace heliophytic ones. Juvenile leaves (particularly mesophytic ones) are sensitive to high irradiances. To determine the photoprotection strategy that juvenile leaves use during subtropical forest succession, anthocyanin accumulation patterns were investigated in the young leaves of two mid-successional dominant trees (i.e., Schima superba and Castanopsis fissa) and two late-successional dominant trees (i.e., Cryptocarya concinna and Acmena acuminatissima) grown in 100% (FL) and 25% (LL) of full sunlight. All four tree species produced anthocyanins in their juvenile leaves when <50% of chlorophylls and carotenoids had developed. Higher anthocyanin concentrations accumulated in the young leaves grown in FL than in those grown in LL and in late-successional than in mid-successional trees. The juvenile leaves of late-successional trees were subjected to higher light-induced photoinhibition than those of mid-successional trees, despite of the fact that the leaves of late-successional trees showed greater non-photochemical quenching than those of mid-successional trees. Under LL conditions, photosystem II excitation pressure (1 - qP) was significantly higher in the juvenile leaves of late-successional trees than those of mid-successional trees. Under either FL or LL conditions, anthocyanin concentrations in juvenile leaves were negatively related to the light compensation point in mature leaves across species. However, anthocyanin concentrations were positively related to the antioxidant capacity of juvenile leaves. These results indicate that anthocyanin accumulation in the juvenile leaves of subtropical dominant trees during forest community succession is a flexible photoprotective response to ambient irradiances according to leaf sensitivity to light.
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, No. 55 Zhongshan Avenue West, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510631, Guangdong Province, PR China School of Life Science & Food Technology, Hanshan Normal University, Chaozhou 521041, PR China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, No. 55 Zhongshan Avenue West, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510631, Guangdong Province, PR China.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, No. 55 Zhongshan Avenue West, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510631, Guangdong Province, PR China.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, No. 55 Zhongshan Avenue West, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510631, Guangdong Province, PR China pengchl@scib.ac.cn.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D002681:China; D065928:Forests; D008027:Light; D010788:Photosynthesis; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D014197:Trees / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins; D000975:Antioxidants
keywords: antioxidant capacity; community succession; dominant species