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The grand design of photosynthesis: Acclimation of the photosynthetic apparatus to environmental cues

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Abstract

Dynamic acclimation of the photosynthetic apparatus in response to environmental cues, particularly light quantity and quality, is a widely-observed and important phenomenon which contributes to the tolerance of plants against stress and helps to maintain, as far as possible, optimal photosynthetic efficiency and resource utilization. This mini-review represents a scrutiny of a number of possible photoreceptors (including the two photosystems acting as light sensors) and signal transducers that may be involved in producing acclimation responses. We suggest that regulation by signal transduction may be effected at each of several possible points, and that there are multiple regulatory mechanisms for photosynthetic acclimation.

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Abbreviations

FR:

far-red light

LHC I, LHC II:

light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein complex of PS I and PS II, respectively

P700:

primary electron donor of PS I

Pmax:

maximum photosynthetic capacity

QA :

primary quinone electron acceptor of PS II

qN, qP :

non-photochemical and photochemical quenching, respectively

R:

red light

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Plant Industry, Cooperative Research Centre for Plant Science and CSIRO, GPO Box 1600, 2601, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Jan M. Anderson, Wah Soon Chow & Youn-Il Park

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  1. Jan M. Anderson
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  2. Wah Soon Chow
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  3. Youn-Il Park
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Anderson, J.M., Chow, W.S. & Park, YI. The grand design of photosynthesis: Acclimation of the photosynthetic apparatus to environmental cues. Photosynth Res 46, 129–139 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020423

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020423

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