Abstract
Tradescantia albiflora (Kunth), a trailing ground species naturally occurring in deep shade in rainforests, has an unusual photosynthetic acclimation profile for growth irradiance. Although capable of increasing its capacity for electron transport, photophosphorylation and carbon fixation when grown in full sunlight, Tradescantia has constant chlorophyll alb ratios, photosystem reaction centre stoichiometry and pigment‐protein composition at all growth irradiances (Chow et al. 1991. Physiol. Plant. 81: 175–182). To gain an insight into the compensatory strategies which allow Tradescantia to grow in both high and low lights, plants were grown under shade cloth (100 to 1.4% relative growth irradiance) and leaf and chloroplast attributes were compared. While shade Tradescantia chloroplasts had three times more chlorophyll per chloroplast and twice the length of thylakoid membranes compared to plants grown in full sunlight, the ratios of appressed to nonappressed thylakoid membranes were constant. The average net surface charge density of destacked thylakoids was the same for plants grown at moderate and low‐irradiance, consistent with their similar stacking profiles. Tradescantia plants grown in direct sunlight had 10‐times more fresh and dry weight per plant compared to plants grown in shade, despite a lower photosynthetic capacity on a leaf area basis with partial photoinhibition. We conclude that having a light‐harvesting apparatus permanently locked into the “shade‐plant mode ” does not necessarily prevent a plant from thriving in high light. Analyses of leaf growth at different irradiances provide a partial explanation of the manner in which Tradescantia compensates for very low photosynthetic capacity per unit leaf in sunlight.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Chloroplasts of shade-grown Tradescantia had three times more chlorophyll per chloroplast than those of plants grown in full sunlight.
- Taxon
- Tradescantia
Tradescantiae0 - Organ / stage
- chloroplastse0
- Treatment
- shadee0
- Outcome
- chlorophyll per chloroplaste0
- Direction
- moree0
- Value
- three timese0
- Comparator
- full sunlighte0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“shade Tradescantia chloroplasts had three times more chlorophyll per chloroplast and twice the length of thylakoid membranes compared to plants grown in full sunlight”
Claim · model-written summary
Chloroplasts of shade-grown Tradescantia had twice the length of thylakoid membranes of those of plants grown in full sunlight.
- Taxon
- TradescantiaTradescantiae0
- Organ / stage
- chloroplastse0
- Treatment
- shadee0
- Outcome
- length of thylakoid membranese0
- Direction
- moree0
- Value
- twicee0
- Comparator
- full sunlighte0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“shade Tradescantia chloroplasts had three times more chlorophyll per chloroplast and twice the length of thylakoid membranes compared to plants grown in full sunlight”
Claim · model-written summary
The ratios of appressed to nonappressed thylakoid membranes were constant between shade-grown and full-sunlight Tradescantia.
- Taxon
- TradescantiaTradescantiae0
- Treatment
- shadee0
- Outcome
- ratios of appressed to nonappressed thylakoid membranese0
- Direction
- constante0
- Comparator
- full sunlighte0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“While shade Tradescantia chloroplasts had three times more chlorophyll per chloroplast and twice the length of thylakoid membranes compared to plants grown in full sunlight, the ratios of appressed to nonappressed thylakoid membranes were constant”
Claim · model-written summary
The average net surface charge density of destacked thylakoids was the same for Tradescantia grown at moderate and low irradiance.
Verbatim
e0“The average net surface charge density of destacked thylakoids was the same for plants grown at moderate and low‐irradiance”
t0“Tradescantia albiflora”
Claim · model-written summary
Tradescantia grown in direct sunlight had ten times more fresh and dry weight per plant than plants grown in shade.
- Taxon
- TradescantiaTradescantiae0
- Treatment
- direct sunlighte0
- Outcome
- fresh and dry weight per plante0
- Direction
- moree0
- Value
- 10‐timese0
- Comparator
- shadee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tradescantia plants grown in direct sunlight had 10‐times more fresh and dry weight per plant compared to plants grown in shade”
Claim · model-written summary
Tradescantia grown in direct sunlight had a lower photosynthetic capacity on a leaf area basis, with partial photoinhibition, than plants grown in shade.
- Taxon
- TradescantiaTradescantiae0
- Treatment
- direct sunlighte0
- Outcome
- photosynthetic capacity on a leaf area basise0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Qualifier
- partial photoinhibitione0
- Comparator
- shadee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tradescantia plants grown in direct sunlight had 10‐times more fresh and dry weight per plant compared to plants grown in shade, despite a lower photosynthetic capacity on a leaf area basis with partial photoinhibition”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors conclude that a light-harvesting apparatus locked into the shade-plant mode does not necessarily prevent Tradescantia from thriving in high light.
Verbatim
e0“does not necessarily prevent a plant from thriving in high light”
t0“Tradescantia albiflora”
Claim · model-written summary
Analyses of leaf growth at different irradiances partly explain how Tradescantia compensates for very low photosynthetic capacity per unit leaf in sunlight.
- Taxon
- TradescantiaTradescantiae0
- Outcome
- compensates for very low photosynthetic capacity per unit leaf in sunlighte0
- Qualifier
- Analyses of leaf growth at different irradiancese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Analyses of leaf growth at different irradiances provide a partial explanation of the manner in which Tradescantia compensates for very low photosynthetic capacity per unit leaf in sunlight”
The same questions in other papers
light · physiology: photosynthesis · Tradescantia (spiderworts)Positive and negative results
2 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
light · growth · Tradescantia (spiderworts)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.