Comparative analysis of leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence of Euonymus japonicus Thunb by field experiment in the typical urban and suburban areas in Beijing
Abstract:Using Li-6400 portable photosynthesis system, we studied the differences of leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence of Euonymus japonicus Thunb by the field experiment in summer and autumn seasons in the typical urban and suburban areas in Beijing city. The results showed that there are higher levels of atmospheric temperature, relative humidity and CO2 concentration in the urban areas than that in the suburban areas, the net assimilation ability of CO2 for E. japonicus leaf is usually subject to the total assimilation ability of CO2 and respiration rate, and its significances of difference varied in the studied months. In addition, the indicators of intercellular CO2 concentration, VPDleaf-to-air, transpiration rate of E. japonicus leaf in the urban plot were higher than those in the suburban plot.
The monthly changes in atmospheric temperature and CO2 concentration in the urban areas affected leaf respiration, leading to a increase or decrease of leaf respiration rate, in the same time, the monthly changes in atmospheric pollutants′ concentration also damaged chlorophyll and chloroplast of E. japonicus leaf and further led to the decline in its total assimilation ability of CO2, both of them determined the variation in net assimilation ability of CO2 for E. japonicus leaf.
Further comparative analysis of leaf chlorophyll fluorescence parameters indicated that, the total content of chlorophyll, chlorophyll a/b and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (Fv/Fm, Fv/Fo, qP, ΦPSⅡ, ETR) for E. japonicus leaf in the urban plot decreased but qN increased, showing that the activity of leaf photosystemⅡ was negatively affected by the increase in atmospheric pollutants’ concentration and led to the damage to chlorophyll and chloroplast of E. japonicus leaf that really became a cause for the reduction of leaf total assimilation ability of CO2 in the urban areas.