CO2 fixation and chlorophyll a fluorescence in leaves of Ramonda serbica during a dehydration–rehydration cycle

Changes in CO2 photo-assimilation and PSII photochemical efficiency in Ramonda serbica leaves during a dehydration–rehydration cycle were examined. The rate of CO2 photo-assimilation was greatly reduced during dehydration, but recovery was complete with rehydration when the relative water content of leaves reached values similar to those of well-hydrated, control leaves. The results showed that the response of R. serbica leaves to severe water stress involves two different mechanisms. In the first, CO2 assimilation is limited by stomata closure that creates an excess proton concentration in the lumen and activates non-photochemical quenching. This plays an important role in the mechanism of photoprotection by dissipation of excitation energy. When dehydration became severe and leaf RWC reached very low values, the electron transport rate (ETR) decreased markedly, while the capacity for regulatory mechanisms such as qNP (non-photochemical quenching) was greatly reduced. For severely dehydrated leaves of R. serbica, it appears that reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation is better prevented by mechanisms that quench chlorophyll triplet formation via lutein.