蓝绿藻适应寒冷环境时之光合磷酸化作用及.doc

Using chlorophyll fluorescence to study photosynthesis 葉綠素螢光—光合作用之探討 Introduction 1.1 Chlorophyll fluorescence In the photosynthetic apparatus, light is absorbed by the antenna pigments such as chlorophyll, and the excitation energy is transferred to the reaction centers of the two photosystems (Fig.1). Then the energy drives the primary photochemical reactions that initiate the photosynthetic energy conversion. Under optimal conditions, more than 90% of absorbed light quanta are utilized by photosynthesis. A minor competing process of deactivation of excited pigments is the emission of chlorophyll fluorescence of photosystem II (PSII) (Fig. 2). Fig. 1 Thylakoid membrane electron transport chain. Fig. 2 Energy conversion in photosynthesis Though the fraction of excitation energy which is dissipated as fluorescence in vivo is very small (3-5%), the changes of the electron transport rate can be quantified by the fluorescence emission. Generally, fluorescence yield is high when photochemistry and heat dissipation are lowest. Therefore, changes in the fluorescence yield reflect changes in photochemical efficiency and heat dissipation. Chlorophyll fluorescence allows us to study the different functional levels of photosynthesis indirectly (e.g. processes at the pigment level, primary light reactions, thylakoid electron transport reactions, and etc.). 1.2 Chlorophyll fluorescence spectra and parameters A typical measurement on an intact leaf by saturation pulse method is shown in Figure 3. The plant was dark adapted for 20 min prior to the measurement. Upon the application of a saturating flash, fluorescence raises for the ground state value, Fo, to its maximum value, Fm. Therefore, the maximum quantum efficiency of PSII primary photochemistry can be determined as Fv/Fm (Fv=Fm-Fo), representing the photosynthetic activity. A change of Fo can be interpreted as a change of the rate constant of energy trapping by PSII center that could be the result of a physical distortion