The plant vigour hypothesis (PVH) predicts that females of galling insects preferentially oviposit on the most vigorous plants or plant modules, where their offspring's performance is highest. In the years 1995 to 1998, we evaluated the responses of species of two different guilds, two chewing species, Pantomorus sp. and Naupactus lar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and one galling species, Contarinia sp. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), to the length of shoots that were assumed to show the vigour of the tropical shrub Bauhinia brevipes (Leguminosae). The abundance of the chewing herbivores was not influenced by shoot length, since attack rates were randomly distributed among shoot length classes. The abundance of Contarinia galls increased with increasing shoot length, as proposed by the PVH. However, when we related the attack rate to unit length of shoot (cm), which denotes the resource availability per unit length, there was no effect of shoot length on Contarinia sp. These data corroborate the idea of a continuum of responses to plant quality, even when different herbivores feed on the same host plant.
Leaves and other chlorophyllous tissues of plants often show transient or permanent anthocyanin coloration. The question of whether anthocyanins can function as effective light screens to modulate photosynthesis in plants was addressed by comparing photosynthetic responses in reddish-purple pods with those in green pods of the ornamental leguminous tree Bauhinia variegata. For these comparisons the actinic radiation employed was either red radiation (RR) which was poorly absorbed by anthocyanin or blue-green radiation (BGR) which was strongly absorbed by anthocyanin. Photon yields of photosystem 2 (PS2) photochemistry and photochemical chlorophyll fluorescence quenching coefficients (qp), measured over a range of photon flux densities (PFD) up to 1200 µmol m-2 s-1 at 23 °C and at five temperatures from 8 to 28 °C at a PFD of 260 µmol m-2 s-1, were almost identical in green pods irradiated with either RR or BGR and in purple pods irradiated with RR. However, qp values remained much higher in purple pods irradiated with BGR, e.g., 0.80 in BGR versus 0.29 in RR at a PFD of 1200 µmol m-2 s-1 at 23 °C, and 0.67 in BGR versus 0.28 in RR at a PFD of 260 µmol m-2 s-1 at 8 °C. The higher values of qp in BGR compared to RR indicated that photoabatement by anthocyanin allowed the first stable acceptor of PS2, QA, to be kept in a more oxidized state, thus decreasing the likelihood of photoinhibition. This was confirmed by demonstrating a lower susceptibility to photoinhibition in purple pods than in green pods in the sunlight, either naturally in pods on trees or in detached pods exposed to photoinhibitory conditions. We conclude that photoabatement by anthocyanin is a mechanism for allowing maintenance of higher oxidative levels of PS2 acceptor during episodes of high radiation stress, thereby minimizing photodamage to photosynthetic tissues. and R. M. Smillie, S. E. Hetherington.
Diumal changes in chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence characteristics of sun-exposed and shade leaves of some tropical and temperate tree species growing under fíeld conditions on sunny and cloudy days during summer were recorded. Significant reduction in photochemical efficiency of photosystem (PS) 2 measured as ratio during periods of maximum irradiance was observed in sun-exposed leaves of some plants. The extent of this reduction was probably a function of the plant species. Among the tropical species tested, Boehmeria rugulosa, Celíis ausíralis, Dalbergia sissoo, Eugenia jambolana and Grewia optiva showed maximum reduction (15-22 %), whereas species like Ficus racemosa and Sapium sebiferum showed least dechne (< 7 %) in the F^/F^ ratio. On the other hand, no significant reduction in this ratio was observed in Bauhinia purpurea. Temperate species, v/z. Acer oblongum and Aesculus indica, were most susceptible to high irradiances. Prolonged exposure of these plants to high irradiances resulted in lesion development in their leaves characterized by reduction in pigment contents and Fy/F^, ratio. Plant species with considerable midday dechne in Fy/Fn, ratio showed (7) slight but significant rise in initial fluorescence (Fq), (2) pronounced decrease in F^ value, and (3) significant reduction in area over the curve between Fq and Fj„ indicating the pool size of electron acceptors on the reducing side of PS2. The depression in Fy/F^ ratio though reversible could not be alleviated even after watering the plants at hourly intervals. No reduction in Fy/F^, was observed in shade leaves of the same plants and/or when measurements were taken on cloudy days. Hence high solar radiation and high atmospheric evaporative demand existing during summer period could probably be the major contributoiy factors for this reduction.
We investigated the photosynthetic induction time-course in species of different ecological groups grown in contrasting forest irradiance environments, gap and understorey, exposed to different darkness times in order to verify the plant capacity to exploit irradiance heterogeneity. Photosynthetic induction was studied in leaves of Bauhinia forficata and Guazuma ulmifolia (early succession species, ES), and Esenbeckia leiocarpa and Hymenaea courbaril (late succession species, LS). T50 and T90 (time estimates to attain 50 and 90 % of maximum net photosynthetic rate, respectively) varied according to the time of previous exposure to darkness and growth irradiance. In both darkness times of 10 and 30 min, T50 was lower in the LS-than ES-species. These results, jointly with significant higher induction state of the leaves after 10 min of darkness, suggest that the LS-species has a higher potential to sunfleck utilization compared to ES-species, both grown in the understorey. After 10 and 30 min of darkness the differences between ecological groups were not clearly detected in the gap for T50 and T90, indicating that eco-physiological characteristics of each ecological group did not influence the induction time of the species evaluated herein. Thus the capacity to show phenotypic plasticity is not exclusive to an ecological group, but it is rather a more intrinsic feature related to the differential capacity of individuals. and M. T. Portes, T. H. Alves, G. M. Souza.