When the sun never sets: daily changes in pigment composition in three subarctic woody plants during the summer solstice

Abstract

Composition and content of photosynthetic pigments is finely tuned by plants according to a subtle equilibrium between the absorbed and used energy by the photosynthetic apparatus. Subarctic and Arctic plants are subjected to extended periods of continuous light during summer. This condition represents a unique natural scenario to study the influence of light on pigment regulation and the presence of diurnal patterns potentially governed by circadian rhythms. Here, we exam- ined the modulation of the photosynthetic apparatus in three naturally co-occurring woody species: mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii), alpine bearberry (Arctostaphylos alpina) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) around the sum- mer solstice, at 67 °N latitude. Plants were continuously exposed to solar radiation during the 3-day study period, although PPFD fluctuated, being lower during night-times. Photochemical efficiencies for a given PPFD were similar during daytime and night-time for the three species. In Scots pine, for a given PPFD, net assimilation was slightly higher during daytime than during night-time. Overall, the dynamism in pigment content was mainly driven by PPFD, and was generally unrelated to day/night cycles. Weak indications of potential circadian regulation were found over a few pigments only. Interestingly, the xanthophyll cycle was active at any time of the day in the three species but its responsiveness to PPFD was exacerbated during night-times. This was particularly evident for bearberry, which maintained a highly de-epoxidised state even at night- times. The results could indicate an incomplete acclimation to a 24-h photoperiod for these species, which have colonised subarctic latitudes only recently.