Photosynthetic regulation under fluctuating light in young and mature leaves of the CAM plant Bryophyllum pinnatum.

Photosystem I (PSI) is the potential target of photodamage under fluctuating light in angiosperms. However, the response of PSI to fluctuating light in young leaves has not yet been clarified. Furthermore, the photosynthetic regulation under fluctuating light in crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants is little known. In this study, we measured PSI redox state and the electrochromic shift signal in the mature and young leaves of a CAM species Bryophyllum pinnatum. The mature leaves showed stronger capacity for photo-reduction of O mediated by the alternative electron flow (probably the water-water cycle) when compared with the young leaves. After an increase in light intensity, both the mature and young leaves showed insufficient proton gradient (ΔpH) across the thylakoid membranes within the first seconds. Meanwhile, PSI was highly oxidized in the mature leaves but was in a more reduced state in the young leaves. Furthermore, young leaves were more susceptible to PSI photoinhibition under fluctuating light. Therefore, in the mature leaves, the alternative electron flow significantly optimized the PSI redox state under fluctuating light at relatively low ΔpH. By comparison, in the young leaves, PSI redox state was largely determined by the buildup of ΔpH. Therefore, the major photoprotective mechanism responsible for safeguarding PSI under fluctuating light can be influenced by leaf developmental stages.