Orientador: Gustavo Habermann / Banca: José Pires de Lemos Filho / Banca: Rafael Vasconcelos Ribeiro / Resumo: As folhas são órgãos adaptados para a captação de energia luminosa e sua transformação em energia bioquímica. Entretanto, a irradiância interceptada pelas folhas é maior do que a irradiância que é de fato absorvida e aproveitada de forma eficiente, o que torna os mecanismos de fotoproteção essenciais. Esses mecanismos podem minimizar a absorção da irradiância ou ativar respostas metabólicas responsáveis pela proteção do sistema fotoquímico. Styrax camporum é uma espécie com ampla distribuição no cerrado sensu lato. Suas folhas possuem orientação horizontal ou vertical, mas também podem apresentar ângulos intermediários. Com a finalidade de observar a influência que a orientação foliar exerce sobre o desempenho fotossintético, foram avaliadas as curvas das taxas fotossintéticas em resposta ao aumento da disponibilidade de luz para ambas as faces (adaxial e abaxial) de folhas horizontais e verticais. Além disso, foi realizado um experimento de deficiência hídrica no qual as trocas gasosas, a fluorescência da clorofila a e as relações hídricas foram acompanhadas em ambas as faces dos dois tipos foliares. Os resultados mostraram que, em S. camporum, a orientação vertical de parte das folhas não está relacionada à fotoproteção estrutural e que, nessa espécie, o posicionamento vertical das folhas poderia estar relacionado à otimização da assimilação de CO2 em decorrência da potencial exposição de ambas as faces foliares à radiação direta / Abstract: Leaves are organs adapted to sunlight interception and conversion of light energy into biochemical energy. However, the irradiance that is intercepted by leaves is greater than the absorbed irradiance that is effectively used in photosynthesis, making photoprotective mechanisms essential. Such mechanisms may reduce the amount of absorbed irradiance or may activate metabolic activities that are responsible for protecting the photochemical system. Styrax camporum is a woody species that is widely distributed in the cerrado sensu lato areas. S. camporum leaves show horizontal or vertical orientation, but they may also have intermediate angles. We investigated whether the leaf angles of S. camporum have any influence on photosynthetic performance. Photosynthetic response curves in response to increasing light were measured on both surfaces (adaxial and abaxial) of horizontal and vertical leaves. In addition, a water deficiency experiment was performed. In this experiment, gas exchange rates, chlorophyll a fluorescence and plant water relations values were also monitored on both surfaces of both leaf types. Results showed that, in S. camporum, vertical leaf orientation is not related to structural photoprotection and that, in this species, such leaf orientation could be related to the optimization of CO2 assimilation since both leaf surfaces are potentially exposed to direct sunlight / Mestre

Orientador: João Domingos Rodrigues / Banca: Elizabeth Orika Ono / Banca: Camilo Lázaro Medina / Banca: José Antônio Proença Vieira de Moraes / Banca: Susete Aparecida de Barros Cardoso / Resumo: O presente trabalho objetivou avaliar a aplicação de reguladores vegetais (tratamento de semente e via foliar) em limoeiro 'Cravo' (Citrus limonia Osbeck) visando o encurtamento do tempo de produção do porta-enxerto. O experimento foi dividido em duas etapas, sendo a primeira realizada no laboratório de Análise de Sementes, Departamento de Produção Vegetal - Agricultura da Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas - Botucatu, SP, determinando-se a taxa de embebição das sementes. Após este procedimento, realizou-se o teste de germinação das sementes após tratamento com os produtos (testemunha, ácido giberélico GA3 10 mg 0,2 L-1, ácido giberélico GA3 20 mg 0,2 L-1, cinetina 10 mL 0,2 L-1, piraclostrobina + metil tiofanato 0,03 mL L-1, cinetina + ácido giberélico + ácido indolilbutírico 30 mL 0,2 L-1, ácido giberélico GA4+7 + 6-benziladenina 1 mL 0,2 L-1, ácido giberélico GA4+7 + 6-benziladenina 2,12 mL 0,2 L-1, cloreto de chlormequat 0,2 mL 0,2 L-1 e cloreto de chlormequat 0,2 mL 0,2 L- 1 + ácido giberélico GA3 20 mg 0,2 L-1. A segunda etapa do experimento foi realizada no viveiro ELPA Mudas Cítricas, localizado na cidade de Botucatu, SP. Após resultado da taxa de embebição as sementes foram mantidas em contato com os tratamentos e semeadas em tubetes com substrato de fibra de coco. Foram empregados dez tratamentos aplicados via foliar, mensalmente: testemunha, ácido giberélico GA3 50 mg L-1, ácido giberélico GA3 100 mg L-1, cinetina 50 mL L-1, piraclostrobina + metil tiofanato 0,18 mL L-1, cinetina + ácido giberélico + ácido indolilbutírico 150 mL L-1, ácido giberélico GA4+7 + 6-benziladenina 5 mL L-1, ácido giberélico GA4+7 + 6-benziladenina 10 mL L-1, cloreto de chlormequat... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The aim of this project was to evaluate the plant growth regulator application (seed and leaves) in rangpur lime (Citrus limonia Osbeck) on rootstock production in a shorter period of time. The experiment was divided into two steps; the first one was carried in the Seed Analysis Laboratory, Crop Science Department - College of Agricultural Sciences - Botucatu, SP, in order to analyze the inhibition. Afterwards, the germination test was done after the contact of the seeds with the treatments (control, gibberellic acid GA3 (10 mg L-1) 10 mg 0,2 L-1, gibberellic acid GA3 (10 mg L-1) 20 mg 0,2 L-1, kinetin (0,4 mg L-1) 10 mL 0,2 L-1, pyraclostrobin + thiophanate methyl (50 g L-1 + 450 g L-1) 0,03 mL L-1, kinetin (90 mg L-1) + gibberellic acid (50 mg L-1) + indolebutyric acid (50 mg L-1) 30 mL 0,2 L-1, gibberellic acid GA4+7 (19 mg L-1) + 6-benzyladenine (19 mg L-1) 1 mL 0,2 L-1, gibberellic acid GA4+7 (19 mg L-1) + 6-benzyladenine (19 mg L-1%) 2,12 mL 0,2 L-1, chlormequat chloride (100 g L-1) 0,2 mL 0,2 L-1 and chlormequat chloride (100 g L-1) 0,2 mL 0,2 L-1 + gibberellic acid GA3 (10 mg L-1) 20 mg 0,2 L-1. The second part of the experiment was carried out in ELPA Citric Seedlings' Nursery, in Botucatu, SP. After the inhibition test, the seeds were kept in contact with the treatments and sowed in the coconut fiber substrate. Ten treatments were provided monthly by foliar application: control, gibberellic acid GA3... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Thesis (M.ED.) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / A deep level approach to learning leads to quality learning outcomes. Teachers should use appropriate teaching strategies to encourage learners to use deep level approaches to learning. The Conceptual Change Model (CCM) approach is one such strategy for the teaching of science concepts. Deep level approaches are a necessity when dealing with a difficult science concept like photosynthesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate Grade 10 learners’ achievements in photosynthesis using the CCM approach in order to minimize misconceptions and develop a broader and deeper understanding of the photosynthesis process in the high school context in a semi-rural South African school. The learners’ attitudes towards the CCM approach in the teaching of Life Sciences were explored. This study aimed to answer the following main question: what are the achievements of Grade 10 learners’ in photosynthesis as core knowledge? The CCM approach included worksheets based on all five steps of the CCM process: commit to an outcome, expose beliefs, confront beliefs, accommodate the concept and extend the concept. The sample consisted of 78 Grade 10 learners. The research was carried out with a quasi-experimental/control group design and lasted for six weeks. The achievement test and questionnaires were used as instruments to collect data. The analyses of results show that experimental and control group’s pre-test academic achievement scores were similar and there was no significant difference between them (p < 0.05), but when the academic achievement of the post-test results of the EG and CG were analyzed, it was clear that there is a significant difference. The results from post-tests suggest that learners from the EG, taught using the CCM approach, show significantly greater achievements in photosynthesis than learners from the CG. In addition, learners from EG show a positive attitude towards Life Sciences after CCM teaching approach, but not from the CG taught using traditional approach. These findings have implications for a science teacher and recommendations are made to improve the teaching of photosynthesis as core knowledge.

This project examines whether there is a direct link between respiration and the rate of senescence of fresh produce. Treatments that increase the storage life of fresh products, such as cooling, modified atmospheres and semi-permeable coatings, often decrease respiration rates. This suggests that it may be possible to assess the effectiveness of a specific storage treatment in terms of its effect on reducing respiration. If this is so, total respiration during storage should sum to a constant regardless of changes in the storage conditions. Such an equivalence between 'respiration life' and storage life has been demonstrated in only a few cases. Respiration data from a wide range of published work was analysed from the viewpoint of testing this hypothesis. In general, the results were positive, with some reservations that were further investigated by experiment. In conclusion, respiration rate may be a guide to storage life for products that have clearly defined stages of senescence, and for which rots are not the primary cause of the end of acceptability. The development of the respirometer should make it possible to examine this relationship for many other commodities. However, while respiration may be a function of the rate of senescence under some circumstances, it is also affected by other factors. These include photosynthesis, attachment to the plant, and permeance to gases. Directions for future work therefore include the contribution of photosynthesis to fruit development, the effects of ethylene on respiration rates of non-climacteric fruit while attached to the plant, and interactions between ethylene synthesis and disease resistance / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>Artificial systems involving water oxidation and solar cells are promising ways for the conversion of solar energy into fuels and electricity. These systems usually consist of a photosensitizer, an electron donor and / or an electron acceptor. This thesis deals with the synthesis and photoinduced electron transfer of several donor-sensitizer-acceptor supramolecular systems.</p><p>The first part of this thesis describes the synthesis and properties of two novel dinuclear ruthenium complexes as electron donors to mimic the donor side reaction of Photosystem II. These two Ru₂ complexes were then covalently linked to ruthenium trisbipyridine and the properties of the resulting trinuclear complexes were studied by cyclic voltammetry and transient absorption spectroscopy.</p><p>The second part presents the synthesis and photoinduced electron transfer of covalently linked donor-sensitizer supramolecular systems in the presence of TiO₂ as electron acceptors. Electron donors are tyrosine, phenol and their derivatives, and dinuclear ruthenium complexes. Intramolecular electron transfer from the donor to the oxidized sensitizer was observed by transient absorption spectroscopy after light excitation of the Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ moiety. The potential applications of Ru₂-based electron donors in artificial systems for water oxidation and solar cells are discussed.</p><p>In the final part, the photoinduced interfacial electron transfer in the systems based on carotenoids and TiO₂ is studied. Carotenoids are shown to act as both sensitizers and electron donors, which could be used in artificial systems to mimic the electron transfer chain in natural photosynthesis.</p>

<p>In photosynthesis, sunlight is converted into chemical energy that is stored mainly as carbohydrates and supplies basically all life on Earth with energy.</p><p>In order to efficiently absorb the light energy, plants have developed the outer light harvesting antenna, which is composed of ten different protein subunits (LHC) that bind chlorophyll a and b as well as different carotenoids. In addition to the light harvesting function, the antenna has the capacity to dissipate excess energy as heat (feedback de-excitation or qE), which is crucial to avoid oxidative damage under conditions of high excitation pressure. Another regulatory function in the antenna is the state transitions in which the distribution of the trimeric LHC II between photosystem I (PS I) and II is controlled. The same ten antenna proteins are conserved in all higher plants and based on evolutionary arguments this has led to the suggestion that each protein has a specific function.</p><p>I have investigated the functions of individual antenna proteins of PS II (Lhcb proteins) by antisense inhibition in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Four antisense lines were obtained, in which the target proteins were reduced, in some cases beyond detection level, in other cases small amounts remained.</p><p>The results show that CP29 has a unique function as organising the antenna. CP26 can form trimers that substitute for Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 in the antenna structure, but the trimers that accumulate as a response to the lack of Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 cannot take over the LHC II function in state transitions. It has been argued that LHC II is essential for grana stacking, but antisense plants without Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 do form grana. Furthermore, LHC II is necessary to maintain growth rates in very low light.</p><p>Numerous biochemical evidences have suggested that CP29 and/or CP26 were crucial for feedback de-excitation. Analysis of two antisense lines each lacking one of these proteins clearly shows that there is no direct involvement of either CP29 or CP26 in this process. Investigation of the other antisense lines shows that no Lhcb protein is indispensable for qE. A model for feedback de-excitation is presented in which PsbS plays a major role.</p><p>The positions of the minor antenna proteins in the PS II supercomplex were established by comparisons of transmission electron micrographs of supercomplexes from the wild type and antisense plants.</p><p>A fitness experiment was conducted where the antisense plants were grown in the field and seed production was used to estimate the fitness of the different genotypes. Based on the results from this experiment it is concluded that each Lhcb protein is important, because all antisense lines show reduced fitness in the field.</p>

No description available.

<p>The Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) is an endosymbiont of higher plant roots. Most land plants and cultivated crops are concerned to AM symbiosis. This endosymbiosis is based on the mutual exchange of nutrients between plant and fungus. Therefore, AM symbiosis leads to an increased demand for photosynthetic products. The aim of this study was to investigate the pathway used by plants during AM symbiosis to increase photosynthetic performance. Therefore, we have carried out a systematic characterization of photosynthesis in Medicago truncatula (M. truncatula), which is a model legume. We observed colonization by the fungus in roots and that AM symbiosis increases the fresh and dry plant biomass. This could be attributed to an increase in both photosynthetic efficiency and capacity in AM plants. Consistent with these observations, AM symbiosis enhanced phosphorus uptake from the soil into roots, stems and leaves, as based on analyses of phosphorus content. Based on equal chl loading, no differences were found regarding D1, Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 protein content in four plant groups. This indicates similar ratio between chl and PSII proteins. Furthermore, AM symbiosis increases the amount of chlorophyll, steady state oxygen evolution activities, maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm), and photosynthetic electron transport rate (about 5 fold). Nevertheless, photoprotection was not affected by AM symbiosis. We observed an increase in weight of seed/fruit and weight of seed/plant in AM plants (about 2 fold). Based on these results, we propose that AM symbiosis increases both the efficiency and the capacity of photosynthetic apparatus in the M. truncatula.</p>

In photosynthesis, sunlight is converted into chemical energy that is stored mainly as carbohydrates and supplies basically all life on Earth with energy. In order to efficiently absorb the light energy, plants have developed the outer light harvesting antenna, which is composed of ten different protein subunits (LHC) that bind chlorophyll a and b as well as different carotenoids. In addition to the light harvesting function, the antenna has the capacity to dissipate excess energy as heat (feedback de-excitation or qE), which is crucial to avoid oxidative damage under conditions of high excitation pressure. Another regulatory function in the antenna is the state transitions in which the distribution of the trimeric LHC II between photosystem I (PS I) and II is controlled. The same ten antenna proteins are conserved in all higher plants and based on evolutionary arguments this has led to the suggestion that each protein has a specific function. I have investigated the functions of individual antenna proteins of PS II (Lhcb proteins) by antisense inhibition in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Four antisense lines were obtained, in which the target proteins were reduced, in some cases beyond detection level, in other cases small amounts remained. The results show that CP29 has a unique function as organising the antenna. CP26 can form trimers that substitute for Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 in the antenna structure, but the trimers that accumulate as a response to the lack of Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 cannot take over the LHC II function in state transitions. It has been argued that LHC II is essential for grana stacking, but antisense plants without Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 do form grana. Furthermore, LHC II is necessary to maintain growth rates in very low light. Numerous biochemical evidences have suggested that CP29 and/or CP26 were crucial for feedback de-excitation. Analysis of two antisense lines each lacking one of these proteins clearly shows that there is no direct involvement of either CP29 or CP26 in this process. Investigation of the other antisense lines shows that no Lhcb protein is indispensable for qE. A model for feedback de-excitation is presented in which PsbS plays a major role. The positions of the minor antenna proteins in the PS II supercomplex were established by comparisons of transmission electron micrographs of supercomplexes from the wild type and antisense plants. A fitness experiment was conducted where the antisense plants were grown in the field and seed production was used to estimate the fitness of the different genotypes. Based on the results from this experiment it is concluded that each Lhcb protein is important, because all antisense lines show reduced fitness in the field.

The theme of this thesis is the development of mononuclear Ru-based complexes that are capable of catalyzing the water oxidation (or O2-evolving) reaction, e.g. 2 H2O → O2 + 4 H+ + 4 e−. Several families of mononuclear Ru water oxidation catalysts were designed and prepared. They feature with anionic ancillary ligands that contain carboxylate or phenolate donors. The properties of the catalysts were investigated in various aspects including coordination geometry, electrochemical behavior, and ligand exchange. All catalysts showed outstanding catalytic activity towards water oxidation in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate as a sacrificial oxidant. High-valent Ru intermediates involved in the reactions were characterized both experimentally and theoretically. The kinetics of catalytic water oxidation was examined based on one catalyst and a prevailing catalytic pathway was proposed. The catalytic cycle involved a sequence of oxidation steps from RuII−OH2 to RuV=O species and O−O bond formation via water-nucleophilic-attack to the RuV=O intermediate. By comparing properties and catalytic performance of Ru catalysts herein with that of previously reported examples, the effect of anionic ancillary ligands was clearly elucidated in the context of catalytic water oxidation. Aiming to further application in an envisaged artificial photosynthesis device, visible light-driven water oxidation was conducted and achieved primarily in a homogeneous three-component system containing catalyst, photosensitizer, and sacrificial electron acceptor. Moreover, one model Ru catalyst was successfully immobilized on ordinary glass carbon surface through a facile and widely applicable method. / <p>QC 20121112</p>