Comparative study on photosynthetic activity of chloroplasts in acid and alkaline zones of Chara corallina

A novel experimental approach has been applied to investigate the relationship between pH banding in Chara cells and photosynthetic activity of chloroplasts located in cell regions adjacent to acid and alkaline bands. The combination of pH microelectrode technique with pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) microfluorimetry enabled parallel measurements of longitudinal pH profiles and chlorophyll fluorescence yield in acid and alkaline zones of individual Chara cells. The scanning with a pH-microelectrode along the cell length revealed the light-dependent pH pattern, i.e., alternating acid and alkaline bands with pH differences as large as 2 - 3 pH units. In parallel, measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence yield under actinic light were performed using PAM microfluorometry. It was found that the effective photochemical yield of photosystem II is substantially higher in acid than in alkaline zones. The results clearly show that the banding pattern is not confined solely to the plasmalemma but is also exhibited in alternating photosynthetic performance of the underlying chloroplast layer. Apparently, the acid regions enriched with CO2 ensure sufficient flow of this substrate to the Calvin cycle reactions, thus promoting the photosynthetic rate, whereas the alkaline zones devoid of CO2 favor radiative losses of absorbed solar energy in chloroplasts.