Irradiance and temperature effects on photosynthesis of tussock tundra Sphagnum mosses from the foothills of the Philip Smith Mountains, Alaska.

Photosynthetic characteristics of three species of Sphagnum common in the foothills of the Brooks Range on the North Slope of Alaska were investigated. Generally, light-saturated rates of net photosynthesis decreased in the order S. squarrosum, S. angustifolium, and S. warnstorfii when plants were grown under common growth chamber conditions. For field-grown S. angustifolium, average light compensation point at 10°C was 37 μmol m-2s-1 photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), and light saturation occurred between 250 and 500 μmol m-2 s-1. At 20°C, compensation point increased to 127 μmol m-2s-1 and the PPFD required for light saturation increased to approximately 500 μmol m-2s-1, while maximum rates of CO2 uptake increased only slightly. Light response curves of chamber-grown plants exhibited substantially lower compensation points and higher light-saturated rates of CO2 assimilation than field-grown material, due perhaps to a higher percentage of green, photosynthetically competent tissue. All three species exhibited broad responses to temperature, with optima near 20°C, and maintained at least 75% of maximum assimilation between approx. 13° and 30°C. Rates at 5°C were approx. 50% of maximum. Studies of the microclimate of Sphagnum at the field research site suggest that CO2 uptake should occur at near light-saturated rates during the day in open tussock tundra but that PPFD may often be limiting under Salix and Betula canopies in a water track drainage. Simulations using a simple model provided a seasonal estimate of 0.78 g dry weight (DW) of S. angustifolium produced from each initial g of photosynthetic tissue under willow canopies, assuming no water limitations. Although the simulation model suggests that production would be 66% higher in open tussock tundra, S. angustifolium is rarely found in this potentially more stressful habitat. To explain the relative abundance of Sphagnum in shaded water track areas as compared to open tussock tundra, we postulate that the vascular plant canopies provide protection from adverse effects of high temperatures, excess irradiance and reduced water availability. Under conditions of normal water availability, removal of the vascular plant cover did not affect the tissue water content of S. squarrosum, but resulted in a strong decrease in photosynthetic capacity, accompanied by chlorophyll bleaching. These results suggest that photoinhibition may limit production under certain conditions.