chloroplast movement on adapting light environment

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K14491
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 40010:Forest science-related
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Gotoh Eiji 九州大学, 農学研究院, 助教 (90614256)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 葉緑体光定位運動 / 光環境

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Sessile plants rely on the activity of photosynthesis for their growth, so they need to perform photosynthesis suitable for a variety of light environments under natural conditions. The chloroplast movements are an important for photosynthesis suitable for the light environment. In this study, we investigated chloroplast movements in plant species grown under a variety of light environments. In a good agreement with the previous reports, the motility of chloroplast movement was higher in plants grown under weak light than in plants grown under strong light. On the other hand, plants grown under heavily weak light were found to have significantly lower motility of chloroplast movements. Furthermore, we found that plants with low motility of chloroplast movements were severely photodamaged by intense light exposure.
These results suggest that chloroplast movements change during evolution and regulate the plant adaptation to different light environment.

Free Research Field

植物生態生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究により、野生植物の光環境の適応の有無を知る上で、葉緑体運動の運動性は指標の1つとなることが示唆された。植物の光環境適応を解明することは、植物の生態系の理解や貴重な植物種の保全に繋がるため、本研究の社会的意義は高いと考えられる。