Non-Photochemical Quenching. A Response to Excess Light Energy

Abstract

Plants and algae have a love/hate relationship with light. As oxygenic photoautotrophic organisms, they require light for life; however, too much light can lead to increased production of damaging reactive oxygen species as byproducts of photosynthesis. In extreme cases, photooxidative damage can cause pigment bleaching and death, a phenomenon all too familiar to anyone who has tried to move a houseplant outdoors into full sunlight. The quantity of the light in natural environments can vary over several orders of magnitude and on a time scale that ranges from seconds to seasons. Because light is such an important environmental parameter, plants have evolved numerous biochemical and developmental responses to light that help to optimize photosynthesis and growth. For example, plants rely on photoreceptors such as phytochrome for shade avoidance responses. Some plants are able to adjust their capacity for harvesting sunlight through leaf and chloroplast movements. During long-term acclimation to changes in light intensity many algae and plants regulate the size of their light-harvesting pigment antennae through changes in gene expression and/or proteolysis. Large antennae are necessary for efficient light capture in limiting light, but they can be a liability when light is abundant or excessive.

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