Mechanistic Modeling Reveals Adaptive Photosynthetic Strategies of <i>Pontederia crassipes</i>: Implications for Aquatic Plant Physiology and Invasion Dynamics
The invasive aquatic macrophyte <i>Pontederia crassipes</i> (water hyacinth) exhibits exceptional adaptability across a wide range of light environments, yet the mechanistic basis of its photosynthetic plasticity under both high- and low-light stress remains poorly resolved. This study i...
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| author | Lihua Liu Xiaolong Yang Piotr Robakowski Zipiao Ye Fubiao Wang Shuangxi Zhou |
| author_facet | Lihua Liu Xiaolong Yang Piotr Robakowski Zipiao Ye Fubiao Wang Shuangxi Zhou |
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| description | The invasive aquatic macrophyte <i>Pontederia crassipes</i> (water hyacinth) exhibits exceptional adaptability across a wide range of light environments, yet the mechanistic basis of its photosynthetic plasticity under both high- and low-light stress remains poorly resolved. This study integrated chlorophyll fluorescence and gas-exchange analyses to evaluate three photosynthetic models—rectangular hyperbola (RH), non-rectangular hyperbola (NRH), and the Ye mechanistic model—in capturing light-response dynamics in <i>P. crassipes</i>. The Ye model provided superior accuracy (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> > 0.996) in simulating the net photosynthetic rate (<i>P</i><sub>n</sub>) and electron transport rate (<i>J</i>), outperforming empirical models that overestimated <i>P</i><sub>nmax</sub> by 36–46% and <i>J</i><sub>max</sub> by 1.5–24.7% and failed to predict saturation light intensity. Mechanistic analysis revealed that <i>P. crassipes</i> maintains high photosynthetic efficiency in low light (<i>LUE</i><sub>max</sub> = 0.030 mol mol<sup>−1</sup> at 200 µmol photons m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>) and robust photoprotection under strong light (<i>NPQ</i><sub>max</sub> = 1.375, PSII efficiency decline), supported by a large photosynthetic pigment pool (9.46 × 10<sup>16</sup> molecules m<sup>−2</sup>) and high eigen-absorption cross-section (1.91 × 10<sup>−21</sup> m<sup>2</sup>). Unlike terrestrial plants, its floating leaves experience enhanced irradiance due to water-surface reflection and are decoupled from water limitation via submerged root uptake, enabling flexible stomatal and energy regulation. Distinct thresholds for carboxylation efficiency (<i>CE</i><sub>max</sub> = 0.085 mol m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>) and water-use efficiency (<i>WUE</i><sub>i-max</sub> = 45.91 μmol mol<sup>−1</sup> and <i>WUE</i><sub>inst</sub> = 1.96 μmol mmol<sup>−1</sup>) highlighted its flexible energy management strategies. These results establish the Ye model as a reliable tool for characterizing aquatic photosynthesis and reveal how <i>P. crassipes</i> balances light harvesting and dissipation to thrive in fluctuating environments. These resulting insights have implications for both understanding invasiveness and managing eutrophic aquatic systems. |
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| spelling | doaj-art-0cd05006b25042238d76c5962c6fa41b2025-08-20T03:27:09ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372025-05-0114660010.3390/biology14060600Mechanistic Modeling Reveals Adaptive Photosynthetic Strategies of <i>Pontederia crassipes</i>: Implications for Aquatic Plant Physiology and Invasion DynamicsLihua Liu0Xiaolong Yang1Piotr Robakowski2Zipiao Ye3Fubiao Wang4Shuangxi Zhou5College of Safety Engineering and Emergency Management, Nantong Institute of Technology, Nantong 226002, ChinaSchool of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, ChinaDepartment of Forestry, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71E St., 60-625 Poznan, PolandMath & Physics College, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an 343009, ChinaMath & Physics College, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an 343009, ChinaDepartment of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2000, AustraliaThe invasive aquatic macrophyte <i>Pontederia crassipes</i> (water hyacinth) exhibits exceptional adaptability across a wide range of light environments, yet the mechanistic basis of its photosynthetic plasticity under both high- and low-light stress remains poorly resolved. This study integrated chlorophyll fluorescence and gas-exchange analyses to evaluate three photosynthetic models—rectangular hyperbola (RH), non-rectangular hyperbola (NRH), and the Ye mechanistic model—in capturing light-response dynamics in <i>P. crassipes</i>. The Ye model provided superior accuracy (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> > 0.996) in simulating the net photosynthetic rate (<i>P</i><sub>n</sub>) and electron transport rate (<i>J</i>), outperforming empirical models that overestimated <i>P</i><sub>nmax</sub> by 36–46% and <i>J</i><sub>max</sub> by 1.5–24.7% and failed to predict saturation light intensity. Mechanistic analysis revealed that <i>P. crassipes</i> maintains high photosynthetic efficiency in low light (<i>LUE</i><sub>max</sub> = 0.030 mol mol<sup>−1</sup> at 200 µmol photons m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>) and robust photoprotection under strong light (<i>NPQ</i><sub>max</sub> = 1.375, PSII efficiency decline), supported by a large photosynthetic pigment pool (9.46 × 10<sup>16</sup> molecules m<sup>−2</sup>) and high eigen-absorption cross-section (1.91 × 10<sup>−21</sup> m<sup>2</sup>). Unlike terrestrial plants, its floating leaves experience enhanced irradiance due to water-surface reflection and are decoupled from water limitation via submerged root uptake, enabling flexible stomatal and energy regulation. Distinct thresholds for carboxylation efficiency (<i>CE</i><sub>max</sub> = 0.085 mol m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>) and water-use efficiency (<i>WUE</i><sub>i-max</sub> = 45.91 μmol mol<sup>−1</sup> and <i>WUE</i><sub>inst</sub> = 1.96 μmol mmol<sup>−1</sup>) highlighted its flexible energy management strategies. These results establish the Ye model as a reliable tool for characterizing aquatic photosynthesis and reveal how <i>P. crassipes</i> balances light harvesting and dissipation to thrive in fluctuating environments. These resulting insights have implications for both understanding invasiveness and managing eutrophic aquatic systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/14/6/600aquatic macrophytesphotosynthetic plasticitylight stress adaptationphotoprotectionchlorophyll fluorescencemechanistic modeling |
| spellingShingle | Lihua Liu Xiaolong Yang Piotr Robakowski Zipiao Ye Fubiao Wang Shuangxi Zhou Mechanistic Modeling Reveals Adaptive Photosynthetic Strategies of <i>Pontederia crassipes</i>: Implications for Aquatic Plant Physiology and Invasion Dynamics Biology aquatic macrophytes photosynthetic plasticity light stress adaptation photoprotection chlorophyll fluorescence mechanistic modeling |
| title | Mechanistic Modeling Reveals Adaptive Photosynthetic Strategies of <i>Pontederia crassipes</i>: Implications for Aquatic Plant Physiology and Invasion Dynamics |
| title_full | Mechanistic Modeling Reveals Adaptive Photosynthetic Strategies of <i>Pontederia crassipes</i>: Implications for Aquatic Plant Physiology and Invasion Dynamics |
| title_fullStr | Mechanistic Modeling Reveals Adaptive Photosynthetic Strategies of <i>Pontederia crassipes</i>: Implications for Aquatic Plant Physiology and Invasion Dynamics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mechanistic Modeling Reveals Adaptive Photosynthetic Strategies of <i>Pontederia crassipes</i>: Implications for Aquatic Plant Physiology and Invasion Dynamics |
| title_short | Mechanistic Modeling Reveals Adaptive Photosynthetic Strategies of <i>Pontederia crassipes</i>: Implications for Aquatic Plant Physiology and Invasion Dynamics |
| title_sort | mechanistic modeling reveals adaptive photosynthetic strategies of i pontederia crassipes i implications for aquatic plant physiology and invasion dynamics |
| topic | aquatic macrophytes photosynthetic plasticity light stress adaptation photoprotection chlorophyll fluorescence mechanistic modeling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/14/6/600 |
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