Influence of elevated carbon dioxide concentration at Rubisco activity and its content in sunny and shaded needles of Norway spruce

Diploma thesis’s aim was to determine Rubisco activity and its content in sunny and shaded needles of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) and confirm or refuse acclimation on Rubisco enzyme level. Samples were taken on the Experimental ecology station Czech Academy of Sciences at Bílý Kříž (Beskydy Mountains) where needles were cultivated in two cultivation spheres with different concetrations CO2. One cultivation sphere contains atmosphere with ambient (A) concentration CO2 (350 mol CO2 mol-1) and the other contains atmosphere with elevated (E) concentration CO2 (700 mol CO2 mol-1). Rubisco activities were determinated spectrophotometric, Rubisco content was determined by SDS-PAGE method. Samples were taken in the modele of June and in the end of September. Elevated concetration CO2 did not have significant influence on Rubisco activity. Whereas different exposition had significant influence on Rubisco activity in June, when was found lower Rubisco activity in shaded needles than in sunny needles. In September were not find significant differences in Rubisco activity beetwen sunny and shaded needles. We did not find statistically significant differences in Rubisco content between A and E needles in June. Incontrary, we found about 34 % lower Rubisco content in E needles than in A needles, which confirms acclimation on Rubisco enzyme level. In September Rubisco content was several time higher than in June, which evidences the long term building photosynthetic apparatus in coniferous trees