Eco-physiological peculiarities of Stellaria humifusa in West Spitsbergen

In the present paper, the results of the research of biometric parameters and functional peculiarities of photosynthetic apparatus of Stellaria humifusa in West Spitsbergen are discussed. The study showed that the largest proportion of the mat is composed of a brown layer of dead leaves covering the assimilative organs (about 70%). Green leaves and shoots accounted for about 20%, whereas generative organs – for about 10% of the mat mass. The values of the maximum photochemical quantum yield of PS II (FV/FM) in all the studied plants were lower than the optimal values (0.83), which suggests that the plants are exposed to stress factors. The low values of chlorophyll and carotenoid content and relatively high values of the light-harvesting complex (70-80%), the sharp decrease in the quantum yield of PS II (FPSII) entailed by a marginal increase in PPFD indicative of a sufficiently high of photochemical activity within the range of low and medium values of light. It also suggests that Stellaria humifusa is well-adapted to the shaded conditions created in the mat. Besides, a considerable decrease the maximum fluorescence yield of a light-adapted leaf (FM´) at increasing PPFD was observed, which suggests that Stellaria humifusa has a well-developed mechanism of energy dissipation via the non-photochemical (NPQ) pathway. The rapid development of NPQ gives reason to assume that, under high light conditions, non-photochemical quenching is likely to serve as the main mechanism for preventing the photodamage of the photosynthetic apparatus. Thus, it was shown that the photosynthetic apparatus of Stellaria humifusa works efficiently under the conditions created in the mat, and the thick layer of dead leaves covering the assimilative organs, on the one hand, protects them from excessive light, and on the other hand, absorbs thermal energy, which raises temperature of the local habitat