Differential Photosynthetic Inhibition by Ultraviolet Radiation in Species from the Arctic-Alpine Life Zone (Journal Version)

摘要

Inhibition of photosynthesis and epidermal damage resulting from ultraviolet irradiation were assessed for arctic and alpine plant species. These species were taken from a latitudinal gradient of the arctic-alpine life zone from the Andes to northern Alaska, which spans a steep change in solar UV-B irradiation (280 to 320 nm). Ecotypes and species from the Arctic, where solar UV-B flux is very low, were consistently more sensitive to UV radiation than their counterparts from lower latitude alpine regions, where solar UV-B flux is high.