Projects & Grants

Internal Grant Competition DGC
START-UP grant





Dynamics and variability of epidermal UV-shielding and carotenoid-mediated photoprotection in higher plants due to radiation environment changes
Project IdGA522/09/0468
Main solverdoc. RNDr. Vladimír Špunda, CSc.
Period1/2009 - 12/2012
ProviderKatedra fyziky, Standardní projekt GA ČR
Statefinished
AnotationPlants adapt to changes of the light intensity and spectral distribution in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible light (= photosynthetically active radiation, PAR). In particular, the thermal energy dissipation and the electron transport within photosystem II react to changes in light environment and are strategies of photoprotection. In addition, the accumulation of UV-absorbing substances caused by elevated solar UV radiation can lead to UV-shielding of the photosynthetic apparatus. In order to study the mutual dependence of the effects of UV-A and PAR, this project aims to demonstrate for various model plants (barley, beech and selected herb species of a meadow experimental ecosystem) the variability and dynamics of response to light environment changes. We intend to improve the currently applied methods based on the absorption and fluorescence techniques for the estimation of the UVshielding, pigment composition and the utilization of absorbed light. We shall evaluate the correlations between the results obtained using the in vitro, in vivo and in situ measurements.