Genetic structure of an endemic Japanese conifer, Sciadopitys verticillata (Sciadopityaceae), by using microsatellite markers.

We investigated the genetic structure of Sciadopitys verticillata, an endemic conifer in Japan, using 11 microsatellite markers. Average expected heterozygosity varied from 0.282 to 0.450, with between 2 and 17 alleles per locus, and allelic richness varied from 2.14 to 2.94 within a population. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests suggested that there was a recent bottleneck in the southwestern populations in the Kinki district and in isolated northeastern populations in the Tohoku district. Bayesian clustering analysis showed that the populations of the Chubu, Kinki, and Shikoku districts were admixed from several clusters. Archaeological data suggest past anthropogenic exploitation for building and coffin material.

Stromal over-reduction by high-light stress as measured by decreases in P700 oxidation by far-red light and its physiological relevance.

The oxidation level of P700 induced by far-red light (DeltaA(FR)) in briefly dark-treated leaves of some sun plants decreased during the daytime and recovered at night. The dark recovery of decreased DeltaA(FR) proceeded slowly, with a half-time of about 5 h. We propose that stromal over-reduction induced by sunlight was the direct cause of the depression of DeltaA(FR). The depression of DeltaA(FR) found during the daytime was reproduced by controlled illumination with saturating light of fully dark-treated leaves. Simultaneous measurement of P700 redox and chlorophyll fluorescence showed that the depression of DeltaA(FR) was associated with dark reduction of the plastoquinone pool, which represented cyclic electron transport activity. The decrease of DeltaA(FR) in the light-stressed chloroplasts was partly reversed by treatment with 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone, an inhibitor of electron transport at the cytochrome b6/f complex, and the subsequent addition of methyl viologen, an efficient electron acceptor from photosystem I (PSI), stimulated further recovery, showing that both cyclic electron flow around PSI and the charge recombination within PSI were responsible for the light-induced depression of DeltaA(FR). The dark level of blue-green fluorescence, an indicator of NAD(P)H concentration, from intact chloroplasts was increased by high-light stress, suggesting that NADPH accumulated in stroma as a result of the high-light treatment. Possible effects on photosynthetic activity of over-reduction and its physiological relevance are discussed.