Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Polar Biology https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02464-w ORIGINAL PAPER Temperature effects on photosynthetic performance of Antarctic lichen Dermatocarpon polyphyllizum: a chlorophyll fluorescence study Michaela Marečková 1  · Miloš Barták 1  · Josef Hájek 1 Received: 24 May 2018 / Revised: 17 October 2018 / Accepted: 4 February 2019 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract Chlorophyll fluorescence is an important indicator of a photosynthetic energy conversion in chloroplast photosystem II and responds sensitively to stress factors affecting photosynthesizing organisms. Three different methods were employed to identify the most sensitive fluorescence parameters responding to thallus temperature decrease within Antarctic lichen Dermatocarpon polyphyllizum: (1) Fast chlorophyll fluorescence transient (OJIP with parameters characterizing photosystem II functioning) (2) Slow Kautsky kinetics supplemented by saturation pulses (to evaluate quantum yield of photosynthetic processes in photosystem II, as well as maximum quantum PSII efficiency and non-photochemical and photochemical quenching), and (3) Linear cooling from + 22 to − 40 °C (to determine change in Φ PSII and the critical temperature for PSII). A K-step (usually documented at highly stressed organisms) was found in OJIPs measured at + 22 °C at 0.22–0.40 ms and attributed to the negative effect of high temperature on PSII functioning, PSII donor side limitation in particular. At subzero temperature (− 0.5, − 5 °C), an L-step was detected at 0.05 ms and related to a low temperature-induced decrease in con- nectivity between light-harvesting complexes and PSII. An increase of DI 0 /RC (the flux of dissipated excitation energy) was reported for the first time in lichens. The OJIP-derived parameters, DI 0 /RC and Phi_D 0 (quantum yield of energy dissipation) in particular, indicated that they might be used for the detection of early events in low temperature-affected lichens. Linear cooling data determined the critical temperature (− 12 °C) for primary photosynthetic processes (Φ PSII ) in Dermatocarpon. Keywords Diplosphaera sp. · OJIP · K-step · Kautsky kinetic · Linear cooling · Photosystem II Abbreviations ChlF Chlorophyll fluorescence DA Dark adapted KK Kautsky kinetics LA Light adapted LHC Light-harvesting complexes OJIP Fast chlorophyll fluorescence transient PI Performance (vitality) Index PS Photosystem RC Reaction center Introduction Lichens from polar regions are well adapted to low tem- perature and able to photosynthesize even at subzero tem- peratures. Primary photosynthetic processes related to PSII and a chloroplast thylakoid membrane are still effective at freezing temperatures, as reported by several chlorophyll fluorescence studies in polar lichens (Barták et al. 2007; Hájek et al. 2016; Míguez et al. 2017). This is because of several adaptive mechanisms, such as and including osmoti- cally active compounds that decrease the freezing point of the cytoplasm and ice-nucleation proteins preventing the creation of ice crystals with sharp edges that could damage the cell organelles. Chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) is a non-invasive method resulting in numerous indicators of photosynthetic energy conversion. Temperature response curves of chlorophyll flu- orescence parameters are routinely used throughout the Plant Kingdom. In lichens, the effect of low and freezing tempera- ture on chlorophyll fluorescence parameters has been studied as well (see e.g. Hájek et al. 2016). Despite the fact that * Josef Hájek jhajek@sci.muni.cz 1 Department of Plant Physiology and Anatomy, Institute of Experimental Biology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic