Photosynthetic quantum efficiency in south-eastern Amazonian trees may be already affected by climate change

Tropical forests are experiencing unprecedented high-temperature conditions due to climate change that could limit their photosynthetic functions. We studied the high-temperature sensitivity of photosynthesis in a rainforest site in southern Amazonia, where some of the highest temperatures and most rapid warming in the Tropics have been recorded. The quantum yield (F_v /F_m ) of photosystem II was measured in seven dominant tree species using leaf discs exposed to varying levels of heat stress. T₅₀ was calculated as the temperature at which F_v /F_m was half the maximum value. T₅ is defined as the breakpoint temperature, at which F_v /F_m decline was initiated. Leaf thermotolerance in the rapidly warming southern Amazonia was the highest recorded for forest tree species globally. T₅₀ and T₅ varied between species, with one mid-storey species, Amaioua guianensis, exhibiting particularly high T₅₀ and T₅ values. While the T₅₀ values of the species sampled were several degrees above the maximum air temperatures experienced in southern Amazonia, the T₅ values of several species are now exceeded under present-day maximum air temperatures.