Using Gas Exchange to Study CO₂ Release During Photosynthesis with Steady- and Nonsteady-State Approaches

Measures of respiration in the light and C_i* are crucial to the modeling of photorespiration and photosynthesis. This chapter provides background on the equations used to model C₃ photosynthesis and the history of the incorporation of the effects of rubisco oxygenation into these models. It then describes three methods used to determine two key parameters necessary to incorporate photorespiratory effects into C₃ photosynthesis models: respiration in the light (R_L) and C_i*. These methods include the Laisk, Yin, and isotopic methods. For the Laisk method, we also introduce a new rapid measurement technique.