Temperature dependence of leaf-level CO2 fixation:: revising biochemical coefficients through analysis of leaf three-dimensional structure

CO2 fixation in a leaf is determined by biochemical and physical processes within the boundaries set by leaf structure. Traditionally determined temperature dependencies of biochemical processes include physical processes related to CO2 exchange that result in inaccurate estimates of parameter values. A realistic three-dimensional model of a birch (Betula pendula) leaf was used to distinguish between the physical and biochemical processes affecting the temperature dependence of CO2 exchange, to determine new chloroplastic temperature dependencies for V-c(max) and J(max) based on experiments, and to analyse mesophyll diffusion in detail. The constraint created by dissolution of CO2 at cell surfaces substantially decreased the CO2 flux and its concentration inside chloroplasts, especially at high temperatures. Consequently, newly determined chloroplastic V-c(max) and J(max) were more temperature dependent than originally. The role of carbonic anhydrase in mesophyll diffusion appeared to be minor under representative mid-day nonwater-limited conditions. Leaf structure and physical processes significantly affect the apparent temperature dependence of CO2 exchange, especially at optimal high temperatures when the photosynthetic sink is strong. The influence of three-dimensional leaf structure on the light environment inside a leaf is marked and affects the local choice between J(max) and V-c(max)-limited assimilation rates.