Ozone uptake at night is more damaging to plants than equivalent day-time flux

MAIN CONCLUSION: Plants exposed to equivalent ozone fluxes administered during day-time versus night-time exhibited greater losses in biomass at night and this finding is attributed to night-time depletion of cell wall-localised ascorbate. ABSTRACT: The present study employed Lactuca sativa and its closest wild relative, L. serriola, to explore the relative sensitivity of plants to ozone-induced oxidative stress during day-time versus night-time. By controlling atmospheric ozone concentration and measuring stomatal conductance, equivalent ozone uptake into leaves was engineered during day and night, and consequences on productivity and net CO(2) assimilation rate were determined. Biomass losses attributable to ozone were significantly greater when an equivalent dose of ozone was taken-up by foliage at night compared to the day. Linkages between ozone impacts and ascorbic acid (AA) content, redox status and cellular compartmentation were probed in both species. Leaf AA pools were depleted by exposure of plants to darkness, and then AA levels in the apoplast and symplast were monitored on subsequent transfer of plants to the light. Apoplast AA appeared to be more affected by light–dark transition than the symplast pool. Moreover, equivalent ozone fluxes administered to leaves with contrasting AA levels resulted in contrasting effects on the light-saturated rate of CO(2) assimilation (A(sat)) in both species. Once apoplast AA content recovered to pre-treatment levels, the same ozone flux resulted in no impacts on A(sat). The results of the present investigation reveal that plants are significantly more sensitive to equivalent ozone fluxes taken-up at night compared with those during the day and were consistent with diel shifts in apoplast AA content and/or redox status. Furthermore, findings suggest that some thought should be given to weighing regional models of ozone impacts for extraordinary night-time ozone impacts.