Do all chlorophyll fluorescence emission wavelengths capture the spring recovery of photosynthesis in boreal evergreen foliage?

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChlF) is closely related to photosynthesis and can be measured remotely using multiple spectral features as solar-induced fluorescence (SIF). In boreal regions, SIF shows particular promise as an indicator of photosynthesis, in part because of the limited variation of seasonal light absorption in these ecosystems. Seasonal spectral changes in ChlF could yield new information on processes such as sustained nonphotochemical quenching (NPQS) but also disrupt the relationship between SIF and photosynthesis. We followed ChlF and functional and biochemical properties of Pinus sylvestris needles during the photosynthetic spring recovery period to answer the following: (a) How ChlF spectra change over seasonal timescales? (b) How pigments, NPQS, and total photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) absorption drive changes of ChlF spectra? (c) Do all ChlF wavelengths track photosynthetic seasonality? We found seasonal ChlF variation in the red and far-red wavelengths, which was strongly correlated with NPQS, carotenoid content, and photosynthesis (enhanced in the red), but not with PAR absorption. Furthermore, a rapid decrease in red/far-red ChlF ratio occurred in response to a cold spell, potentially relating to the structural reorganization of the photosystems. We conclude that all current SIF retrieval features can track seasonal photosynthetic dynamics in boreal evergreens, but the full SIF spectra provides additional insight.