2
RUDN University biologist developed new model for analyzing photosynthesis in vivo

RUDN University biologist developed new model for analyzing photosynthesis in vivo

A RUDN University biologist has developed a model for the analysis of photosynthesis in vivo. This method allows you to calculate the absorption coefficient of light by chlorophyll, based on its reflectivity. Analysis of light absorption is important for assessing ecosystem productivity, which affects the state of the biosphere and the global climate.

Measurements of the efficiency of photosynthesis in living systems are necessary because they allow us to estimate the carbon cycle, and therefore the impact on the climate. To study photosynthesis in vivo, the vegetation absorption coefficient is used – a value that shows how deep the incident radiation penetrates the canopy. It depends on biochemical, structural and external factors, so its evaluation is very difficult. Alexei Solovchenko, an employee of RUDN University, and his colleagues from the USA and Israel have found a new way to assess this indicator.

First, biologists calculated the ratio of absorption and transmission coefficients for individual leaves and canopy in general. Measuring these coefficients for the canopy “in sum” is difficult, but for a single leaf it is simple, so knowing the ratio between them, you can calculate the absorption and transmission of canopy, knowing the coefficients for a single leaf. Then the researchers of RUDN University obtained an equation that connects the canopy absorption coefficient to the pigments absorption coefficient – primarily chlorophyll – in leaves. It turned out that the canopy, unlike a single leaf, can absorb light in the infrared range, and also, the absorption coefficients of pigments for plants with different densities of canopy, may differ. Therefore, biologists had to make appropriate changes to the final model.

The researchers tested this mathematical model describing the canopy absorption coefficient on crops with different types of photosynthesis – corn (C4 photosynthesis), soybeans and rice (C3 photosynthesis), measuring the spectra of absorbed and reflected solar radiation.

The model showed that in the blue spectral region, the canopy of rice reflects more than the canopy of other crops. Scientists believe it is because rice grows in water. Also, absorption curves for plants with C3 type of photosynthesis (soybeans and rice) obtained with the model differed from those of plants with C4 type of photosynthesis (corn), due to biochemical differences.

Thus, the model created by biologists can "predict" the absorption of light by different types of plants with different types of photosynthesis, different canopy architectures and different pigment content in the leaf.

The article was published in Remote Sensing of Environment.

International scientific cooperation View all
12 Dec 2024
From 19 to 23 November 2024, RUDN hosted the III International Scientific Conference ‘For the Sustainable Development of Civilisation: Cooperation, Science, Education, Technology’. The event gathered more than 2000 participants from 72 countries.
1197
International Projects View all
Similar newsletter View all
21 Apr
Building a sustainable future: what are SDGs and how RUDN helps achieve them

Imagine a world where everyone has enough food, clean water, access to education, and decent work. A world where nature is protected and the future of our planet is cared for. These are the Sustainable Development Goals—to achieve a sustainable future for all! To this end, in 2015, the United Nations (UN) defined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a global plan that helps countries and people work together towards a better future. All 193 UN member states have joined the plan.

58
21 Apr
Unfounded generalizations and false conclusions: RUDN scientists have identified AI “hallucinations” in the diagnosis of mental disorders

Researchers from the Faculty of Artificial Intelligence at RUDN University conducted a large-scale study that revealed systemic errors in large language models (LLMs) when diagnosing depression based on text. This work, carried out in collaboration with colleagues from AIRI, Federal Research Center “Computer Science and Control” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and MBZUAI, not only identifies the problem but also lays the foundation for the creation of more reliable and secure tools for detecting depression and anxiety.

50
21 Apr
Rats and neurodegenerative processes: a junior researcher at RUDN University wins Academician A. P. Avtsyn Award

Alexandra Sentyabreva, a junior researcher at the Laboratory of Cell Technologies and Tissue Engineering at RUDN Research Institute of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the Russian University of People's Friendship, won the competition for young scientists at the All-Russian Scientific Conference “Topical Issues of Morphogenesis in Norm and Pathology.” She was awarded the Academician A.P. Avtsyn Prize.

44
Similar newsletter View all