CHLOROPHYLL INDEX AND ANNUAL PHOTOSYNTHETIC CARBON SEQUESTERING IN SPHAGNUM PHYTOCENOSES

Chlorophyll index (CI) on the test plots of a peat moss (Sphagnum mage llanicum and S. fallax) high bog near Moscow was estimated to be 5.7 k g chlorophyll/ha in the beginning of July Based on CI data, the value of the specific photosynthetic sequestering of atmospheric carbon into the living and dead biomass of sphagnous cenosis was calculated to be 0.85 ton C/ha over one growing season. The mosses differ from higher plants not only in the proportion of photosynthesizing cells in the le af and the number of chloroplasts in each photosynthesizing cell but i n assimilation number and rate of potential photosynthesis, as well. H owever, no significant differences between peat mosses and higher plan ts were found in the highest values of electron transport rate in isol ated thylakoids and energy efficiency of photosynthesis calculated fro m the induction curve of delayed chlorophyll fluorescence. In some rep resentatives of higher plants and phylogenetically remote Sphagnum spe cies, integrated photosynthetic carbon sequestering into the phytoceno sis biomass per chlorophyll unit over the growing season was not speci es-specific.