Such a researcher will also quickly discover that it is not easy to find an answer for many simple and basic questions. We plan to fill this gap in this educational review focusing mainly on plants, green algae, and diatoms. The Chl a fluorescence signal is very rich in its content;

it is very sensitive to changes in photosynthesis and can be recorded with great precision. Many processes affect the fluorescence yield and/or intensity, and using a variety of light protocols (flashes, pulses, continuous light, etc.), different processes Selleck Talazoparib can be studied. However, most authors have used only a limited set of experimental protocols based on methods that have been developed over time. With the available commercial equipment, it is very easy to make a fluorescence measurement, but as the literature shows, the interpretation of such measurements is still very contentious. There is not even agreement

on the processes that determine the fluorescence rise from F O to F M, i.e., the variable fluorescence (F V). The dominant interpretation check details assumes that the variable fluorescence is determined by the redox state of Q A, the first quinone acceptor of PSII, as originally proposed by Duysens and Sweers (1963) and recently defended by Stirbet and Govindjee (2012). Delosme (1967) on the other hand argued that Q A was not enough and that there was another important process explaining part of F V. This position has recently been supported and extended by Schansker et al. (2011, 2014); see Question 21

for a broader discussion of this point. Another attractive feature of Chl a fluorescence is its non-invasive character, which allows the measurement on leaves and even on canopies of trees during long periods of time. A range of instruments has been developed focusing on different aspects of photosynthesis and on different properties of Chl a fluorescence. An overview will be given here of the available types of instruments, and we will discuss also what kind of information can be obtained with these instruments. It is important to understand that a fluorescence value by itself has no meaning. A well-defined reference Chlormezanone state for the photosynthetic sample measured is needed to allow an appropriate interpretation of the data. Processes that relax following illumination will be discussed here as well as the time needed to reach the dark-adapted state, which is an important reference state. A widely read introductory paper on the use of Chl a fluorescence is by Maxwell and Johnson (2000), and two more recent papers treating the application of Chl a fluorescence techniques are by Logan et al. (2007) and Murchie and Lawson (2013). These papers focus on the analysis of what is called the steady state: the stable photosynthetic activity after 5–10 min of illumination at a chosen light intensity. Here, our focus is broader, considering a wider range of fluorescence techniques.