1
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Rui M, Chen R, Jing Y, Wu F, Chen ZH, Tissue D, Jiang H, Wang Y. Guard cell and subsidiary cell sizes are key determinants for stomatal kinetics and drought adaptation in cereal crops. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 242:2479-2494. [PMID: 38622763 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Climate change-induced drought is a major threat to agriculture. C4 crops have a higher water use efficiency (WUE) and better adaptability to drought than C3 crops due to their smaller stomatal morphology and faster response. However, our understanding of stomatal behaviours in both C3 and C4 Poaceae crops is limited by knowledge gaps in physical traits of guard cell (GC) and subsidiary cell (SC). We employed infrared gas exchange analysis and a stomatal assay to explore the relationship between GC/SC sizes and stomatal kinetics across diverse drought conditions in two C3 (wheat and barley) and three C4 (maize, sorghum and foxtail millet) upland Poaceae crops. Through statistical analyses, we proposed a GCSC-τ model to demonstrate how morphological differences affect stomatal kinetics in C4 Poaceae crops. Our findings reveal that morphological variations specifically correlate with stomatal kinetics in C4 Poaceae crops, but not in C3 ones. Subsequent modelling and experimental validation provide further evidence that GC/SC sizes significantly impact stomatal kinetics, which affects stomatal responses to different drought conditions and thereby WUE in C4 Poaceae crops. These findings emphasize the crucial advantage of GC/SC morphological characteristics and stomatal kinetics for the drought adaptability of C4 Poaceae crops, highlighting their potential as future climate-resilient crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengmeng Rui
- Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Rongjia Chen
- Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yi Jing
- BGI-Sanya, Sanya, 572025, China
| | - Feibo Wu
- Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Zhong-Hua Chen
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - David Tissue
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
| | - Hangjin Jiang
- Center for Data Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yizhou Wang
- Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
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2
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Gao W, Dai D, Luo H, Yu D, Liu C, Zhang N, Liu L, You C, Zhou S, Tu L, Liu Y, Huang C, He X, Cui X. Habitat differentiation and environmental adaptability contribute to leaf size variations globally in C 3 and C 4 grasses. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 937:173309. [PMID: 38782268 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The grass family (Poaceae) dominates ~43 % of Earth's land area and contributes 33 % of terrestrial primary productivity that is critical to naturally regulating atmosphere CO2 concentration and global climate change. Currently grasses comprise ~11,780 species and ~50 % of them (~6000 species) utilize C4 photosynthetic pathway. Generally, grass species have smaller leaves under colder and drier environments, but it is unclear whether the primary drivers of leaf size differ between C3 and C4 grasses on a global scale. Here, we analyzed 34 environmental variables, such as latitude, elevation, mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, and solar radiation etc., through a comparatively comprehensive database of ~3.0 million occurrence records from 1380 C3 and 978 C4 grass species (2358 species in total). Results from this study confirm that C4 grasses have occupied habitats with lower latitudes and elevations, characterized by warmer, sunnier, drier and less fertile environmental conditions. Grass leaf size correlates positively with mean annual temperature and precipitation as expected. Our results also demonstrate that the mean temperature of the wettest quarter of the year is the primary control for C3 leaf size, whereas C4 leaf size is negatively correlated with the difference between summer and winter temperatures. For C4 grasses, phylogeny exerts a significant effect on leaf size but is less important than environmental factors. Our findings highlight the importance of evolutionarily contrasting variations in leaf size between C3 and C4 grasses for shaping their geographical distribution and habitat suitability at the global scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wuchao Gao
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Dachuan Dai
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Huan Luo
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Dongli Yu
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Congcong Liu
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Ning Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Lin Liu
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Chengming You
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Shixing Zhou
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Lihua Tu
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Yang Liu
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Congde Huang
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Xinhua He
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Xinglei Cui
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration Engineering Research Centre for Southwest Forest and Grassland Fire Ecological Prevention, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China.
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3
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Ludwig M, Hartwell J, Raines CA, Simkin AJ. The Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle in C 4 and Crassulacean acid metabolism species. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2024; 155:10-22. [PMID: 37544777 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
The Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle is the ancestral CO2 assimilation pathway and is found in all photosynthetic organisms. Biochemical extensions to the CBB cycle have evolved that allow the resulting pathways to act as CO2 concentrating mechanisms, either spatially in the case of C4 photosynthesis or temporally in the case of Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). While the biochemical steps in the C4 and CAM pathways are known, questions remain on their integration and regulation with CBB cycle activity. The application of omic and transgenic technologies is providing a more complete understanding of the biochemistry of C4 and CAM species and will also provide insight into the CBB cycle in these plants. As the global population increases, new solutions are required to increase crop yields and meet demands for food and other bioproducts. Previous work in C3 species has shown that increasing carbon assimilation through genetic manipulation of the CBB cycle can increase biomass and yield. There may also be options to improve photosynthesis in species using C4 photosynthesis and CAM through manipulation of the CBB cycle in these plants. This is an underexplored strategy and requires more basic knowledge of CBB cycle operation in these species to enable approaches for increased productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha Ludwig
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
| | - James Hartwell
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | | | - Andrew J Simkin
- University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK; School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK
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4
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Silva‐Alvim FAL, Alvim JC, Harvey A, Blatt MR. Speedy stomata of a C 4 plant correlate with enhanced K + channel gating. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024; 47:817-831. [PMID: 38013592 PMCID: PMC10953386 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Stomata are microscopic pores at the surface of plant leaves that facilitate gaseous diffusion to support photosynthesis. The guard cells around each stoma regulate the pore aperture. Plants that carry out C4 photosynthesis are usually more resilient than C3 plants to stress, and their stomata operate over a lower dynamic range of CO2 within the leaf. What makes guard cells of C4 plants more responsive than those of C3 plants? We used gas exchange and electrophysiology, comparing stomatal kinetics of the C4 plant Gynandropsis gynandra and the phylogenetically related C3 plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We found, with varying CO2 and light, that Gynandropsis showed faster changes in stomata conductance and greater water use efficiency when compared with Arabidopsis. Electrophysiological analysis of the dominant K+ channels showed that the outward-rectifying channels, responsible for K+ loss during stomatal closing, were characterised by a greater maximum conductance and substantial negative shift in the voltage dependence of gating, indicating a reduced inhibition by extracellular K+ and enhanced capacity for K+ flux. These differences correlated with the accelerated stomata kinetics of Gynandropsis, suggesting that subtle changes in the biophysical properties of a key transporter may prove a target for future efforts to engineer C4 stomatal kinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonas Chaves Alvim
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Bower BuildingUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Andy Harvey
- Physics & AstronomyUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Michael R. Blatt
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Bower BuildingUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
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5
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Tiemuerbieke B, Ma JY, Sun W. Differential eco-physiological performance to declining groundwater depth in Central Asian C 3 and C 4 shrubs in the Gurbantunggut Desert. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 14:1244555. [PMID: 38312360 PMCID: PMC10835802 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1244555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Resources in water-limited ecosystems are highly variable and unpredictable, and the maintenance of functional diversity among coexisting species is a crucial ecological strategy through which plants mitigate environmental stress. The comparison of differential eco-physiological responses among co-occurring plants in harsh environments could help provide deep insights into the coexistence mechanisms of competing species. Two coexisting desert shrubs with different photosynthetic pathways (Haloxylon ammodendron and Tamarix ramosissima) were selected in the Gurbantunggut Desert located in northwest China. This study detected variations in the water sources, photosynthetic parameters, stem water status, and non-structural carbohydrates of the two shrubs at three sites with different groundwater table depths during the growing seasons of 2015 and 2016 to identify distinct eco-physiological performances in coexisting plants with different functional types under fluctuating water conditions. The water sources of H. ammodendron shifted from soil water to groundwater, while T. ramosissima extracted water mainly from deep soil layers at both sites. Significant reductions in carbon assimilation and stomatal conductance in H. ammodendron with deeper groundwater table depth were detected during most drought periods, but no significant decreases in transpiration rate were detected with declining groundwater table depth. For T. ramosissima, all of these gas exchange parameters decreased with the progression of summer drought, and their relative reduction rates were larger compared with those of H. ammodendron. The stem water status of H. ammodendron deteriorated, and the relative reduction rates of water potential increased with deeper groundwater, whereas those of T. ramosissima did not differ with greater groundwater depth. These findings indicated that prolonged drought would intensify the impact of declining groundwater depth on the eco-physiology of both shrubs, but the extent to which the shrubs would respond differed. The two shrubs were segregated along the water-carbon balance continuum: the C3 shrub T. ramosissima maximized its carbon fixation at an enormous cost of water, while greater carbon fixation was achieved with far greater water economy for H. ammodendron. These results demonstrated that the two shrubs prioritized carbon gain and water loss differently when faced with limited water sources. These mechanisms might mitigate competitive stress and enable their coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahejiayinaer Tiemuerbieke
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, College of Geography and Remote Sensing Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China
| | - Jian-Ying Ma
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Wei Sun
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
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6
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Falquetto-Gomes P, Silva WJ, Siqueira JA, Araújo WL, Nunes-Nesi A. From epidermal cells to functional pores: Understanding stomatal development. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 292:154163. [PMID: 38118303 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2023.154163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Stomata, small hydromechanical valves in the leaf epidermis, are fundamental in regulating gas exchange and water loss between plants and the environment. Stomatal development involves a series of coordinated events ranging from the initial cell division that determines the meristemoid mother cells to forming specialized structures such as guard cells. These events are orchestrated by the transcription factors SPEECHLESS, FAMA, and MUTE through signaling networks. The role of plant hormones (e.g., abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, and brassinosteroids) in regulating stomatal development has been elucidated through these signaling cascades. In addition, environmental factors, such as light availability and CO2 concentration, also regulate the density and distribution of stomata in leaves, ultimately affecting overall water use efficiency. In this review, we highlight the mechanisms underlying stomatal development, connecting key signaling processes that activate or inhibit cell differentiation responsible for forming guard cells in the leaf epidermis. The factors responsible for integrating transcription factors, hormonal responses, and the influence of climatic factors on the signaling network that leads to stomatal development in plants are further discussed. Understanding the intricate connections between these factors, including the metabolic regulation of plant development, may enable us to maximize plant productivity under specific environmental conditions in changing climate scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Falquetto-Gomes
- National Institute of Science and Technology on Plant Physiology Under Stress Conditions, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Welson Júnior Silva
- National Institute of Science and Technology on Plant Physiology Under Stress Conditions, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - João Antonio Siqueira
- National Institute of Science and Technology on Plant Physiology Under Stress Conditions, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Wagner L Araújo
- National Institute of Science and Technology on Plant Physiology Under Stress Conditions, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Adriano Nunes-Nesi
- National Institute of Science and Technology on Plant Physiology Under Stress Conditions, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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7
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Bellasio C, Stuart-Williams H, Farquhar GD, Flexas J. C 4 maize and sorghum are more sensitive to rapid dehydration than C 3 wheat and sunflower. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:2239-2252. [PMID: 37814525 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
The high productive potential, heat resilience, and greater water use efficiency of C4 over C3 plants attract considerable interest in the face of global warming and increasing population, but C4 plants are often sensitive to dehydration, questioning the feasibility of their wider adoption. To resolve the primary effect of dehydration from slower from secondary leaf responses originating within leaves to combat stress, we conducted an innovative dehydration experiment. Four crops grown in hydroponics were forced to a rapid yet controlled decrease in leaf water potential by progressively raising roots of out of the solution while measuring leaf gas exchange. We show that, under rapid dehydration, assimilation decreased more steeply in C4 maize and sorghum than in C3 wheat and sunflower. This reduction was due to a rise of nonstomatal limitation at triple the rate in maize and sorghum than in wheat and sunflower. Rapid reductions in assimilation were previously measured in numerous C4 species across both laboratory and natural conditions. Hence, we deduce that high sensitivity to rapid dehydration might stem from the disturbance of an intrinsic aspect of C4 bicellular photosynthesis. We posit that an obstruction to metabolite transport between mesophyll and bundle sheath cells could be the cause.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandra Bellasio
- Laboratory of Theoretical and Applied Crop Ecophysiology, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
- Biology of Plants Under Mediterranean Conditions, Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands, Illes Balears, Palma, 07122, Spain
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | | | - Graham D Farquhar
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Jaume Flexas
- Biology of Plants Under Mediterranean Conditions, Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands, Illes Balears, Palma, 07122, Spain
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8
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Sage RF, Gilman IS, Smith JAC, Silvera K, Edwards EJ. Atmospheric CO2 decline and the timing of CAM plant evolution. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:753-770. [PMID: 37642245 PMCID: PMC10799994 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS CAM photosynthesis is hypothesized to have evolved in atmospheres of low CO2 concentration in recent geological time because of its ability to concentrate CO2 around Rubisco and boost water use efficiency relative to C3 photosynthesis. We assess this hypothesis by compiling estimates of when CAM clades arose using phylogenetic chronograms for 73 CAM clades. We further consider evidence of how atmospheric CO2 affects CAM relative to C3 photosynthesis. RESULTS Where CAM origins can be inferred, strong CAM is estimated to have appeared in the past 30 million years in 46 of 48 examined clades, after atmospheric CO2 had declined from high (near 800 ppm) to lower (<450 ppm) values. In turn, 21 of 25 clades containing CAM species (but where CAM origins are less certain) also arose in the past 30 million years. In these clades, CAM is probably younger than the clade origin. We found evidence for repeated weak CAM evolution during the higher CO2 conditions before 30 million years ago, and possible strong CAM origins in the Crassulaceae during the Cretaceous period prior to atmospheric CO2 decline. Most CAM-specific clades arose in the past 15 million years, in a similar pattern observed for origins of C4 clades. CONCLUSIONS The evidence indicates strong CAM repeatedly evolved in reduced CO2 conditions of the past 30 million years. Weaker CAM can pre-date low CO2 and, in the Crassulaceae, strong CAM may also have arisen in water-limited microsites under relatively high CO2. Experimental evidence from extant CAM species demonstrates that elevated CO2 reduces the importance of nocturnal CO2 fixation by increasing the contribution of C3 photosynthesis to daily carbon gain. Thus, the advantage of strong CAM would be reduced in high CO2, such that its evolution appears less likely and restricted to more extreme environments than possible in low CO2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Ian S Gilman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - J Andrew C Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Katia Silvera
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Erika J Edwards
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
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9
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Zeller E, Timmermann A, Yun KS, Raia P, Stein K, Ruan J. Human adaptation to diverse biomes over the past 3 million years. Science 2023; 380:604-608. [PMID: 37167387 DOI: 10.1126/science.abq1288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
To investigate the role of vegetation and ecosystem diversity on hominin adaptation and migration, we identify past human habitat preferences over time using a transient 3-million-year earth system-biome model simulation and an extensive hominin fossil and archaeological database. Our analysis shows that early African hominins predominantly lived in open environments such as grassland and dry shrubland. Migrating into Eurasia, hominins adapted to a broader range of biomes over time. By linking the location and age of hominin sites with corresponding simulated regional biomes, we also find that our ancestors actively selected for spatially diverse environments. The quantitative results lead to a new diversity hypothesis: Homo species, in particular Homo sapiens, were specially equipped to adapt to landscape mosaics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Zeller
- Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science, Busan, Republic of Korea
- Department of Climate System, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Axel Timmermann
- Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science, Busan, Republic of Korea
- Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung-Sook Yun
- Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science, Busan, Republic of Korea
- Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Pasquale Raia
- DiSTAR, Napoli Università di Napoli Federico II, Monte Sant'Angelo, Italy
| | - Karl Stein
- Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science, Busan, Republic of Korea
- Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Jiaoyang Ruan
- Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science, Busan, Republic of Korea
- Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
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10
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Zhou H, Akçay E, Helliker B. Optimal coordination and reorganization of photosynthetic properties in C 4 grasses. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2023; 46:796-811. [PMID: 36478594 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Each of >20 independent evolutions of C4 photosynthesis in grasses required reorganization of the Calvin-Benson-cycle (CB-cycle) within the leaf, along with coordination of C4 -cycle enzymes with the CB-cycle to maximize CO2 assimilation. Considering the vast amount of time over which C4 evolved, we hypothesized (i) trait divergences exist within and across lineages with both C4 and closely related C3 grasses, (ii) trends in traits after C4 evolution yield the optimization of C4 through time, and (iii) the presence/absence of trends in coordination between the CB-cycle and C4 -cycle provides information on the strength of selection. To address these hypotheses, we used a combination of optimality modelling, physiological measurements and phylogenetic-comparative-analysis. Photosynthesis was optimized after the evolution of C4 causing diversification in maximal assimilation, electron transport, Rubisco carboxylation, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and chlorophyll within C4 lineages. Both theory and measurements indicated a higher light-reaction to CB-cycle ratio (Jatpmax /Vcmax ) in C4 than C3 . There were no evolutionary trends with photosynthetic coordination between the CB-cycle, light reactions and the C4 -cycle, suggesting strong initial selection for coordination. The coordination of CB-C4 -cycles (Vpmax /Vcmax ) was optimal for CO2 of 200 ppm, not to current conditions. Our model indicated that a higher than optimal Vpmax /Vcmax affects assimilation minimally, thus lessening recent selection to decrease Vpmax /Vcmax .
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Zhou
- School of Earth System Science, Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Erol Akçay
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Brent Helliker
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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11
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Metabolic Background, Not Photosynthetic Physiology, Determines Drought and Drought Recovery Responses in C3 and C2 Moricandias. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24044094. [PMID: 36835502 PMCID: PMC9959282 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24044094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Distinct photosynthetic physiologies are found within the Moricandia genus, both C3-type and C2-type representatives being known. As C2-physiology is an adaptation to drier environments, a study of physiology, biochemistry and transcriptomics was conducted to investigate whether plants with C2-physiology are more tolerant of low water availability and recover better from drought. Our data on Moricandia moricandioides (Mmo, C3), M. arvensis (Mav, C2) and M. suffruticosa (Msu, C2) show that C3 and C2-type Moricandias are metabolically distinct under all conditions tested (well-watered, severe drought, early drought recovery). Photosynthetic activity was found to be largely dependent upon the stomatal opening. The C2-type M. arvensis was able to secure 25-50% of photosynthesis under severe drought as compared to the C3-type M. moricandioides. Nevertheless, the C2-physiology does not seem to play a central role in M. arvensis drought responses and drought recovery. Instead, our biochemical data indicated metabolic differences in carbon and redox-related metabolism under the examined conditions. The cell wall dynamics and glucosinolate metabolism regulations were found to be major discriminators between M. arvensis and M. moricandioides at the transcription level.
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Feldman AF, Short Gianotti DJ, Dong J, Trigo IF, Salvucci GD, Entekhabi D. Tropical surface temperature response to vegetation cover changes and the role of drylands. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:110-125. [PMID: 36169920 PMCID: PMC10092849 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Vegetation cover creates competing effects on land surface temperature: it typically cools through enhancing energy dissipation and warms via decreasing surface albedo. Global vegetation has been previously found to overall net cool land surfaces with cooling contributions from temperate and tropical vegetation and warming contributions from boreal vegetation. Recent studies suggest that dryland vegetation across the tropics strongly contributes to this global net cooling feedback. However, observation-based vegetation-temperature interaction studies have been limited in the tropics, especially in their widespread drylands. Theoretical considerations also call into question the ability of dryland vegetation to strongly cool the surface under low water availability. Here, we use satellite observations to investigate how tropical vegetation cover influences the surface energy balance. We find that while increased vegetation cover would impart net cooling feedbacks across the tropics, net vegetal cooling effects are subdued in drylands. Using observations, we determine that dryland plants have less ability to cool the surface due to their cooling pathways being reduced by aridity, overall less efficient dissipation of turbulent energy, and their tendency to strongly increase solar radiation absorption. As a result, while proportional greening across the tropics would create an overall biophysical cooling feedback, dryland tropical vegetation reduces the overall tropical surface cooling magnitude by at least 14%, instead of enhancing cooling as suggested by previous global studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F. Feldman
- Biospheric Sciences LaboratoryNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMarylandUSA
- NASA Postdoctoral ProgramNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbeltMarylandUSA
| | - Daniel J. Short Gianotti
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Jianzhi Dong
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Isabel F. Trigo
- Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera I.P. (IPMA)LisbonPortugal
- Instituto Dom Luiz (IDL)LisbonPortugal
| | - Guido D. Salvucci
- Department of Earth and EnvironmentBoston UniversityBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Dara Entekhabi
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
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Zhu X, Liu J, Sun X, Kuang C, Liu H, Zhang L, Zheng Q, Liu J, Li J, Wang H, Hua W. Stress-induced higher vein density in the C3-C4 intermediate Moricandia suffruticosa under drought and heat stress. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:6334-6351. [PMID: 35675763 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of C4 photosynthesis involved multiple anatomical and physiological modifications, yet our knowledge of the genetic regulation involved remains elusive. In this study, systematic analyses were conducted comparing the C3-C4 intermediate Moricandia suffruticosa and its C3 relative Brassica napus (rapeseed). We found that the leaves of M. suffruticosa had significantly higher vein density than those of B. napus, and the vein density was further increased in M. suffruticosa under drought and heat stress. Moreover, the bundle sheath distance, as the mean distance from the outer wall of one bundle sheath to the outer wall of an adjacent one, decreased and the number of centripetal chloroplasts in bundle sheath cells was found to be altered in M. suffruticosa leaves under drought and heat treatments. These results suggest that abiotic stress can induce a change in an intermediate C3-C4 anatomy towards a C4-like anatomy in land plants. By integrating drought and heat factors, co-expression network and comparative transcriptome analyses between M. suffruticosa and B. napus revealed that inducible auxin signaling regulated vascular development, and autophagy-related vesicle trafficking processes were associated with this stress-induced anatomical change. Overexpressing three candidate genes, MsERF02, MsSCL01, and MsDOF01, increased leaf vein density and/or enhanced photosynthetic assimilation and drought adaptability in the transgenic lines. The findings of this study may improve our understanding of the genetic regulation and evolution of C4 anatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyi Zhu
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Liu
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Xingchao Sun
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Chen Kuang
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongfang Liu
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Liang Zhang
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiwei Zheng
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Liu
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Li
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Hanzhong Wang
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Hua
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
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Shuyskaya E, Rakhmankulova Z, Prokofieva M, Saidova L, Toderich K, Voronin P. Intensity and duration of salinity required to form adaptive response in C 4 halophyte Kochia prostrata (L.) Shrad. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:955880. [PMID: 36275591 PMCID: PMC9585317 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.955880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Plant adaptation to salinity is a highly multifaceted process, harnessing various physiological mechanisms depending on the severity and duration of salt stress. This study focuses on the effects of 4- and 10-day treatments with low (100 mM NaCl) and moderate (200 mM NaCl) salinity on growth, CO2/H2O gas exchange, stomatal apparatus performance, the efficiency of photosystems I and II (PS I and II), content of key C4 photosynthesis enzymes, and the accumulation of Na+, K+, and proline in shoots of the widespread forage C4 halophyte Kochia prostrata. Our data show that 4 days of low salinity treatment resulted in a decrease in biomass, intensity of apparent photosynthesis, and cyclic electron transport around PS I. It was accompanied by an increase in transpiration and Rubisco and PEPC contents, while the Na+ and proline contents were low in K. prostrata shoots. By the 10th day of salinity, Na+ and proline have accumulated; PS I function has stabilized, while PS II efficiency has decreased due to the enhanced non-photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence (NPQ). Thus, under low salinity conditions, Na+ accumulated slowly and the imbalance between light and dark reactions of photosynthesis was observed. These processes might be induced by an early sodium signaling wave that affects cellular pH and ion homeostasis, ultimately disturbing photosynthetic electron transport. Another adaptive reaction more "typical" of salt-tolerant species was observed at 200 mM NaCl treatment. It proceeds in two stages. First, during the first 4 days, dry biomass and apparent photosynthesis decrease, whereas stomata sensitivity and dissipation energy during dark respiration increase. In parallel, an active Na+ accumulation and a decreased K+/Na+ ratio take place. Second, by the 10th day, a fully-fledged adaptive response was formed, when growth and apparent photosynthesis stabilized and stomata closed. Decreased dissipation energy, increased WUE, stabilization of Rubisco and PEPC contents, and decreased proline content testify to the completion of the adaptation and stabilization of the physiological state of plants. The obtained results allowed us to conclude that the formation of a full-fledged salt-tolerant response common for halophytes in K. prostrata occurs by the 10th day of moderate salinity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Shuyskaya
- K.A. Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
| | - Zulfira Rakhmankulova
- K.A. Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria Prokofieva
- K.A. Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
| | - Luizat Saidova
- K.A. Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
| | - Kristina Toderich
- International Platform for Dryland Research and Education, Tottori University, Tottori City, Japan
| | - Pavel Voronin
- K.A. Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
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Bellasio C, Quirk J, Ubierna N, Beerling DJ. Physiological responses to low CO 2 over prolonged drought as primers for forest-grassland transitions. NATURE PLANTS 2022; 8:1014-1023. [PMID: 36008546 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-022-01217-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Savannahs dominated by grasses with scattered C3 trees expanded between 24 and 9 million years ago in low latitudes at the expense of forests. Fire, herbivory, drought and the susceptibility of trees to declining atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([CO2]a) are proposed as key drivers of this transition. The role of disturbance is well studied, but physiological arguments are mostly derived from models and palaeorecords, without direct experimental evidence. In replicated comparative experimental trials, we examined the physiological effects of [CO2]a and prolonged drought in a broadleaf forest tree, a savannah tree and a savannah C4 grass. We show that the forest tree was more disadvantaged than either the savannah tree or the C4 grass by the low [CO2]a and increasing aridity. Our experiments provide insights into the role of the intrinsic physiological susceptibility of trees in priming the disturbance-driven transition from forest to savannah in the conditions of the early Miocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandra Bellasio
- Biology of Plants under Mediterranean Conditions, Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain.
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
| | - Joe Quirk
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Nerea Ubierna
- Biology of Plants under Mediterranean Conditions, Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
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16
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Zhao YY, Lyu MA, Miao F, Chen G, Zhu XG. The evolution of stomatal traits along the trajectory toward C4 photosynthesis. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 190:441-458. [PMID: 35652758 PMCID: PMC9434244 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis optimizes plant carbon and water relations, allowing high photosynthetic rates with low stomatal conductance. Stomata have long been considered a part of the C4 syndrome. However, it remains unclear how stomatal traits evolved along the path from C3 to C4. Here, we examined stomata in the Flaveria genus, a model used for C4 evolutionary study. Comparative, transgenic, and semi-in vitro experiments were performed to study the molecular basis that underlies the changes of stomatal traits in C4 evolution. The evolution from C3 to C4 species is accompanied by a gradual rather than an abrupt change in stomatal traits. The initial change appears near the Type I intermediate stage. Co-evolution of the photosynthetic pathway and stomatal traits is supported. On the road to C4, stomata tend to be fewer in number but larger in size and stomatal density dominates changes in anatomical maximum stomatal conductance (gsmax). Reduction of FSTOMAGEN expression underlies decreased gsmax in Flaveria and likely occurs in other C4 lineages. Decreased gsmax contributes to the increase in intrinsic water-use efficiency in C4 evolution. This work highlights the stomatal traits in the current C4 evolutionary model. Our study provides insights into the pattern, mechanism, and role of stomatal evolution along the road toward C4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Yao Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Plant Molecular Genetics, Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mingju Amy Lyu
- State Key Laboratory for Plant Molecular Genetics, Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - FenFen Miao
- State Key Laboratory for Plant Molecular Genetics, Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Genyun Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Plant Molecular Genetics, Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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17
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Pan L, George-Jaeggli B, Borrell A, Jordan D, Koller F, Al-Salman Y, Ghannoum O, Cano FJ. Coordination of stomata and vein patterns with leaf width underpins water-use efficiency in a C 4 crop. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:1612-1630. [PMID: 34773276 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Despite its importance for crop water use and productivity, especially in drought-affected environments, the underlying mechanisms of variation in intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE = net photosynthesis/stomatal conductance for water vapour, gsw ) are not well understood, especially in C4 plants. Recently, we discovered that leaf width (LW) correlated negatively with iWUE and positively with gsw across several C4 grasses. Here, we confirmed these relationships within 48 field-grown genotypes differing in LW in Sorghum bicolor, a C4 crop adapted to dry and hot conditions. We measured leaf gas exchange and modelled leaf energy balance three times a day, alongside anatomical traits as potential predictors of iWUE. LW correlated negatively with iWUE and stomatal density, but positively with gsw , interveinal distance of longitudinal veins, and the percentage of stomatal aperture relative to maximum. Energy balance modelling showed that wider leaves needed to open their stomata more to generate a more negative leaf-to-air temperature difference, especially at midday when air temperatures exceeded 40°C. These results highlight the important role that LW plays in shaping iWUE through coordination of vein and stomatal traits and by affecting stomatal aperture. Therefore, LW could be used as a predictor of higher iWUE among sorghum genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Pan
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Grassland Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- College of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China
| | - Barbara George-Jaeggli
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australia
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Hermitage Research Facility, The University of Queensland, Warwick, Queensland, Australia
- Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Agri-Science Queensland, Hermitage Research Facility, Warwick, Queensland, Australia
| | - Andrew Borrell
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australia
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Hermitage Research Facility, The University of Queensland, Warwick, Queensland, Australia
| | - David Jordan
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australia
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Hermitage Research Facility, The University of Queensland, Warwick, Queensland, Australia
| | - Fiona Koller
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Yazen Al-Salman
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Oula Ghannoum
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Francisco J Cano
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
- Centro de Investigación Forestal (CIFOR), Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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18
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Ozeki K, Miyazawa Y, Sugiura D. Rapid stomatal closure contributes to higher water use efficiency in major C4 compared to C3 Poaceae crops. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 189:188-203. [PMID: 35134220 PMCID: PMC9070804 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Understanding water use characteristics of C3 and C4 crops is important for food security under climate change. Here, we aimed to clarify how stomatal dynamics and water use efficiency (WUE) differ in fluctuating environments in major C3 and C4 crops. Under high and low nitrogen conditions, we evaluated stomatal morphology and kinetics of stomatal conductance (gs) at leaf and whole-plant levels in controlled fluctuating light environments in four C3 and five C4 Poaceae species. We developed a dynamic photosynthesis model, which incorporates C3 and C4 photosynthesis models that consider stomatal dynamics, to evaluate the contribution of rapid stomatal opening and closing to photosynthesis and WUE. C4 crops showed more rapid stomatal opening and closure than C3 crops, which could be explained by smaller stomatal size and higher stomatal density in plants grown at high nitrogen conditions. Our model analysis indicated that accelerating the speed of stomatal closure in C3 crops to the level of C4 crops could enhance WUE up to 16% by reducing unnecessary water loss during low light periods, whereas accelerating stomatal opening only minimally enhanced photosynthesis. The present results suggest that accelerating the speed of stomatal closure in major C3 crops to the level of major C4 crops is a potential breeding target for the realization of water-saving agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kengo Ozeki
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Yoshiyuki Miyazawa
- Campus Planning Office, Kyushu University, Nishi, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
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19
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Burnett MW, Bobbett AE, Brendel CE, Marshall K, von Sperber C, Paulus EL, Vitousek PM. Foliar ẟ 15N patterns in legumes and non-N fixers across a climate gradient, Hawai'i Island, USA. Oecologia 2022; 198:229-242. [PMID: 34984520 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05089-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies from the Hawaiian Islands showed that pedogenic thresholds demarcate domains in which rock-derived nutrient dynamics remain similar across wide variations in rainfall. These thresholds appear related to certain aspects of N cycling, but the degree to which they correspond to patterns of biological N fixation (BNF)-the dominant input of N into less-managed ecosystems-remains unclear. We measured aboveground plant biomass, foliar nutrient concentrations, and foliar δ15N along a climate gradient on ~ 150,000-year-old basaltic substrate to characterize foliar N sources and spatially relate them to soil nutrients. Patterns in legume δ15N correspond to known pedogenic thresholds along the rainfall gradient, with low δ15N values (~ 0 to - 2‰) occurring in the dry, biologically inactive domain and the wet, highly weathered domain. Elevated δ15N in the middle, fertile domain suggests a greater reliance of legumes on soil N where it has accumulated over time. Non-legume face N deficiencies throughout most of the gradient while legumes maintain low C:N ratios via symbiotic BNF. However, legume abundance declines outside the fertile domain, limiting ecosystem N inputs. Breakpoints in legume δ15N data suggest that P (and potentially other nutrients) limits BNF and, by extension, legume abundance in wet region. Nutrients may also constrain legume abundance in the dry domain, but pedogenic effects could not be isolated from climatic constraints at the dry sites. We conclude that pedogenic thresholds defined by climate can be informative of foliar δ15N patterns in cases where legumes are not directly constrained by climate, land use, or other external factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Burnett
- Earth Systems Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- The Nature Conservancy, Kamuela, HI, USA.
| | - Ariel E Bobbett
- Earth Systems Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Corinna E Brendel
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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20
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Pardo J, VanBuren R. Evolutionary innovations driving abiotic stress tolerance in C4 grasses and cereals. THE PLANT CELL 2021; 33:3391-3401. [PMID: 34387354 PMCID: PMC8566246 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koab205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Grasslands dominate the terrestrial landscape, and grasses have evolved complex and elegant strategies to overcome abiotic stresses. The C4 grasses are particularly stress tolerant and thrive in tropical and dry temperate ecosystems. Growing evidence suggests that the presence of C4 photosynthesis alone is insufficient to account for drought resilience in grasses, pointing to other adaptations as contributing to tolerance traits. The majority of grasses from the Chloridoideae subfamily are tolerant to drought, salt, and desiccation, making this subfamily a hub of resilience. Here, we discuss the evolutionary innovations that make C4 grasses so resilient, with a particular emphasis on grasses from the Chloridoideae (chloridoid) and Panicoideae (panicoid) subfamilies. We propose that a baseline level of resilience in chloridoid ancestors allowed them to colonize harsh habitats, and these environments drove selective pressure that enabled the repeated evolution of abiotic stress tolerance traits. Furthermore, we suggest that a lack of evolutionary access to stressful environments is partially responsible for the relatively poor stress resilience of major C4 crops compared to their wild relatives. We propose that chloridoid crops and the subfamily more broadly represent an untapped reservoir for improving resilience to drought and other abiotic stresses in cereals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Pardo
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Robert VanBuren
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
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21
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Johnson JE, Field CB, Berry JA. The limiting factors and regulatory processes that control the environmental responses of C 3, C 3-C 4 intermediate, and C 4 photosynthesis. Oecologia 2021; 197:841-866. [PMID: 34714387 PMCID: PMC8591018 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05062-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Here, we describe a model of C3, C3-C4 intermediate, and C4 photosynthesis that is designed to facilitate quantitative analysis of physiological measurements. The model relates the factors limiting electron transport and carbon metabolism, the regulatory processes that coordinate these metabolic domains, and the responses to light, carbon dioxide, and temperature. It has three unique features. First, mechanistic expressions describe how the cytochrome b6f complex controls electron transport in mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts. Second, the coupling between the mesophyll and bundle sheath expressions represents how feedback regulation of Cyt b6f coordinates electron transport and carbon metabolism. Third, the temperature sensitivity of Cyt b6f is differentiated from that of the coupling between NADPH, Fd, and ATP production. Using this model, we present simulations demonstrating that the light dependence of the carbon dioxide compensation point in C3-C4 leaves can be explained by co-occurrence of light saturation in the mesophyll and light limitation in the bundle sheath. We also present inversions demonstrating that population-level variation in the carbon dioxide compensation point in a Type I C3-C4 plant, Flaveria chloraefolia, can be explained by variable allocation of photosynthetic capacity to the bundle sheath. These results suggest that Type I C3-C4 intermediate plants adjust pigment and protein distributions to optimize the glycine shuttle under different light and temperature regimes, and that the malate and aspartate shuttles may have originally functioned to smooth out the energy supply and demand associated with the glycine shuttle. This model has a wide range of potential applications to physiological, ecological, and evolutionary questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Johnson
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Christopher B Field
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, 473 Via Ortega, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Joseph A Berry
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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Li H, Lin WF, Shen ZJ, Peng H, Zhou JJ, Zhu XY. Physiological and Proteomic Analyses of Different Ecotypes of Reed ( Phragmites communis) in Adaption to Natural Drought and Salinity. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:720593. [PMID: 34589100 PMCID: PMC8473735 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.720593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Drought and salinity are the two major abiotic stresses constraining the crop yield worldwide. Both of them trigger cellular dehydration and cause osmotic stress which leads to cytosolic and vacuolar volume reduction. However, whether plants share a similar tolerance mechanism in response to these two stresses under natural conditions has seldom been comparatively reported. There are three different ecotypes of reed within a 5 km2 region in the Badanjilin desert of Northwest China. Taking the typical swamp reed (SR) as a control, we performed a comparative study on the adaption mechanisms of the two terrestrial ecotypes: dune reed (DR) and heavy salt meadow reed (HSMR) by physiological and proteomic approaches coupled with bioinformatic analysis. The results showed that HSMR and DR have evolved C4-like photosynthetic and anatomical characteristics, such as the increased bundle sheath cells (BSCs) and chloroplasts in BSCs, higher density of veins, and lower density and aperture of stomata. In addition, the thylakoid membrane fluidity also plays an important role in their higher drought and salinity tolerance capability. The proteomic results further demonstrated that HSMR and DR facilitated the regulation of proteins associated with photosynthesis and energy metabolism, lipid metabolism, transcription and translation, and stress responses to well-adapt to the drought and salinity conditions. Overall, our results demonstrated that HSMR and DR shaped a similar adaption strategy from the structural and physiological levels to the molecular scale to ensure functionality in a harsh environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Li
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- College of Food and Bio-Engineering, Bengbu University, Bengbu, China
| | - Wen-Fang Lin
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- College of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhi-Jun Shen
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Hao Peng
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Department of Life Science and Engineering, Jining University, Jining, China
| | - Jia-Jie Zhou
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Xue-Yi Zhu
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
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Sonawane BV, Koteyeva NK, Johnson DM, Cousins AB. Differences in leaf anatomy determines temperature response of leaf hydraulic and mesophyll CO 2 conductance in phylogenetically related C 4 and C 3 grass species. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 230:1802-1814. [PMID: 33605441 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Leaf hydraulic and mesophyll CO2 conductance are both influenced by leaf anatomical traits, however it is poorly understood how the temperature response of these conductances differs between C4 and C3 species with distinct leaf anatomy. This study investigated the temperature response of leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf ), stomatal (gs ) and mesophyll (gm ) conductance to CO2 , and leaf anatomical traits in phylogenetically related Panicum antidotale (C4 ) and P. bisulcatum (C3 ) grasses. The C4 species had lower hydraulic conductance outside xylem (Kox ) and Kleaf compared with the C3 species. However, the C4 species had higher gm compared with the C3 species. Traits associated with leaf water movement, Kleaf and Kox , increased with temperature more in the C3 than in the C4 species, whereas traits related to carbon uptake, Anet and gm , increased more with temperature in the C4 than the C3 species. Our findings demonstrate that, in addition to a CO2 concentrating mechanism, outside-xylem leaf anatomy in the C4 species P. antidotale favours lower water movement through the leaf and stomata that provides an additional advantage for greater leaf carbon uptake relative to water loss with increasing leaf temperature than in the C3 species P. bisulcatum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balasaheb V Sonawane
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
| | - Nuria K Koteyeva
- Laboratory of Anatomy and Morphology, V. L. Komarov Botanical Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Prof. Popov Street 2, St Petersburg, 197376, Russia
| | - Daniel M Johnson
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Asaph B Cousins
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
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24
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Russ Monson and the evolution of C 4 photosynthesis. Oecologia 2021; 197:823-840. [PMID: 33661402 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04883-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Early in his career, Russ Monson produced a series of influential eco-physiological papers that helped lay the foundation for the study of C4 plant evolution. Among the most important was a 1984 paper with Maurice Ku and Gerry Edwards that outlined the pathway for the evolutionary bridge from C3 to C4 photosynthesis. This model proposed C4 photosynthesis arose out of a shuttle that imported photorespiratory metabolites into bundle sheath (BS) cells, where glycine decarboxylase cleaved off CO2, allowing it to accumulate and be efficiently refixed by BS Rubisco. By the mid-1990's, Monson's research focus had shifted away from C4 plants, save for one 2003 paper on C3 versus C4 stomatal control with Travis Huxman, and a series of critical reviews on C4 evolution. These reviews heavily influenced the modern synthesis of C4 evolutionary studies, which incorporates phylogenomic understanding with physiological, molecular, and structural characterizations of trait shifts in multiple evolutionary lineages. Subsequent research supported the Monson et al. model from 1984, by showing a glycine shuttle occurs in nearly all C3-C4 intermediate species identified. Monson also examined the physiological controls over the ecological distribution of C3, C3-C4 intermediate, and C4 photosynthesis, building our understanding of the fitness value of the intermediate and C4 pathway in relevant microenvironments. By establishing the foundation for discoveries that followed, Russ Monson can rightly be considered a leading pioneer contributing to the evolutionary biology of C4 photosynthesis.
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25
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Mistletoes and their eucalypt hosts differ in the response of leaf functional traits to climatic moisture supply. Oecologia 2021; 195:759-771. [PMID: 33595714 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04867-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Trade-offs between photosynthesis and the costs of resource capture inform economic strategies of plants across environmental gradients and result in predictable variation in leaf traits. However, understudied functional groups like hemiparasites that involve dramatically different strategies for resource capture may have traits that deviate from expectations. We measured leaf traits related to gas exchange in mistletoes and their eucalypt hosts along a climatic gradient in relative moisture supply, measured as the ratio of precipitation to pan evaporation (P/Ep), in Victoria, Australia. We compared traits for mistletoes vs. hosts as functions of relative moisture supply and examined trait-trait correlations in both groups. Eucalypt leaf traits responded strongly to decreasing P/Ep, consistent with economic theory. Leaf area and specific leaf area (SLA) decreased along the P/Ep gradient, while C:N ratio, leaf thickness, N per area, and δ13C all increased. Mistletoes responded overall less strongly to P/Ep based on multivariate analyses; individual traits sometimes shifted in parallel with those of hosts, but SLA, leaf thickness, and N per area showed no significant change across the gradient. For mistletoes, leaf thickness was inversely related to leaf dry matter content (LDMC), with no relationship between SLA and mass-based N. In mistletoes, reduced costs of transpiration (reflecting their lack of roots) and abundant succulent leaf tissue help account for observed differences from their eucalypt hosts. Trait-based analysis of atypical functional types such as mistletoes help refine hypotheses based on plant economics and specialized adaptations to resource limitation.
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26
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Pignon CP, Leakey ADB, Long SP, Kromdijk J. Drivers of Natural Variation in Water-Use Efficiency Under Fluctuating Light Are Promising Targets for Improvement in Sorghum. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:627432. [PMID: 33597965 PMCID: PMC7882533 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.627432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Improving leaf intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE), the ratio of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation to stomatal conductance, could decrease crop freshwater consumption. iWUE has primarily been studied under steady-state light, but light in crop stands rapidly fluctuates. Leaf responses to these fluctuations substantially affect overall plant performance. Notably, photosynthesis responds faster than stomata to decreases in light intensity: this desynchronization results in substantial loss of iWUE. Traits that could improve iWUE under fluctuating light, such as faster stomatal movement to better synchronize stomata with photosynthesis, show significant natural diversity in C3 species. However, C4 crops have been less closely investigated. Additionally, while modification of photosynthetic or stomatal traits independent of one another will theoretically have a proportionate effect on iWUE, in reality these traits are inter-dependent. It is unclear how interactions between photosynthesis and stomata affect natural diversity in iWUE, and whether some traits are more tractable drivers to improve iWUE. Here, measurements of photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and iWUE under steady-state and fluctuating light, along with stomatal patterning, were obtained in 18 field-grown accessions of the C4 crop sorghum. These traits showed significant natural diversity but were highly correlated, with important implications for improvement of iWUE. Some features, such as gradual responses of photosynthesis to decreases in light, appeared promising for improvement of iWUE. Other traits showed tradeoffs that negated benefits to iWUE, e.g., accessions with faster stomatal responses to decreases in light, expected to benefit iWUE, also displayed more abrupt losses in photosynthesis, resulting in overall lower iWUE. Genetic engineering might be needed to break these natural tradeoffs and achieve optimal trait combinations, e.g., leaves with fewer, smaller stomata, more sensitive to changes in photosynthesis. Traits describing iWUE at steady-state, and the change in iWUE following decreases in light, were important contributors to overall iWUE under fluctuating light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles P. Pignon
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Andrew D. B. Leakey
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- *Correspondence: Andrew D. B. Leakey,
| | - Stephen P. Long
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Johannes Kromdijk
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Johannes Kromdijk, ;
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Correia PMP, da Silva AB, Vaz M, Carmo-Silva E, Marques da Silva J. Efficient Regulation of CO 2 Assimilation Enables Greater Resilience to High Temperature and Drought in Maize. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:675546. [PMID: 34381474 PMCID: PMC8350398 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.675546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Increasing temperatures and extended drought episodes are among the major constraints affecting food production. Maize has a relatively high temperature optimum for photosynthesis compared to C3 crops, however, the response of this important C4 crop to the combination of heat and drought stress is poorly understood. Here, we hypothesized that resilience to high temperature combined with water deficit (WD) would require efficient regulation of the photosynthetic traits of maize, including the C4-CO2 concentrating mechanism (CCM). Two genotypes of maize with contrasting levels of drought and heat tolerance, B73 and P0023, were acclimatized at high temperature (38°C versus 25°C) under well-watered (WW) or WD conditions. The photosynthetic performance was evaluated by gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence, and in vitro activities of key enzymes for carboxylation (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase), decarboxylation (NADP-malic enzyme), and carbon fixation (Rubisco). Both genotypes successfully acclimatized to the high temperature, although with different mechanisms: while B73 maintained the photosynthetic rates by increasing stomatal conductance (gs), P0023 maintained gs and showed limited transpiration. When WD was experienced in combination with high temperatures, limited transpiration allowed water-savings and acted as a drought stress avoidance mechanism. The photosynthetic efficiency in P0023 was sustained by higher phosphorylated PEPC and electron transport rate (ETR) near vascular tissues, supplying chemical energy for an effective CCM. These results suggest that the key traits for drought and heat tolerance in maize are limited transpiration rate, allied with a synchronized regulation of the carbon assimilation metabolism. These findings can be exploited in future breeding efforts aimed at improving maize resilience to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M. P. Correia
- Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Pedro M. P. Correia,
| | - Anabela Bernardes da Silva
- Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Margarida Vaz
- Departamento de Biologia, Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture (MED), Environment and Development, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | | | - Jorge Marques da Silva
- Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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28
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Bianconi ME, Hackel J, Vorontsova MS, Alberti A, Arthan W, Burke SV, Duvall MR, Kellogg EA, Lavergne S, McKain MR, Meunier A, Osborne CP, Traiperm P, Christin PA, Besnard G. Continued Adaptation of C4 Photosynthesis After an Initial Burst of Changes in the Andropogoneae Grasses. Syst Biol 2020; 69:445-461. [PMID: 31589325 PMCID: PMC7672695 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syz066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} photosynthesis is a complex trait that sustains fast growth and high productivity in tropical and subtropical conditions and evolved repeatedly in flowering plants. One of the major C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} lineages is Andropogoneae, a group of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$\sim $\end{document}1200 grass species that includes some of the world’s most important crops and species dominating tropical and some temperate grasslands. Previous efforts to understand C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} evolution in the group have compared a few model C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} plants to distantly related C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{3}$\end{document} species so that changes directly responsible for the transition to C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} could not be distinguished from those that preceded or followed it. In this study, we analyze the genomes of 66 grass species, capturing the earliest diversification within Andropogoneae as well as their C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{3}$\end{document} relatives. Phylogenomics combined with molecular dating and analyses of protein evolution show that many changes linked to the evolution of C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} photosynthesis in Andropogoneae happened in the Early Miocene, between 21 and 18 Ma, after the split from its C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{3}$\end{document} sister lineage, and before the diversification of the group. This initial burst of changes was followed by an extended period of modifications to leaf anatomy and biochemistry during the diversification of Andropogoneae, so that a single C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} origin gave birth to a diversity of C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} phenotypes during 18 million years of speciation events and migration across geographic and ecological spaces. Our comprehensive approach and broad sampling of the diversity in the group reveals that one key transition can lead to a plethora of phenotypes following sustained adaptation of the ancestral state. [Adaptive evolution; complex traits; herbarium genomics; Jansenelleae; leaf anatomy; Poaceae; phylogenomics.]
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus E Bianconi
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Jan Hackel
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR 5174), CNRS/IRD/Université Toulouse III, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
- Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK
| | - Maria S Vorontsova
- Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK
| | - Adriana Alberti
- CEA - Institut de Biologie Francois-Jacob, Genoscope, 2 Rue Gaston Cremieux 91057 Evry Cedex, France
| | - Watchara Arthan
- Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AH, UK
| | - Sean V Burke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Plant Molecular and Bioinformatics Center, Northern Illinois University, 1425 W. Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115-2861, USA
| | - Melvin R Duvall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Plant Molecular and Bioinformatics Center, Northern Illinois University, 1425 W. Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115-2861, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Kellogg
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 North Warson Road, St. Louis, MI 63132, USA
| | - Sébastien Lavergne
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, CNRS – Université Grenoble Alpes, UMR 5553, Grenoble, France
| | - Michael R McKain
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, 500 Hackberry Lane, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - Alexandre Meunier
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR 5174), CNRS/IRD/Université Toulouse III, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Paweena Traiperm
- Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, King Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Pascal-Antoine Christin
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Guillaume Besnard
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR 5174), CNRS/IRD/Université Toulouse III, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
- Correspondence to be sent to: Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR 5174), CNRS/IRD/Université Toulouse III, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France; E-mail:
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29
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Bromham L, Hua X, Cardillo M. Macroevolutionary and macroecological approaches to understanding the evolution of stress tolerance in plants. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2020; 43:2832-2846. [PMID: 32705700 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Environmental stress response in plants has been studied using a wide range of approaches, from lab-based investigation of biochemistry and genetics, to glasshouse studies of physiology and growth rates, to field-based trials and ecological surveys. It is also possible to investigate the evolution of environmental stress responses using macroevolutionary and macroecological analyses, analysing data from many different species, providing a new perspective on the way that environmental stress shapes the evolution and distribution of biodiversity. "Macroevoeco" approaches can produce intriguing results and new ways of looking at old problems. In this review, we focus on studies using phylogenetic analysis to illuminate macroevolutionary patterns in the evolution of environmental stress tolerance in plants. We follow a particular thread from our own research-evolution of salt tolerance-as a case study that illustrates a macroevolutionary way of thinking that opens up a range of broader questions on the evolution of environmental stress tolerances. We consider some potential future applications of macroevolutionary and macroecological analyses to understanding how diverse groups of plants evolve in response to environmental stress, which may allow better prediction of current stress tolerance and a way of predicting the capacity of species to adapt to changing environmental stresses over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindell Bromham
- Macroevolution & Macroecology, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Xia Hua
- Macroevolution & Macroecology, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- Mathematical Sciences Institute, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Marcel Cardillo
- Macroevolution & Macroecology, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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30
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Barbolini N, Woutersen A, Dupont-Nivet G, Silvestro D, Tardif D, Coster PMC, Meijer N, Chang C, Zhang HX, Licht A, Rydin C, Koutsodendris A, Han F, Rohrmann A, Liu XJ, Zhang Y, Donnadieu Y, Fluteau F, Ladant JB, Le Hir G, Hoorn C. Cenozoic evolution of the steppe-desert biome in Central Asia. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eabb8227. [PMID: 33036969 PMCID: PMC7546705 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb8227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The origins and development of the arid and highly seasonal steppe-desert biome in Central Asia, the largest of its kind in the world, remain largely unconstrained by existing records. It is unclear how Cenozoic climatic, geological, and biological forces, acting at diverse spatial and temporal scales, shaped Central Asian ecosystems through time. Our synthesis shows that the Central Asian steppe-desert has existed since at least Eocene times but experienced no less than two regime shifts, one at the Eocene-Oligocene Transition and one in the mid-Miocene. These shifts separated three successive "stable states," each characterized by unique floral and faunal structures. Past responses to disturbance in the Asian steppe-desert imply that modern ecosystems are unlikely to recover their present structures and diversity if forced into a new regime. This is of concern for Asian steppes today, which are being modified for human use and lost to desertification at unprecedented rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Barbolini
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Woutersen
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - G Dupont-Nivet
- Universität Potsdam, Institute of Geosciences, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
- Université de Rennes, CNRS, Géosciences Rennes-UMR 6118, F-35000 Rennes, France
- Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - D Silvestro
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Ch. De Musée 10, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - D Tardif
- Institut de Physique du Globe, Paris 75005, France
| | - P M C Coster
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - N Meijer
- Universität Potsdam, Institute of Geosciences, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - C Chang
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
| | - H-X Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
| | - A Licht
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - C Rydin
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- The Bergius Foundation, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Box 50005, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Koutsodendris
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
| | - F Han
- School of Earth Sciences, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, Jiangxi, China
| | - A Rohrmann
- Universität Potsdam, Institute of Geosciences, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - X-J Liu
- College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Y Zhang
- The First Monitoring and Application Center, China Earthquake Administration, Tianjin 300180, China
| | - Y Donnadieu
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (LSCE)/Institute Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL), Commissariat á l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA)-CNRS-Université de Versailles Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement (IRD), Collège de France, Centre de Recherche et d'Enseignement de Géosciences de l'Environnement (CEREGE), Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - F Fluteau
- Institut de Physique du Globe, Paris 75005, France
| | - J-B Ladant
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - G Le Hir
- Institut de Physique du Globe, Paris 75005, France
| | - C Hoorn
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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Mendonça AMDC, Viana PL, Barbosa JPRAD. LEAF ANATOMY CHARACTERIZATION OF FOUR Apochloa SPECIES: A C3 GENUS RELATED TO EVOLUTION OF C4 PATHWAY IN GRASSES. ACTA BIOLÓGICA COLOMBIANA 2020. [DOI: 10.15446/abc.v26n1.83228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Leaf anatomy characteristics provide important evidences about the transition between C3 and C4 pathways. The C4 photosynthesis pathway allowed to reduce the C3 photorespiratory rate, concentrating CO2 around the Rubisco site and using structures and machinery already presented in C3 plants. In monocots, it is observed a high number of C4 lineages, most of them phylogenetically related to C3 groups. The genus Apochloa (C3), subtribe Arthropogoninae, is related to two C4 genera Coleataenia and Cyphonanthus. The aim of this study was to evaluate four Apochloa species in order to establish anatomical characteristics related to the evolution of C4 pathway in this group. By means of transverse sections fully expanded leaves of A. euprepes, A. lorea, A. molinioides, and A. poliophylla were collected and the characteristics of the mesophyll (M) and bundle sheath (BS) cells were determined. These species showed a rustic Kranz anatomy with enlarged and radial arranged BS cells, which have few organelles organized in a centrifugal position. Although the modifications of BS cells are probably related to the maintenance of plant water status, we also discuss the evolution for the establishment of C4 photosynthesis in the related C4 genera.
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Resolving the Dust Bowl paradox of grassland responses to extreme drought. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:22249-22255. [PMID: 32839346 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1922030117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During the 1930s Dust Bowl drought in the central United States, species with the C3 photosynthetic pathway expanded throughout C4-dominated grasslands. This widespread increase in C3 grasses during a decade of low rainfall and high temperatures is inconsistent with well-known traits of C3 vs. C4 pathways. Indeed, water use efficiency is generally lower, and photosynthesis is more sensitive to high temperatures in C3 than C4 species, consistent with the predominant distribution of C3 grasslands in cooler environments and at higher latitudes globally. We experimentally imposed extreme drought for 4 y in mixed C3/C4 grasslands in Kansas and Wyoming and, similar to Dust Bowl observations, also documented three- to fivefold increases in C3/C4 biomass ratios. To explain these paradoxical responses, we first analyzed long-term climate records to show that under nominal conditions in the central United States, C4 grasses dominate where precipitation and air temperature are strongly related (warmest months are wettest months). In contrast, C3 grasses flourish where precipitation inputs are less strongly coupled to warm temperatures. We then show that during extreme drought years, precipitation-temperature relationships weaken, and the proportion of precipitation falling during cooler months increases. This shift in precipitation seasonality provides a mechanism for C3 grasses to respond positively to multiyear drought, resolving the Dust Bowl paradox. Grasslands are globally important biomes and increasingly vulnerable to direct effects of climate extremes. Our findings highlight how extreme drought can indirectly alter precipitation seasonality and shift ecosystem phenology, affecting function in ways not predictable from key traits of C3 and C4 species.
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Sethi D, Butler TO, Shuhaili F, Vaidyanathan S. Diatoms for Carbon Sequestration and Bio-Based Manufacturing. BIOLOGY 2020; 9:E217. [PMID: 32785088 PMCID: PMC7464044 DOI: 10.3390/biology9080217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. Diatoms, a natural sink of atmospheric CO2, can be cultivated industrially in autotrophic and mixotrophic modes for the purpose of CO2 sequestration. In addition, the metabolic diversity exhibited by this group of photosynthetic organisms provides avenues to redirect the captured carbon into products of value. These include lipids, omega-3 fatty acids, pigments, antioxidants, exopolysaccharides, sulphated polysaccharides, and other valuable metabolites that can be produced in environmentally sustainable bio-manufacturing processes. To realize the potential of diatoms, expansion of our knowledge of carbon supply, CO2 uptake and fixation by these organisms, in conjunction with ways to enhance metabolic routing of the fixed carbon to products of value is required. In this review, current knowledge is explored, with an evaluation of the potential of diatoms for carbon capture and bio-based manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Sethi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK; (F.S.); (S.V.)
| | - Thomas O. Butler
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK; (F.S.); (S.V.)
| | - Faqih Shuhaili
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK; (F.S.); (S.V.)
- School of Bioprocess Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau 02600, Perlis, Malaysia
| | - Seetharaman Vaidyanathan
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK; (F.S.); (S.V.)
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Pathare VS, Sonawane BV, Koteyeva N, Cousins AB. C 4 grasses adapted to low precipitation habitats show traits related to greater mesophyll conductance and lower leaf hydraulic conductance. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2020; 43:1897-1910. [PMID: 32449181 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In habitats with low water availability, a fundamental challenge for plants will be to maximize photosynthetic C-gain while minimizing transpirational water-loss. This trade-off between C-gain and water-loss can in part be achieved through the coordination of leaf-level photosynthetic and hydraulic traits. To test the relationship of photosynthetic C-gain and transpirational water-loss, we grew, under common growth conditions, 18 C4 grasses adapted to habitats with different mean annual precipitation (MAP) and measured leaf-level structural and anatomical traits associated with mesophyll conductance (gm ) and leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf ). The C4 grasses adapted to lower MAP showed greater mesophyll surface area exposed to intercellular air spaces (Smes ) and adaxial stomatal density (SDada ) which supported greater gm . These grasses also showed greater leaf thickness and vein-to-epidermis distance, which may lead to lower Kleaf . Additionally, grasses with greater gm and lower Kleaf also showed greater photosynthetic rates (Anet ) and leaf-level water-use efficiency (WUE). In summary, we identify a suite of leaf-level traits that appear important for adaptation of C4 grasses to habitats with low MAP and may be useful to identify C4 species showing greater Anet and WUE in drier conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varsha S Pathare
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Balasaheb V Sonawane
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Nouria Koteyeva
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
- Laboratory of Anatomy and Morphology, V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Asaph B Cousins
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
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35
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RGB Vegetation Indices, NDVI, and Biomass as Indicators to Evaluate C3 and C4 Turfgrass under Different Water Conditions. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12062160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Grasslands have a natural capacity to decrease air pollution and a positive impact on human life. However, their maintenance requires adequate irrigation, which is difficult to apply in many regions where drought and high temperatures are frequent. Therefore, the selection of grass species more tolerant to a lack of irrigation is a fundamental criterion for green space planification. This study compared responses to deficit irrigation of different turfgrass mixtures: a C4 turfgrass mixture, Cynodon dactylon-Brachypodium distachyon (A), a C4 turfgrass mixture, Buchloe dactyloides-Brachypodium distachyon (B), and a standard C3 mixture formed by Lolium perenne-Festuca arundinacea-Poa pratensis (C). Three different irrigation regimes were assayed, full irrigated to 100% (FI-100), deficit irrigated to 75% (DI-75), and deficit irrigated to 50% (DI-50) of container capacity. Biomass, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), green area (GA), and greener area (GGA) vegetation indices were measured. Irrigation significantly affected the NDVI, biomass, GA, and GGA. The most severe condition in terms of decreasing biomass and vegetation indices was DI-50. Both mixtures (A) and (B) exhibited higher biomass, NDVI, GA, and GGA than the standard under deficit irrigation. This study highlights the superiority of (A) mixture under deficit irrigation, which showed similar values of biomass and vegetation indices under full irrigated and deficit irrigated (DI-75) container capacities.
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36
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Watson-Lazowski A, Papanicolaou A, Koller F, Ghannoum O. The transcriptomic responses of C 4 grasses to subambient CO 2 and low light are largely species specific and only refined by photosynthetic subtype. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 101:1170-1184. [PMID: 31651067 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Three subtypes of C4 photosynthesis exist (NADP-ME, NAD-ME and PEPCK), each known to be beneficial under specific environmental conditions. However, the influence of photosynthetic subtype on transcriptomic plasticity, as well as the genes underpinning this variability, remain largely unknown. Here, we comprehensively investigate the responses of six C4 grass species, spanning all three C4 subtypes, to two controlled environmental stresses: low light (200 µmol m-2 sec-1 ) and glacial CO2 (subambient; 180 ppm). We identify a susceptibility within NADP-ME species to glacial CO2 . Notably, although glacial CO2 phenotypes could be tied to C4 subtype, biochemical and transcriptomic responses to glacial CO2 were largely species specific. Nevertheless, we were able to identify subtype specific subsets of significantly differentially expressed transcripts which link resource acquisition and allocation to NADP-ME species susceptibility to glacial CO2 . Here, low light phenotypes were comparable across species with no clear subtype response, while again, transcriptomic responses to low light were largely species specific. However, numerous functional similarities were noted within the transcriptomic responses to low light, suggesting these responses are functionally relatively conserved. Additionally, PEPCK species exhibited heightened regulation of transcripts related to metabolism in response to both stresses, likely tied to their C4 metabolic pathway. These results highlight the influence that both species and subtype can have on plant responses to abiotic stress, building on our mechanistic understanding of acclimation within C4 grasses and highlighting avenues for future crop improvements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Watson-Lazowski
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Canberra, Australia
| | - Alexie Papanicolaou
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Canberra, Australia
| | - Fiona Koller
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Canberra, Australia
| | - Oula Ghannoum
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Canberra, Australia
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37
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Predicting Leaf Trait Variability as a Functional Descriptor of the Effect of Climate Change in Three Perennial Grasses. DIVERSITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/d11120233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Aims of the study: The most important trends of the current climate variability is the scarcity of rains that affects arid ecosystems. The aim of this study was to explore the variability of leaf functional traits by which grassland species survive and resist drought and to investigate the potential link between resource use efficiency and water scarcity resistance strategies of species. Methods: Three grasses (Cenchrus ciliaris (C4), Stipa parviflora and Stipa lagascae (C3)) were established in a randomized block consisting of eleven replications. The seedlings were kept under increasing levels of water stress. In addition to their functional leaf traits, the rate of water loss and dimensional shrinkage were also measured. Key Results: Thicker and denser leaves, with higher dry matter contents, low specific leaf area and great capacity of water retention are considered among the grasses’ strategies of dehydration avoidance. Significant differences between the means of the functional traits were obtained. Furthermore, strong correlations among leaf traits were also detected (Spearman’s r exceeding 0.8). Conclusions: The results provide evidence that the studied grasses respond differently to drought by exhibiting a range of interspecific functional strategies that may ameliorate the resilience of grassland species communities under extreme drought events.
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38
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The efficiency paradox: How wasteful competitors forge thrifty ecosystems. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:17619-17623. [PMID: 31420512 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1901785116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Organic waste, an inevitable byproduct of metabolism, increases in amount as metabolic rates (per capita power) of animals and plants rise. Most of it is recycled within aerobic ecosystems, but some is lost to the system and is sequestered in the crust for millions of years. Here, I identify and resolve a previously overlooked paradox concerning the long-term loss of organic matter. In this efficiency paradox, high-powered species are inefficient in that they release copious waste, but the ecosystems they inhabit lose almost no organic matter. Systems occupied by more efficient low-powered species suffer greater losses because of less efficient recycling. Over Phanerozoic time, ecosystems have become more productive and increasingly efficient at retaining and redistributing organic matter even as opportunistic and highly competitive producers and consumers gained power and became less efficient. These patterns and trends are driven by natural selection at the level of individuals and coherent groups, which favors winners that are more powerful, active, and wasteful. The activities of these competitors collectively create conditions that are increasingly conducive to more efficient recycling and retention of organic matter in the ecosystem.
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39
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Furbank RT, Jimenez-Berni JA, George-Jaeggli B, Potgieter AB, Deery DM. Field crop phenomics: enabling breeding for radiation use efficiency and biomass in cereal crops. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 223:1714-1727. [PMID: 30937909 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2018] [Accepted: 03/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Plant phenotyping forms the core of crop breeding, allowing breeders to build on physiological traits and mechanistic science to inform their selection of material for crossing and genetic gain. Recent rapid progress in high-throughput techniques based on machine vision, robotics, and computing (plant phenomics) enables crop physiologists and breeders to quantitatively measure complex and previously intractable traits. By combining these techniques with affordable genomic sequencing and genotyping, machine learning, and genome selection approaches, breeders have an opportunity to make rapid genetic progress. This review focuses on how field-based plant phenomics can enable next-generation physiological breeding in cereal crops for traits related to radiation use efficiency, photosynthesis, and crop biomass. These traits have previously been regarded as difficult and laborious to measure but have recently become a focus as cereal breeders find genetic progress from 'Green Revolution' traits such as harvest index become exhausted. Application of LiDAR, thermal imaging, leaf and canopy spectral reflectance, Chl fluorescence, and machine learning are discussed using wheat and sorghum phenotyping as case studies. A vision of how crop genomics and high-throughput phenotyping could enable the next generation of crop research and breeding is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert T Furbank
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Australian National University, Canberra, 2601, ACT, Australia
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Canberra, 2601, ACT, Australia
| | - Jose A Jimenez-Berni
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Canberra, 2601, ACT, Australia
- Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (IAS), CSIC, Cordoba, 14004, Spain
| | - Barbara George-Jaeggli
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation, Centre for Crop Science, The University of Queensland, Hermitage Research Station, Warwick, 4370, QLD, Australia
- Agri-Science Queensland, Queensland Department of Agriculture & Fisheries, Hermitage Research Facility, Warwick, 4370, QLD, Australia
| | - Andries B Potgieter
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation, Centre for Crop Science, The University of Queensland, Tor Street, Toowoomba, 4350, QLD, Australia
| | - David M Deery
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Canberra, 2601, ACT, Australia
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40
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Quirk J, Bellasio C, Johnson DA, Beerling DJ. Response of photosynthesis, growth and water relations of a savannah-adapted tree and grass grown across high to low CO2. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2019; 124:77-90. [PMID: 31008510 PMCID: PMC6676382 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcz048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS By the year 2100, atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]a) could reach 800 ppm, having risen from ~200 ppm since the Neogene, beginning ~24 Myr ago. Changing [CO2]a affects plant carbon-water balance, with implications for growth, drought tolerance and vegetation shifts. The evolution of C4 photosynthesis improved plant hydraulic function under low [CO2]a and preluded the establishment of savannahs, characterized by rapid transitions between open C4-dominated grassland with scattered trees and closed forest. Understanding directional vegetation trends in response to environmental change will require modelling. But models are often parameterized with characteristics observed in plants under current climatic conditions, necessitating experimental quantification of the mechanistic underpinnings of plant acclimation to [CO2]a. METHODS We measured growth, photosynthesis and plant-water relations, within wetting-drying cycles, of a C3 tree (Vachellia karroo, an acacia) and a C4 grass (Eragrostis curvula) grown at 200, 400 or 800 ppm [CO2]a. We investigated the mechanistic linkages between trait responses to [CO2]a under moderate soil drying, and photosynthetic characteristics. KEY RESULTS For V. karroo, higher [CO2]a increased assimilation, foliar carbon:nitrogen, biomass and leaf starch, but decreased stomatal conductance and root starch. For Eragrostis, higher [CO2]a decreased C:N, did not affect assimilation, biomass or starch, and markedly decreased stomatal conductance. Together, this meant that C4 advantages in efficient water-use over the tree were maintained with rising [CO2]a. CONCLUSIONS Acacia and Eragrostis acclimated differently to [CO2]a, with implications for their respective responses to water limitation and environmental change. Our findings question the carbon-centric focus on factors limiting assimilation with changing [CO2]a, how they are predicted and their role in determining productivity. We emphasize the continuing importance of water-conserving strategies in the assimilation response of savannah plants to rising [CO2]a.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe Quirk
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Chandra Bellasio
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
- Trees and Timber Institute, National Research Council of Italy, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - David A Johnson
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - David J Beerling
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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41
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Zhou H, Akçay E, Helliker BR. Estimating C 4 photosynthesis parameters by fitting intensive A/C i curves. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2019; 141:181-194. [PMID: 30758752 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-019-00619-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Measurements of photosynthetic assimilation rate as a function of intercellular CO2 (A/Ci curves) are widely used to estimate photosynthetic parameters for C3 species, yet few parameters have been reported for C4 plants, because of a lack of estimation methods. Here, we extend the framework of widely used estimation methods for C3 plants to build estimation tools by exclusively fitting intensive A/Ci curves (6-8 more sampling points) for C4 using three versions of photosynthesis models with different assumptions about carbonic anhydrase processes and ATP distribution. We use simulation analysis, out of sample tests, existing in vitro measurements and chlorophyll-fluorescence measurements to validate the new estimation methods. Of the five/six photosynthetic parameters obtained, sensitivity analyses show that maximal-Rubisco-carboxylation-rate, electron-transport-rate, maximal-PEP-carboxylation-rate, and carbonic-anhydrase were robust to variation in the input parameters, while day respiration and mesophyll conductance varied. Our method provides a way to estimate carbonic anhydrase activity, a new parameter, from A/Ci curves, yet also shows that models that do not explicitly consider carbonic anhydrase yield approximate results. The two photosynthesis models, differing in whether ATP could freely transport between RuBP and PEP regeneration processes yielded consistent results under high light, but they may diverge under low light intensities. Modeling results show selection for Rubisco of low specificity and high catalytic rate, low leakage of bundle sheath, and high PEPC affinity, which may further increase C4 efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Zhou
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 433 S University Ave., 314 Leidy Labs, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Erol Akçay
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 433 S University Ave., 314 Leidy Labs, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Brent R Helliker
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 433 S University Ave., 314 Leidy Labs, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
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42
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Stutz SS, Hanson DT. What is the fate of xylem-transported CO 2 in Kranz-type C 4 plants? THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 223:1241-1252. [PMID: 31077397 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
High concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon in stems of herbaceous and woody C3 plants exit leaves in the dark. In the light, C3 species use a small portion of xylem-transported CO2 for leaf photosynthesis. However, it is not known if xylem-transported CO2 will exit leaves in the dark or be used for photosynthesis in the light in Kranz-type C4 plants. Cut leaves of Amaranthus hypochondriacus were placed in one of three solutions of [NaH13 CO3 ] dissolved in KCl water to measure the efflux of xylem-transported CO2 exiting the leaf in the dark or rates of assimilation of xylem-transported CO2 * in the light, in real-time, using a tunable diode laser absorption spectroscope. In the dark, the efflux of xylem-transported CO2 increased with increasing rates of transpiration and [13 CO2 *]; however, rates of 13 Cefflux in A. hypochondriacus were lower compared to C3 species. In the light, A. hypochondriacus fixed nearly 75% of the xylem-transported CO2 supplied to the leaf. Kranz anatomy and biochemistry likely influence the efflux of xylem-transported CO2 out of cut leaves of A. hypochondriacus in the dark, as well as the use of xylem-transported CO2 * for photosynthesis in the light. Thus increasing the carbon use efficiency of Kranz-type C4 species over C3 species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha S Stutz
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
| | - David T Hanson
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
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43
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Henry C, John GP, Pan R, Bartlett MK, Fletcher LR, Scoffoni C, Sack L. A stomatal safety-efficiency trade-off constrains responses to leaf dehydration. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3398. [PMID: 31363097 PMCID: PMC6667445 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11006-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Stomata, the microvalves on leaf surfaces, exert major influences across scales, from plant growth and productivity to global carbon and water cycling. Stomatal opening enables leaf photosynthesis, and plant growth and water use, whereas plant survival of drought depends on stomatal closure. Here we report that stomatal function is constrained by a safety-efficiency trade-off, such that species with greater stomatal conductance under high water availability (gmax) show greater sensitivity to closure during leaf dehydration, i.e., a higher leaf water potential at which stomatal conductance is reduced by 50% (Ψgs50). The gmax - Ψgs50 trade-off and its mechanistic basis is supported by experiments on leaves of California woody species, and in analyses of previous studies of the responses of diverse flowering plant species around the world. Linking the two fundamental key roles of stomata-the enabling of gas exchange, and the first defense against drought-this trade-off constrains the rates of water use and the drought sensitivity of leaves, with potential impacts on ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Henry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Grace P John
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 2415 Speedway, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Ruihua Pan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, 235 University West Road, 010021, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Megan K Bartlett
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Leila R Fletcher
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Christine Scoffoni
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Los Angeles, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA
| | - Lawren Sack
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
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44
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Alvarez CE, Bovdilova A, Höppner A, Wolff CC, Saigo M, Trajtenberg F, Zhang T, Buschiazzo A, Nagel-Steger L, Drincovich MF, Lercher MJ, Maurino VG. Molecular adaptations of NADP-malic enzyme for its function in C 4 photosynthesis in grasses. NATURE PLANTS 2019; 5:755-765. [PMID: 31235877 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-019-0451-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In C4 grasses of agronomical interest, malate shuttled into the bundle sheath cells is decarboxylated mainly by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP)-malic enzyme (C4-NADP-ME). The activity of C4-NADP-ME was optimized by natural selection to efficiently deliver CO2 to Rubisco. During its evolution from a plastidic non-photosynthetic NADP-ME, C4-NADP-ME acquired increased catalytic efficiency, tetrameric structure and pH-dependent inhibition by its substrate malate. Here, we identified specific amino acids important for these C4 adaptions based on strict differential conservation of amino acids, combined with solving the crystal structures of maize and sorghum C4-NADP-ME. Site-directed mutagenesis and structural analyses show that Q503, L544 and E339 are involved in catalytic efficiency; E339 confers pH-dependent regulation by malate, F140 is critical for the stabilization of the oligomeric structure and the N-terminal region is involved in tetramerization. Together, the identified molecular adaptations form the basis for the efficient catalysis and regulation of one of the central biochemical steps in C4 metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarisa E Alvarez
- Centro de Estudios Fotosinteticos y Bioquimicos (CEFOBI-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, University of Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Anastasiia Bovdilova
- Plant Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology Group, Institute of Developmental and Molecular Biology of Plants, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Astrid Höppner
- Center for Structural Studies, Hreinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Christian-Claus Wolff
- Plant Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology Group, Institute of Developmental and Molecular Biology of Plants, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Mariana Saigo
- Centro de Estudios Fotosinteticos y Bioquimicos (CEFOBI-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, University of Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Felipe Trajtenberg
- Laboratory of Molecular and Structural Microbiology, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Tao Zhang
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institut of Complex Systems, Structural Biochemistry (ICS-6), Jülich, Germany
| | - Alejandro Buschiazzo
- Laboratory of Molecular and Structural Microbiology, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Integrative Microbiology of Zoonotic Agents, Department of Microbiology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Luitgard Nagel-Steger
- Institut für Physikalische Biologie, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institut of Complex Systems, Structural Biochemistry (ICS-6), Jülich, Germany
| | - Maria F Drincovich
- Centro de Estudios Fotosinteticos y Bioquimicos (CEFOBI-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, University of Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Martin J Lercher
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute for Computer Science and Department of Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Veronica G Maurino
- Plant Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology Group, Institute of Developmental and Molecular Biology of Plants, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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45
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Górska AM, Gouveia P, Borba AR, Zimmermann A, Serra TS, Lourenço TF, Margarida Oliveira M, Peterhänsel C, Saibo NJM. ZmbHLH80 and ZmbHLH90 transcription factors act antagonistically and contribute to regulate PEPC1 cell-specific gene expression in maize. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 99:270-285. [PMID: 30900785 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Compartmentation of photosynthetic reactions between mesophyll and bundle sheath cells is a key feature of C4 photosynthesis and depends on the cell-specific accumulation of major C4 enzymes, such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase 1. The ZmPEPC1 upstream region, which drives light-inducible and mesophyll-specific gene expression in maize, has been shown to keep the same properties when introduced into rice (C3 plant), indicating that rice has the transcription factors (TFs) needed to confer C4 -like gene expression. Using a yeast one-hybrid approach, we identified OsbHLH112, a rice basic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) TF that interacts with the maize ZmPEPC1 upstream region. Moreover, we found that maize OsbHLH112 homologues, ZmbHLH80, and ZmbHLH90, also interact with the ZmPEPC1 upstream region, suggesting that these C4 regulators were co-opted from C3 plants. A transactivation assay in maize mesophyll protoplasts revealed that ZmbHLH80 represses, whereas ZmbHLH90 activates, ZmPEPC1 expression. In addition, ZmbHLH80 was shown to impair the ZmPEPC1 promoter activation caused by ZmbHLH90. We showed that ZmbHLH80 and ZmbHLH90 bind to the same cis-element within the ZmPEPC1 upstream region either as homodimers or heterodimers. The formation of homo- and heterodimers with higher oligomeric forms promoted by ZmbHLH80 may explain its negative effect on gene transcription. Gene expression analysis revealed that ZmbHLH80 is preferentially expressed in bundle sheath cells, whereas ZmbHLH90 does not show a clear cell-specific expression pattern. Altogether, our results led us to propose a model in which ZmbHLH80 contributes to mesophyll-specific ZmPEPC1 gene expression by impairing ZmbHLH90-mediated ZmPEPC1 activation in the bundle sheath cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicja M Górska
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Paulo Gouveia
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ana R Borba
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Anna Zimmermann
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
- Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Botanik, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, D-30419, Hannover, Germany
| | - Tânia S Serra
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Tiago F Lourenço
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Maria Margarida Oliveira
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Christoph Peterhänsel
- Leibniz Universität Hannover, Institut für Botanik, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, D-30419, Hannover, Germany
| | - Nelson J M Saibo
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
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46
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Liu H, Taylor SH, Xu Q, Lin Y, Hou H, Wu G, Ye Q. Life history is a key factor explaining functional trait diversity among subtropical grasses, and its influence differs between C3 and C4 species. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:1567-1580. [PMID: 30753647 PMCID: PMC6411383 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ery462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Life history and photosynthetic type both affect the economics of leaf physiological function. Annual plants have lower tissue densities and resource-use efficiencies than perennials, while C4 photosynthesis, facilitated in grasses by specific changes in leaf anatomy, improves photosynthetic efficiency and water-use efficiency, especially in hot climates. This study aimed to determine whether C4 photosynthesis affects differences in functional traits between annual and perennial species. We measured 26 traits and characterised niche descriptors for 42 grasses from subtropical China. Differences in the majority of traits were explained by life history. The ranges of annual species (particularly C4 annuals) extended to regions with greater temperature seasonality and lower precipitation, and annuals had less-negative turgor-loss points, higher specific leaf areas, and lower water-use efficiencies, stomatal conductances, and leaf areas per stem area than perennials. Photosynthetic type largely affected leaf physiology as expected, but interacted with life history in determining specific traits. Leaf hydraulic conductance was intermediate in perennials, highest in C4-annuals, and lowest in C3-annuals. Densities of stomata and stem vessels were similar across C3-perennials and C4 species, but stomatal densities were lower and stem vessel densities higher in C3-annuals. Phylogenetic principal component analysis confirmed that in this subtropical environment life history is the predominant axis separating species, and annuals and perennials were more different within C3 than C4 grasses. The interplay between life history and photosynthetic type may be an overlooked factor in shaping the physiological ecology of grasses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Samuel H Taylor
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Qiuyuan Xu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yixue Lin
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hao Hou
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guilin Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qing Ye
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
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47
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Niklaus M, Kelly S. The molecular evolution of C4 photosynthesis: opportunities for understanding and improving the world's most productive plants. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:795-804. [PMID: 30462241 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ery416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a convergent evolutionary trait that enhances photosynthetic efficiency in a variety of environmental conditions. It has evolved repeatedly following a fall in atmospheric CO2 concentration such that there is up to a 30 million year difference in the amount of time that natural selection has had to improve C4 function between the oldest and youngest C4 lineages. This large difference in time, coupled with the phylogenetic distance between lineages, has resulted in a large disparity in anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry between extant C4 species. This review summarizes the myriad of molecular sequence changes that have been linked to the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. These range from single nucleotide changes to duplication of entire genes, and provide a roadmap for how natural selection has adapted enzymes and pathways for enhanced C4 function. Finally, this review discusses how this molecular diversity can provide opportunities for understanding and improving photosynthesis for multiple important C4 food, feed, and bioenergy crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Niklaus
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Steven Kelly
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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48
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Quirk J, Bellasio C, Johnson DA, Osborne CP, Beerling DJ. C
4
savanna grasses fail to maintain assimilation in drying soil under low CO
2
compared with C
3
trees despite lower leaf water demand. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joe Quirk
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Chandra Bellasio
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
- Research School of Biology Australian National University Acton Australian Capital Territory Australia
- University of the Balearic Islands Palma, Illes Balears Spain
- Trees and Timber Institute National Research Council of Italy Sesto Fiorentino, Florence Italy
| | - David A. Johnson
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Colin P. Osborne
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - David J. Beerling
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
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49
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Medeiros CD, Scoffoni C, John GP, Bartlett MK, Inman‐Narahari F, Ostertag R, Cordell S, Giardina C, Sack L. An extensive suite of functional traits distinguishes Hawaiian wet and dry forests and enables prediction of species vital rates. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Camila D. Medeiros
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles California
| | - Christine Scoffoni
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles California
- Department of Biological Sciences California State University Los Angeles California
| | - Grace P. John
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles California
| | - Megan K. Bartlett
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles California
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton New Jersey
| | - Faith Inman‐Narahari
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management University of Hawai'i at Manoa Honolulu Hawai'i
| | - Rebecca Ostertag
- Department of Biology University of Hawai'i at Hilo Hilo Hawai'i
| | - Susan Cordell
- Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry Pacific Southwest Research Station USDA Forest Service Hilo Hawai'i
| | - Christian Giardina
- Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry Pacific Southwest Research Station USDA Forest Service Hilo Hawai'i
| | - Lawren Sack
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles California
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50
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Zhou H, Helliker BR, Huber M, Dicks A, Akçay E. C 4 photosynthesis and climate through the lens of optimality. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:12057-12062. [PMID: 30401739 PMCID: PMC6255158 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1718988115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
CO2, temperature, water availability, and light intensity were all potential selective pressures that determined the competitive advantage and expansion of the C4 photosynthetic carbon-concentrating mechanism over the last ∼30 My. To tease apart how selective pressures varied along the ecological trajectory of C4 expansion and dominance, we coupled hydraulics to photosynthesis models while optimizing photosynthesis over stomatal resistance and leaf/fine-root allocation. We further examined the importance of nitrogen reallocation from the dark to the light reactions. We show here that the primary selective pressures favoring C4 dominance changed through the course of C4 evolution. The higher stomatal resistance and leaf-to-root ratios enabled by C4 led to an advantage without any initial difference in hydraulic properties. We further predict a reorganization of the hydraulic system leading to higher turgor-loss points and possibly lower hydraulic conductance. Selection on nitrogen reallocation varied with CO2 concentration. Through paleoclimate model simulations, we find that water limitation was the primary driver for a C4 advantage, with atmospheric CO2 as high as 600 ppm, thus confirming molecular-based estimates for C4 evolution in the Oligocene. Under these high-CO2 conditions, nitrogen reallocation was necessary. Low CO2 and high light, but not nitrogen reallocation, were the primary drivers for the mid- to late-Miocene global expansion of C4 We also predicted the timing and spatial distribution for origins of C4 ecological dominance. The predicted origins are broadly consistent with prior estimates, but expand upon them to include a center of origin in northwest Africa and a Miocene-long origin in Australia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Zhou
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104;
| | - Brent R Helliker
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Matthew Huber
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - Ashley Dicks
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - Erol Akçay
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
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