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Lehmann MM, Diao H, Ouyang S, Gessler A. Different responses of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in leaf and tree-ring organic matter to lethal soil drought. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 44:tpae043. [PMID: 38618738 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpae043] [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: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition (δ18O, δ2H) of plant tissues are key tools for the reconstruction of hydrological and plant physiological processes and may therefore be used to disentangle the reasons for tree mortality. However, how both elements respond to soil drought conditions before death has rarely been investigated. To test this, we performed a greenhouse study and determined predisposing fertilization and lethal soil drought effects on δ18O and δ2H values of organic matter in leaves and tree rings of living and dead saplings of five European tree species. For mechanistic insights, we additionally measured isotopic (i.e. δ18O and δ2H values of leaf and twig water), physiological (i.e. leaf water potential and gas-exchange) and metabolic traits (i.e. leaf and stem non-structural carbohydrate concentration, carbon-to-nitrogen ratios). Across all species, lethal soil drought generally caused a homogenous 2H-enrichment in leaf and tree-ring organic matter, but a low and heterogenous δ18O response in the same tissues. Unlike δ18O values, δ2H values of tree-ring organic matter were correlated with those of leaf and twig water and with plant physiological traits across treatments and species. The 2H-enrichment in plant organic matter also went along with a decrease in stem starch concentrations under soil drought compared with well-watered conditions. In contrast, the predisposing fertilization had generally no significant effect on any tested isotopic, physiological and metabolic traits. We propose that the 2H-enrichment in the dead trees is related to (i) the plant water isotopic composition, (ii) metabolic processes shaping leaf non-structural carbohydrates, (iii) the use of carbon reserves for growth and (iv) species-specific physiological adjustments. The homogenous stress imprint on δ2H but not on δ18O suggests that the former could be used as a proxy to reconstruct soil droughts and underlying processes of tree mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco M Lehmann
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Forest Soils and Biogeochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Haoyu Diao
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Shengnan Ouyang
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Institute for Forest Resources and Environment of Guizhou, Guizhou University, Jiaxiu South Road, Huaxi District, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Arthur Gessler
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
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Vitali V, Schuler P, Holloway-Phillips M, D'Odorico P, Guidi C, Klesse S, Lehmann MM, Meusburger K, Schaub M, Zweifel R, Gessler A, Saurer M. Finding balance: Tree-ring isotopes differentiate between acclimation and stress-induced imbalance in a long-term irrigation experiment. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17237. [PMID: 38488024 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17237] [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: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is a common European tree species, and understanding its acclimation to the rapidly changing climate through physiological, biochemical or structural adjustments is vital for predicting future growth. We investigated a long-term irrigation experiment at a naturally dry forest in Switzerland, comparing Scots pine trees that have been continuously irrigated for 17 years (irrigated) with those for which irrigation was interrupted after 10 years (stop) and non-irrigated trees (control), using tree growth, xylogenesis, wood anatomy, and carbon, oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope measurements in the water, sugars and cellulose of plant tissues. The dendrochronological analyses highlighted three distinct acclimation phases to the treatments: irrigated trees experienced (i) a significant growth increase in the first 4 years of treatment, (ii) high growth rates but with a declining trend in the following 8 years and finally (iii) a regression to pre-irrigation growth rates, suggesting the development of a new growth limitation (i.e. acclimation). The introduction of the stop treatment resulted in further growth reductions to below-control levels during the third phase. Irrigated trees showed longer growth periods and lower tree-ring δ13 C values, reflecting lower stomatal restrictions than control trees. Their strong tree-ring δ18 O and δ2 H (O-H) relationship reflected the hydrological signature similarly to the control. On the contrary, the stop trees had lower growth rates, conservative wood anatomical traits, and a weak O-H relationship, indicating a physiological imbalance. Tree vitality (identified by crown transparency) significantly modulated growth, wood anatomical traits and tree-ring δ13 C, with low-vitality trees of all treatments performing similarly regardless of water availability. We thus provide quantitative indicators for assessing physiological imbalance and tree acclimation after environmental stresses. We also show that tree vitality is crucial in shaping such responses. These findings are fundamental for the early assessment of ecosystem imbalances and decline under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Vitali
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Schuler
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | | | - Petra D'Odorico
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Guidi
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Klesse
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Marco M Lehmann
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Katrin Meusburger
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Marcus Schaub
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Roman Zweifel
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Arthur Gessler
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Saurer
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
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3
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Glidden A, Seager S, Petkowski JJ, Ono S. Can Isotopologues Be Used as Biosignature Gases in Exoplanet Atmospheres? Life (Basel) 2023; 13:2325. [PMID: 38137926 PMCID: PMC10744769 DOI: 10.3390/life13122325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Isotopologue ratios are anticipated to be one of the most promising signs of life that can be observed remotely. On Earth, carbon isotopes have been used for decades as evidence of modern and early metabolic processes. In fact, carbon isotopes may be the oldest evidence for life on Earth, though there are alternative geological processes that can lead to the same magnitude of fractionation. However, using isotopologues as biosignature gases in exoplanet atmospheres presents several challenges. Most significantly, we will only have limited knowledge of the underlying abiotic carbon reservoir of an exoplanet. Atmospheric carbon isotope ratios will thus have to be compared against the local interstellar medium or, better yet, their host star. A further substantial complication is the limited precision of remote atmospheric measurements using spectroscopy. The various metabolic processes that cause isotope fractionation cause less fractionation than anticipated measurement precision (biological fractionation is typically 2 to 7%). While this level of precision is easily reachable in the laboratory or with special in situ instruments, it is out of reach of current telescope technology to measure isotope ratios for terrestrial exoplanet atmospheres. Thus, gas isotopologues are poor biosignatures for exoplanets given our current and foreseeable technological limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Glidden
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Sara Seager
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Janusz J. Petkowski
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- JJ Scientific, Mazowieckie, 02-792 Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Shuhei Ono
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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4
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Holloway-Phillips M, Cernusak LA, Nelson DB, Lehmann MM, Tcherkez G, Kahmen A. Covariation between oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes declines along the path from xylem water to wood cellulose across an aridity gradient. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:1758-1773. [PMID: 37680025 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19248] [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: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes of cellulose in plant biology are commonly used to infer environmental conditions, often from time series measurements of tree rings. However, the covariation (or the lack thereof) between δ18 O and δ2 H in plant cellulose is still poorly understood. We compared plant water, and leaf and branch cellulose from dominant tree species across an aridity gradient in Northern Australia, to examine how δ18 O and δ2 H relate to each other and to mean annual precipitation (MAP). We identified a decline in covariation from xylem to leaf water, and onwards from leaf to branch wood cellulose. Covariation in leaf water isotopic enrichment (Δ) was partially preserved in leaf cellulose but not branch wood cellulose. Furthermore, whilst δ2 H was well-correlated between leaf and branch, there was an offset in δ18 O between organs that increased with decreasing MAP. Our findings strongly suggest that postphotosynthetic isotope exchange with water is more apparent for oxygen isotopes, whereas variable kinetic and nonequilibrium isotope effects add complexity to interpreting metabolic-induced δ2 H patterns. Varying oxygen isotope exchange in wood and leaf cellulose must be accounted for when δ18 O is used to reconstruct climatic scenarios. Conversely, comparing δ2 H and δ18 O patterns may reveal environmentally induced shifts in metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meisha Holloway-Phillips
- Department of Environmental Sciences-Botany, University of Basel, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
- Research Unit of Forest Dynamics, Research Group of Ecosystem Ecology, Stable Isotope Research Centre, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903, Birmendsorf, Switzerland
| | - Lucas A Cernusak
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Qld, 4878, Australia
| | - Daniel B Nelson
- Department of Environmental Sciences-Botany, University of Basel, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marco M Lehmann
- Research Unit of Forest Dynamics, Research Group of Ecosystem Ecology, Stable Isotope Research Centre, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903, Birmendsorf, Switzerland
| | - Guillaume Tcherkez
- Research School of Biology, College of Science, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
- Institut de Recherche en Horticulture et Semences, Université d'Angers, INRAe, 42 rue Georges Morel, 49070, Beaucouzé, France
| | - Ansgar Kahmen
- Department of Environmental Sciences-Botany, University of Basel, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
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5
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Lloyd MK, Stein RA, Ibarra DE, Barclay RS, Wing SL, Stahle DW, Dawson TE, Stolper DA. Isotopic clumping in wood as a proxy for photorespiration in trees. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2306736120. [PMID: 37931112 PMCID: PMC10655223 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306736120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Photorespiration can limit gross primary productivity in terrestrial plants. The rate of photorespiration relative to carbon fixation increases with temperature and decreases with atmospheric [CO2]. However, the extent to which this rate varies in the environment is unclear. Here, we introduce a proxy for relative photorespiration rate based on the clumped isotopic composition of methoxyl groups (R-O-CH3) in wood. Most methoxyl C-H bonds are formed either during photorespiration or the Calvin cycle and thus their isotopic composition may be sensitive to the mixing ratio of these pathways. In water-replete growing conditions, we find that the abundance of the clumped isotopologue 13CH2D correlates with temperature (18-28 °C) and atmospheric [CO2] (280-1000 ppm), consistent with a common dependence on relative photorespiration rate. When applied to a global dataset of wood, we observe global trends of isotopic clumping with climate and water availability. Clumped isotopic compositions are similar across environments with temperatures below ~18 °C. Above ~18 °C, clumped isotopic compositions in water-limited and water-replete trees increasingly diverge. We propose that trees from hotter climates photorespire substantially more than trees from cooler climates. How increased photorespiration is managed depends on water availability: water-replete trees export more photorespiratory metabolites to lignin whereas water-limited trees either export fewer overall or direct more to other sinks that mitigate water stress. These disparate trends indicate contrasting responses of photorespiration rate (and thus gross primary productivity) to a future high-[CO2] world. This work enables reconstructing photorespiration rates in the geologic past using fossil wood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max K. Lloyd
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA94720
- Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | - Rebekah A. Stein
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA94720
- Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT06518
| | - Daniel E. Ibarra
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA94720
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI02912
| | - Richard S. Barclay
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC20560
| | - Scott L. Wing
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC20560
| | - David W. Stahle
- Department of Geosciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR72701
| | - Todd E. Dawson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA94720
| | - Daniel A. Stolper
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA94720
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6
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Baan J, Holloway-Phillips M, Nelson DB, Kahmen A. The metabolic sensitivity of hydrogen isotope fractionation differs between plant compounds. PHYTOCHEMISTRY 2023; 207:113563. [PMID: 36528118 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2022.113563] [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: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogen stable isotope analyses (δ2H) of plant derived organic compounds are a useful tool for ecological, environmental, and palaeoclimatological research. However, during organic compound synthesis, variable biosynthetic 2H-fractionation has been suggested to occur as a result of changes in plant carbon fluxes. So far, inference has been based on examining the δ2H patterns of plant compounds along environmental gradients, among plant species, and between plant organs. In an alternative approach, we used four plant species with four different types of mutations that cause impaired starch synthesis to assess whether variability in carbon metabolism affects the biosynthetic 2H-fractionation during cellulose, phytol, and acetogenic lipid synthesis. We found that mutants with impaired starch synthesis always had higher cellulose and phytol δ2H values compared to the wild type. By contrast, 2H-fractionation during acetogenic lipid biosynthesis generally did not show strong metabolic sensitivity. We rationalise these differences by considering the biosynthetic pathway of each compound and the likely source of the variable isotope fractionation. In different organic compounds, the sensitivity of variable biosynthetic 2H-fractionation to changes in C-metabolism depends on incorporation of specific H atoms from precursor molecules. As such, we determined that the similar increase in cellulose and phytol δ2H values as an effect of impaired starch synthesis most likely originates in triose-phosphates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochem Baan
- University of Basel, Department of Environmental Sciences - Botany, Schönbeinstrasse 6, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Meisha Holloway-Phillips
- University of Basel, Department of Environmental Sciences - Botany, Schönbeinstrasse 6, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Daniel B Nelson
- University of Basel, Department of Environmental Sciences - Botany, Schönbeinstrasse 6, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ansgar Kahmen
- University of Basel, Department of Environmental Sciences - Botany, Schönbeinstrasse 6, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
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7
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Doug K. Allen. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 237:710-713. [PMID: 36601907 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
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8
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Holloway-Phillips M, Baan J, Nelson DB, Lehmann MM, Tcherkez G, Kahmen A. Species variation in the hydrogen isotope composition of leaf cellulose is mostly driven by isotopic variation in leaf sucrose. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:2636-2651. [PMID: 35609972 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Experimental approaches to isolate drivers of variation in the carbon-bound hydrogen isotope composition (δ2 H) of plant cellulose are rare and current models are limited in their application. This is in part due to a lack in understanding of how 2 H-fractionations in carbohydrates differ between species. We analysed, for the first time, the δ2 H of leaf sucrose along with the δ2 H and δ18 O of leaf cellulose and leaf and xylem water across seven herbaceous species and a starchless mutant of tobacco. The δ2 H of sucrose explained 66% of the δ2 H variation in cellulose (R2 = 0.66), which was associated with species differences in the 2 H enrichment of sucrose above leaf water ( ε sucrose <math altimg="urn:x-wiley:01407791:media:pce14362:pce14362-math-0001" wiley:location="equation/pce14362-math-0001.png" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mrow><msub><mtext>\unicode{x003B5}</mtext><mtext>sucrose</mtext></msub></mrow></math> : -126% to -192‰) rather than by variation in leaf water δ2 H itself. ε sucrose <math altimg="urn:x-wiley:01407791:media:pce14362:pce14362-math-0002" wiley:location="equation/pce14362-math-0002.png" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mrow><msub><mtext>\unicode{x003B5}</mtext><mtext>sucrose</mtext></msub></mrow></math> was positively related to dark respiration (R2 = 0.27), and isotopic exchange of hydrogen in sugars was positively related to the turnover time of carbohydrates (R2 = 0.38), but only when ε sucrose <math altimg="urn:x-wiley:01407791:media:pce14362:pce14362-math-0003" wiley:location="equation/pce14362-math-0003.png" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mrow><mrow><msub><mi mathvariant="normal">\unicode{x003B5}</mi><mtext>sucrose</mtext></msub></mrow></mrow></math> was fixed to the literature accepted value of - 171 <math altimg="urn:x-wiley:01407791:media:pce14362:pce14362-math-0004" wiley:location="equation/pce14362-math-0004.png" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mrow><mrow><mo>\unicode{x02212}</mo><mn>171</mn></mrow></mrow></math> ‰. No relation was found between isotopic exchange of hydrogen and oxygen, suggesting large differences in the processes shaping post-photosynthetic fractionation between elements. Our results strongly advocate that for robust applications of the leaf cellulose hydrogen isotope model, parameterization utilizing δ2 H of sugars is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jochem Baan
- Department of Environmental Science-Botany, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Daniel B Nelson
- Department of Environmental Science-Botany, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marco M Lehmann
- Research Unit of Forest Dynamics, Research Group of Ecosystem Ecology, Stable Isotope Research Centre, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmendsorf, Switzerland
| | - Guillaume Tcherkez
- Research School of Biology, College of Science, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Institut de Recherche en Horticulture et Semences, Université d'Angers, INRAe, Beaucouzé, France
| | - Ansgar Kahmen
- Department of Environmental Science-Botany, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Wieloch T. High atmospheric CO 2 concentration causes increased respiration by the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway in chloroplasts. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 235:1310-1314. [PMID: 35575022 PMCID: PMC9546095 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Wieloch
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsUmeå UniversityUmeå90187Sweden
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10
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Wieloch T, Augusti A, Schleucher J. Anaplerotic flux into the Calvin-Benson cycle: hydrogen isotope evidence for in vivo occurrence in C 3 metabolism. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 234:405-411. [PMID: 35020197 PMCID: PMC9305100 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
As the central carbon uptake pathway in photosynthetic cells, the Calvin-Benson cycle is among the most important biochemical cycles for life on Earth. A carbon flux of anaplerotic origin (i.e. through the chloroplast-localized oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway) into the Calvin-Benson cycle was proposed recently. Here, we measured intramolecular deuterium abundances in leaf starch of Helianthus annuus grown at varying ambient CO2 concentrations, Ca . Additionally, we modelled deuterium fractionations expected for the anaplerotic pathway and compared modelled with measured fractionations. We report deuterium fractionation signals at H1 and H2 of starch glucose. Below a Ca change point, these signals increase with decreasing Ca consistent with modelled fractionations by anaplerotic flux. Under standard conditions (Ca = 450 ppm corresponding to intercellular CO2 concentrations, Ci , of 328 ppm), we estimate negligible anaplerotic flux. At Ca = 180 ppm (Ci = 140 ppm), more than 10% of the glucose-6-phosphate entering the starch biosynthesis pathway is diverted into the anaplerotic pathway. In conclusion, we report evidence consistent with anaplerotic carbon flux into the Calvin-Benson cycle in vivo. We propose the flux may help to: maintain high levels of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate under source-limited growth conditions to facilitate photorespiratory nitrogen assimilation required to build-up source strength; and counteract oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Wieloch
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsUmeå UniversityUmeå90187Sweden
| | - Angela Augusti
- Research Institute on Terrestrial EcosystemsNational Research CouncilPorano (TR)05010Italy
| | - Jürgen Schleucher
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsUmeå UniversityUmeå90187Sweden
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