scholarly journals Evolutionary context for understanding and manipulating plant responses to past, present and future atmospheric [CO 2 ]

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1588) ◽  
pp. 613-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D. B. Leakey ◽  
Jennifer A. Lau
Keyword(s):  
Environmental History ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Yield Enhancement ◽  
Physiological Integration ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Evolutionary Context ◽  
Functional Components

Variation in atmospheric [CO 2 ] is a prominent feature of the environmental history over which vascular plants have evolved. Periods of falling and low [CO 2 ] in the palaeo-record appear to have created selective pressure for important adaptations in modern plants. Today, rising [CO 2 ] is a key component of anthropogenic global environmental change that will impact plants and the ecosystem goods and services they deliver. Currently, there is limited evidence that natural plant populations have evolved in response to contemporary increases in [CO 2 ] in ways that increase plant productivity or fitness, and no evidence for incidental breeding of crop varieties to achieve greater yield enhancement from rising [CO 2 ]. Evolutionary responses to elevated [CO 2 ] have been studied by applying selection in controlled environments, quantitative genetics and trait-based approaches. Findings to date suggest that adaptive changes in plant traits in response to future [CO 2 ] will not be consistently observed across species or environments and will not be large in magnitude compared with physiological and ecological responses to future [CO 2 ]. This lack of evidence for strong evolutionary effects of elevated [CO 2 ] is surprising, given the large effects of elevated [CO 2 ] on plant phenotypes. New studies under more stressful, complex environmental conditions associated with climate change may revise this view. Efforts are underway to engineer plants to: (i) overcome the limitations to photosynthesis from today's [CO 2 ] and (ii) benefit maximally from future, greater [CO 2 ]. Targets range in scale from manipulating the function of a single enzyme (e.g. Rubisco) to adding metabolic pathways from bacteria as well as engineering the structural and functional components necessary for C 4 photosynthesis into C 3 leaves. Successfully improving plant performance will depend on combining the knowledge of the evolutionary context, cellular basis and physiological integration of plant responses to varying [CO 2 ].

scholarly journals Reaching Natural Growth: Light Quality Effects on Plant Performance in Indoor Growth Facilities

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1273
Author(s):  
Camilo Chiang ◽  
Daniel Bånkestad ◽  
Günter Hoch
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Field Trial ◽  
Light Quality ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Biomass Productivity ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Species Specific

To transfer experimental findings in plant research to natural ecosystems it is imperative to reach near to natural-like plant performance. Previous studies propose differences in temperature and light quantity as main sources of deviations between indoor and outdoor plant growth. With increasing implementation of light emitting diodes (LED) in plant growth facilities, light quality is yet another factor that can be optimised to prevent unnatural plant performance. We investigated the effects of different wavelength combinations in phytotrons (i.e., indoor growth chambers) on plant growth and physiology in seven different plant species from different plant functional types (herbs, grasses and trees). The results from these experiments were compared against a previous field trial with the same set of species. While different proportions of blue (B) and red (R) light were applied in the phytotrons, the mean environmental conditions (photoperiod, total radiation, red to far red ratio and day/night temperature and air humidity) from the field trial were used in the phytotrons in order to assess which wavelength combinations result in the most natural-like plant performance. Different plant traits and physiological parameters, including biomass productivity, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf pigmentation, photosynthesis under a standardised light, and the respective growing light and chlorophyll fluorescence, were measured at the end of each treatment. The exposure to different B percentages induced species-specific dose response reactions for most of the analysed parameters. Compared with intermediate B light treatments (25 and/or 35% B light), extreme R or B light enriched treatments (6% and 62% of B respectively) significantly affected the height, biomass, biomass allocation, chlorophyll content, and photosynthesis parameters, differently among species. Principal component analyses (PCA) confirmed that 6% and 62% B light quality combinations induce more extreme plant performance in most cases, indicating that light quality needs to be adjusted to mitigate unnatural plant responses under indoor conditions.

scholarly journals Interactions Between Root and Shoot Competition and Plant Traits

HortScience ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 1110-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
James F. Cahill ◽  
Eric G. Lamb
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Shoot Competition ◽  
Plant Phenotype ◽  
The Impact

A plant's performance depends on its ability to deal with numerous, simultaneous ecological challenges. In both natural and production systems, dominant challenges include competition for soil resources and light, herbivory, and general abiotic stress. A central goal of research is to understand how these processes interact with each other and with plant phenotype (above- and belowground) to influence overall plant performance. Complicating these efforts is the reality that plants are phenotypically plastic with the phenotypic response to one challenge potentially altering the impact of a different challenge. Furthermore, factors external to the plant (e.g., the genotypic and phenotypic composition of the surrounding plants) can also influence the consequence of various ecological pressures. We have been using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism to help disentangle this complicated web of ecological interactions. Competitive ability can be influenced by small genotypic changes. A plant's ability to suppress competitors is driven mainly by size-related traits and soil fertility and a plant's ability to withstand harm coming from numerous sources. The relative importance of competition is contingent not only on the match between genotype and environment, but also on the diversity of genotypes within a given population. There is a need to consider alternative effects of plant traits along with the cascading consequences of plant responses to biotic and abiotic challenges.

scholarly journals High-Throughput Phenotyping Methods for Breeding Drought-Tolerant Crops

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 8266
Author(s):  
Minsu Kim ◽  
Chaewon Lee ◽  
Subin Hong ◽  
Song Lim Kim ◽  
Jeong-Ho Baek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Phenotypic Data ◽  
Agricultural Technologies ◽  
High Throughput Phenotyping

Drought is a main factor limiting crop yields. Modern agricultural technologies such as irrigation systems, ground mulching, and rainwater storage can prevent drought, but these are only temporary solutions. Understanding the physiological, biochemical, and molecular reactions of plants to drought stress is therefore urgent. The recent rapid development of genomics tools has led to an increasing interest in phenomics, i.e., the study of phenotypic plant traits. Among phenomic strategies, high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) is attracting increasing attention as a way to address the bottlenecks of genomic and phenomic studies. HTP provides researchers a non-destructive and non-invasive method yet accurate in analyzing large-scale phenotypic data. This review describes plant responses to drought stress and introduces HTP methods that can detect changes in plant phenotypes in response to drought.

scholarly journals Plant traits are poor predictors of long-term ecosystem functioning

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fons van der Plas ◽  
Thomas Schröder-Georgi ◽  
Alexandra Weigelt ◽  
Kathryn Barry ◽  
Sebastian Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Average Percentage ◽  
Functional Consequences ◽  
Small Set

ABSTRACTEarth is home to over 350,000 vascular plant species1 that differ in their traits in innumerable ways. Yet, a handful of functional traits can help explaining major differences among species in photosynthetic rate, growth rate, reproductive output and other aspects of plant performance2–6. A key challenge, coined “the Holy Grail” in ecology, is to upscale this understanding in order to predict how natural or anthropogenically driven changes in the identity and diversity of co-occurring plant species drive the functioning of ecosystems7, 8. Here, we analyze the extent to which 42 different ecosystem functions can be predicted by 41 plant traits in 78 experimentally manipulated grassland plots over 10 years. Despite the unprecedented number of traits analyzed, the average percentage of variation in ecosystem functioning that they jointly explained was only moderate (32.6%) within individual years, and even much lower (12.7%) across years. Most other studies linking ecosystem functioning to plant traits analyzed no more than six traits, and when including either only six random or the six most frequently studied traits in our analysis, the average percentage of explained variation in across-year ecosystem functioning dropped to 4.8%. Furthermore, different ecosystem functions were driven by different traits, with on average only 12.2% overlap in significant predictors. Thus, we did not find evidence for the existence of a small set of key traits able to explain variation in multiple ecosystem functions across years. Our results therefore suggest that there are strong limits in the extent to which we can predict the long-term functional consequences of the ongoing, rapid changes in the composition and diversity of plant communities that humanity is currently facing.

scholarly journals Differences in growth-economics of fast vs. slow growing grass species in response to temperature and nitrogen limitation individually, and in combination

BMC Ecology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Colesie ◽  
Zsofia Reka Stangl ◽  
Vaughan Hurry
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Availability ◽  
Nitrogen Availability ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Fast Growing ◽  
Environment Temperature ◽  
Slow Growing

Abstract Background Fast growing invasive alien species are highly efficient with little investment in their tissues. They often outcompete slower growing species with severe consequences for diversity and community composition. The plant economics trait-based approach provides a theoretical framework, allowing the classification of plants with different performance characteristics. However, in multifaceted background, this approach needs testing. The evaluation and prediction of plant performance outcomes in ecologically relevant settings is among the most pressing topics to understand and predict ecosystem functioning, especially in a quickly changing environment. Temperature and nutrient availability are major components of the global environmental change and this study examines the response of growth economic traits, photosynthesis and respiration to such changes for an invasive fast-growing (Bromus hordaceus) and a slow-growing perennial (Bromus erectus) grass species. Results The fully controlled growth chamber experiment simulated temperature—and changes in nitrogen availability individually and in combination. We therefore provide maximum control and monitoring of growth responses allowing general growth trait response patterns to be tested. Under optimal nitrogen availability the slow growing B. erectus was better able to handle the lower temperatures (7 °C) whilst both species had problems at higher temperatures (30 °C). Stresses produced by a combination of heat and nutrient availability were identified to be less limiting for the slow growing species but the combination of chilling with low nutrient availability was most detrimental to both species. Conclusions For the fast-growing invader B. hordeaceus a reduction of nitrogen availability in combination with a temperature increase, leads to limited growth performance in comparison to the slow-growing perennial species B.erectus and this may explain why nutrient-rich habitats often experience more invasion than resource-poor habitats.

scholarly journals A meta‐analysis of plant responses to light intensity for 70 traits ranging from molecules to whole plant performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 223 (3) ◽  
pp. 1073-1105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendrik Poorter ◽  
Ülo Niinemets ◽  
Nikolaos Ntagkas ◽  
Alrun Siebenkäs ◽  
Maarit Mäenpää ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Light Intensity ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Whole Plant

Perennial ryegrass breeding in New Zealand: A dairy industry perspective

2012 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia M. Lee ◽  
Cory Matthew ◽  
Errol R. Thom ◽  
David F. Chapman
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Genetic Improvement ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Dairy Industry ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
Pasture Plants

Genetic improvement programs for livestock and pasture plants have been central to the development of the New Zealand (NZ) pastoral industry. Although genetic improvement of livestock is easily shown to improve animal production on-farm, the link between genetic improvement of pasture plants and animal production is less direct. For several reasons, gains in farm output arising from improved plant performance are more difficult to confirm than those arising from livestock improvement, which has led to some debate in the livestock industries about which plant traits to prioritise in future breeding programs to deliver the greatest benefit. This review investigates this situation, with the aim of understanding how genetic improvement of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), the predominant pasture grass, may more directly contribute towards increased productivity in the NZ dairy industry. The review focuses on the dairy industry, since it is the largest contributor to the total value of NZ agricultural exports. Also, because rates of pasture renewal are greater in the dairy industry compared with the sheep and beef industries, genetic gain in pasture plants is likely to have the greatest impact if the correct plant traits are targeted. The review highlights that many aspects of ryegrass growth and ecology have been manipulated through breeding, with evidence to show that plant performance has been altered as a result. However, it is not clear to what extent these gains have contributed to the economic development of the NZ dairy industry. There are opportunities for breeders and scientists to work together more closely in defining economic traits that positively influence pasture performance and to translate this information to objectives for breeding programs, systematically linking information on the measured traits of ryegrass cultivars to economic values for those traits to assist farmer decision-making regarding the most appropriate cultivars to use in their farm system, and better defining genotype × environment interactions in key productivity traits of modern ryegrass cultivars. Changes in priorities for investment of public- and industry-good funds in forage improvement research and development will be needed if these opportunities are to be captured.

scholarly journals Pseudomonas fluorescens Induces Strain-Dependent and Strain-Independent Host Plant Responses in Defense Networks, Primary Metabolism, Photosynthesis, and Fitness

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 765-778 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Weston ◽  
Dale A. Pelletier ◽  
Jennifer L. Morrell-Falvey ◽  
Timothy J. Tschaplinski ◽  
Sara S. Jawdy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Fluorescens ◽  
Host Plant ◽  
Network Architecture ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Molecular Networks ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Carbon Gain ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Primary Metabolism ◽  
Pathway Regulation

Colonization of plants by nonpathogenic Pseudomonas fluorescens strains can confer enhanced defense capacity against a broad spectrum of pathogens. Few studies, however, have linked defense pathway regulation to primary metabolism and physiology. In this study, physiological data, metabolites, and transcript profiles are integrated to elucidate how molecular networks initiated at the root–microbe interface influence shoot metabolism and whole-plant performance. Experiments with Arabidopsis thaliana were performed using the newly identified P. fluorescens GM30 or P. fluorescens Pf-5 strains. Co-expression networks indicated that Pf-5 and GM30 induced a subnetwork specific to roots enriched for genes participating in RNA regulation, protein degradation, and hormonal metabolism. In contrast, only GM30 induced a subnetwork enriched for calcium signaling, sugar and nutrient signaling, and auxin metabolism, suggesting strain dependence in network architecture. In addition, one subnetwork present in shoots was enriched for genes in secondary metabolism, photosynthetic light reactions, and hormone metabolism. Metabolite analysis indicated that this network initiated changes in carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. Consistent with this, we observed strain-specific responses in tryptophan and phenylalanine abundance. Both strains reduced host plant carbon gain and fitness, yet provided a clear fitness benefit when plants were challenged with the pathogen P. syringae DC3000.

The importance of environmental factors in soil fertility assessments. II.* Nutrient concentration and uptake

1974 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 309 ◽  
Author(s):  
RC Stefanson ◽  
N Collis-George
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Nutrient Uptake ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Nutrient Concentration ◽  
Incident Light ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Wide Range

Lettuce plants were grown in two soils under a wide range of controlled conditions in the glasshouse. Assessments were made of the effect of soil temperature, incident light and season, in terms of the nutrient concentration and nutrient uptake in the plant tissue, which was analysed for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium. Both the concentration and the uptake of each nutrient were affected significantly by soil temperature and incident light, both between and within seasons. The type of soil had an effect on these estimations, but its significance could not be tested statistically. A considerable number of first and second order interactions between components of the physical environment affected the quantities being examined. These interactions were statistically significant. The value of each nutrient analysed, which is an aspect of plant performance, reflected changes in the physical environment independently of the other nutrients. Often a particular nutrient showed no coincident pattern of responses to the environment when these were measured in terms of dry weight, nutrient concentration in the tissue, or total nutrient uptake. Each nutrient concentration and each nutrient uptake varied as micrometeorological factors in the glasshouse changed. Hence, ambiguous assessments of soil fertility were obtained with all measured plant responses. ____________________ *Part I, Aust. J. Agric. Res., 25: 299 (1974).

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