Article
Plant Sciences
Dongliang Xiong, Jaume Flexas
Summary: This study assessed the impact of N supply on leaf anatomical, biochemical, and photosynthetic features in tobacco, revealing that high N treatment led to enhanced photosynthesis due to increased CO2 diffusion conductance and photosynthetic biochemical capacity. The increase in gm in leaves treated with high N was related to changes in leaf anatomy, but the rapid response to N top-dressing could not be fully explained by leaf anatomical modifications.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jie Zou, Wei Hu, Yuxia Li, Honghai Zhu, Jiaqi He, Youhua Wang, Yali Meng, Binglin Chen, Wenqing Zhao, Shanshan Wang, Zhiguo Zhou
Summary: Drought stress negatively affects cotton's photosynthesis by reducing stomatal and mesophyll conductance and perturbing biochemical processes. Increasing mesophyll conductance under dynamic drought conditions can enhance photosynthesis.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yansen Xu, Zhaozhong Feng, Jinlong Peng, Johan Uddling
Summary: The decline in mesophyll conductance (g(m)) is crucial in limiting photosynthesis in plants exposed to elevated ozone (O-3) levels. Leaf anatomical traits have been known to impact g(m), but the potential effects of O-3-induced changes in leaf anatomy on g(m) are still unclear. In this study, two poplar clones were exposed to elevated O-3 levels. The impacts of O-3 on photosynthetic capacity and anatomical characteristics were assessed to investigate the leaf anatomical properties that potentially affect g(m). Additionally, a global meta-analysis was conducted to explore the general response patterns of g(m) and leaf anatomy to O-3 exposure. The findings suggest that O-3-induced reduction in g(m) is critical in limiting leaf photosynthesis, and the changes in liquid-phase conductance, cell wall thickness, and chloroplast size contribute to this decline under elevated O-3 conditions.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yi Xiao, Jen Sloan, Chris Hepworth, Marc Fradera-Soler, Andrew Mathers, Rachel Thorley, Alice Baillie, Hannah Jones, Tiangen Chang, Xingyuan Chen, Nazmin Yaapar, Colin P. Osborne, Craig Sturrock, Sacha. J. J. Mooney, Andrew. J. J. Fleming, Xin-Guang Zhu
Summary: Leaf structure plays a crucial role in photosynthesis, but the relationship between a single structural parameter and the overall photosynthetic performance is still debated. In this study, a mechanistic model called eLeaf was developed to capture the photosynthetic performance of rice leaves under various environmental conditions. The model successfully quantified the importance of different elements by analyzing imaging data and biochemical measurements. The results showed that photosynthetic metabolism was the major driver of increased carbon assimilation under elevated CO2 levels, and various structural elements made positive and negative contributions. The findings provide theoretical support for experimental data and highlight the significance of leaf structural plasticity in improving crop photosynthesis.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Miao Ye, Zhengcan Zhang, Guanjun Huang, Yong Li
Summary: This study investigated the effects of leaf anatomical traits and environmental stimuli on the photosynthesis of rice plants. It found that the response of mesophyll conductance to temperature was stronger at the mid-tillering stage and with high nitrogen treatment, which could be attributed to a higher activation energy of the membrane.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Forestry
David Alonso-Forn, Jose Javier Peguero-Pina, Juan Pedro Ferrio, Jose Ignacio Garcia-Plazaola, Ruben Martin-Sanchez, Ulo Niinemets, Domingo Sancho-Knapik, Eustaquio Gil-Pelegrin
Summary: The study demonstrates that leaves of Mediterranean evergreen tree species undergo a series of morphological, anatomical, chemical, and photosynthetic trait changes as they age, with alterations in leaf cell anatomy and nitrogen content influencing CO2 assimilation and stomatal conductance. Changes in leaf cell anatomical and physiological characteristics in aging leaves contribute to the gradual dismantling of photosynthetic apparatus.
Article
Plant Sciences
Faliang Zeng, Lin Zhu, Guojiao Wang, Yinpei Liang, Dianrong Ma, Jiayu Wang
Summary: Leaf anatomy plays a crucial role in determining photosynthesis performance. In this study, two rice recombinant inbred lines, H138 and H217, showed higher net CO2 assimilation compared to their parent Sasanishiki, mainly due to improved leaf anatomy. The improvement in leaf anatomy was associated with increased mesophyll cell number and area, higher chlorophyll content, and increased expression of genes involved in light-harvesting. Furthermore, higher stomatal and mesophyll conductance in H138 and H217 contributed to improved leaf photosynthesis.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Bishal G. Tamang, Yanqun Zhang, Michelle A. Zambrano, Elizabeth A. Ainsworth
Summary: This study found that narrow leaves in soybean are thicker and have a higher proportion of spongy mesophyll, while the proportions of palisade and paraveinal mesophyll are lower. In addition, narrow and thicker leaves have higher photosynthesis and stomata conductance per unit area, along with greater leaf hydraulic conductance. Therefore, selecting for narrow leaves can improve photosynthetic performance and potentially increase soybean yield.
Article
Plant Sciences
Richard Harwood, Guillaume Theroux-Rancourt, Margaret M. Barbour
Summary: The study compares a geometric method with a random walk approach for analyzing molecule transportation within leaves, demonstrating the superiority of the random walk method in investigating CO2 and H2O transport. The results show that tortuosity is higher in the palisade mesophyll than the spongy mesophyll, with horizontal tortuosity consistently higher than vertical tortuosity.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Hu Sun, Yu-Qi Zhang, Shi-Bao Zhang, Wei Huang
Summary: This study reveals that the decrease in leaf N content delays the induction speeds of net CO2 assimilation, stomatal conductance, and mesophyll conductance upon transition from low to high light in tomato seedlings. The photosynthetic induction kinetics are mainly affected by the induction response of mesophyll conductance rather than stomatal conductance.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
George Karabourniotis, Georgios Liakopoulos, Panagiota Bresta, Dimosthenis Nikolopoulos
Summary: Leaves have evolved unique structures to efficiently utilize light and balance photosynthesis with water loss under different light conditions. Various structural elements in leaves play important roles in light capture and propagation, optimized through evolution to adapt to diverse environments.
Article
Plant Sciences
Wenshi Hu, Zhifeng Lu, Hehe Gu, Xiaolei Ye, Xiaokun Li, Rihuan Cong, Tao Ren, Jianwei Lu
Summary: Leaf growth depends on photosynthesis and hydraulics for carbohydrates and expansion power. Under potassium deficiency, leaf area, photosynthesis, and hydraulics are affected by changes in leaf structure. This study observed the leaf hydraulic conductance and photosynthetic rate of Brassica napus during leaf growth under different levels of potassium supply. The results showed that potassium deficiency decreased leaf hydraulic conductance and photosynthetic rate. It also led to an increase in mesophyll cell investment and a decrease in the volume fraction of intercellular air-space, resulting in reduced leaf expansion rate.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Roxana Khoshravesh, Natalie Hoffmann, David T. Hanson
Summary: Leaf imaging via microscopy has provided critical insights into the relationship between leaf anatomy and photosynthesis, and advancements in technology have allowed for the visualization of three-dimensional leaf structures. However, there is a need for further improvement in microscopy to overcome challenges in in vivo leaf imaging.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Guillaume Theroux-Rancourt, Jose Carlos Herrera, Klara Voggeneder, Federica De Berardinis, Natascha Luijken, Laura Nocker, Tadeja Savi, Susanne Scheffknecht, Moritz Schneck, Danny Tholen
Summary: Leaves developing in bright sunlight are different from those in shade in terms of cell shape, size, and density, which contribute to increased internal surface area and more efficient CO(2) diffusion. The study also identifies modular structures called 'vaporsheds' that connect leaf pores to photosynthesizing cells. The research highlights the importance of considering differences in length, surface, and volume when analyzing leaf structure.
Article
Plant Sciences
Guanjun Huang, Yuhan Yang, Lele Zhu, Xifeng Ren, Shaobing Peng, Yong Li
Summary: This study suggests a strong correlation between stomatal and leaf structures, and highlights the importance of mesophyll cell size in determining the coordination between stomatal size and mesophyll porosity. The findings also indicate a highly correlated development of stomata and mesophyll cells among different crop species.
Article
Plant Sciences
Jeroen D. M. Schreel, Craig Brodersen, Thomas De Schryver, Manuel Dierick, Adriana Rubinstein, Koen Dewettinck, Matthieu N. Boone, Luc van Hoorebeke, Kathy Steppe
Summary: Our study provides evidence of a hydraulic pathway from the leaf surface to the stem xylem following a water potential gradient, but this pathway only exists in functional vessels and does not contribute to embolism repair in beech.
Article
Plant Sciences
Santiago Trueba, Guillaume Theroux-Rancourt, J. Mason Earles, Thomas N. Buckley, David Love, Daniel M. Johnson, Craig Brodersen
Summary: The study identified leaf vein volume as a crucial factor influencing water use efficiency in coniferous plants. Needle-like leaves of Pinus exhibited lower mesophyll porosity, leading to increased ratios of stomatal pore number per mesophyll or intercellular airspace volume, which effectively predicted stomatal conductance and water use efficiency.
Article
Plant Sciences
Mina Momayyezi, Aleca M. Borsuk, Craig R. Brodersen, Matthew E. Gilbert, Guillaume Theroux-Rancourt, Daniel A. Kluepfel, Andrew J. McElrone
Summary: Contrasting leaf anatomy of walnut species can provide insights into the links between structure and function. The experiment with two walnut species under stressed and drought conditions showed that leaf structure affects gas exchange, light absorption, and photosynthetic capacity, and drought-induced changes in leaf structure impact performance.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Carola Pritzkow, Matilda J. M. Brown, Madeline R. Carins-Murphy, Ibrahim Bourbia, Patrick J. Mitchell, Craig Brodersen, Brendan Choat, Timothy J. Brodribb
Summary: This study found that embolism under natural drought conditions is likely propagated by air spreading in a circumferential pattern from embolized conduits to neighboring conduits in field-grown trees. This pattern offers the possibility to understand the temporal aspects of embolism occurrence by examining stem cross-sections.
Article
Plant Sciences
Guo-Feng Jiang, Su-Yuan Li, Russell Dinnage, Kun-Fang Cao, Kevin A. Simonin, Adam B. Roddy
Summary: This study examined the coordination between genome size, leaf cell sizes, cell packing densities, and leaf size in 13 mangrove species across four sites in China. The results showed that mangroves have small genome sizes and large cell sizes, which are influenced by climate conditions. The study also found unique relationships between guard cell size, epidermal cell size, and vein and stomata densities in mangroves compared to other angiosperms. These findings suggest the unique adaptations of mangroves to their stressful environments.
Article
Plant Sciences
Guillaume Theroux-Rancourt, Jose Carlos Herrera, Klara Voggeneder, Federica De Berardinis, Natascha Luijken, Laura Nocker, Tadeja Savi, Susanne Scheffknecht, Moritz Schneck, Danny Tholen
Summary: Leaves developing in bright sunlight are different from those in shade in terms of cell shape, size, and density, which contribute to increased internal surface area and more efficient CO(2) diffusion. The study also identifies modular structures called 'vaporsheds' that connect leaf pores to photosynthesizing cells. The research highlights the importance of considering differences in length, surface, and volume when analyzing leaf structure.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yu-Kun Pang, Lan-Li Qin, Tian-Hao Zhang, Jin-Yan Lei, Ya Zhang, Adam B. Roddy, Guo-Feng Jiang
Summary: This study examined the pit characteristics and anatomical and photosynthetic traits of cycads. The results showed that pit traits of cycads were highly variable and not coordinated as in angiosperms. The pit traits reflected adaptation to different habitats and may have contributed to the dominance of cycads in various ecosystems.
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2023)
Letter
Plant Sciences
Adam B. B. Roddy, C. Matt Guilliams, Paul V. A. Fine, Stefania Mambelli, Todd E. E. Dawson, Kevin A. A. Simonin
Article
Biology
Adam B. Roddy
JOURNAL OF BIOSCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Paul E. Verslues, Julia Bailey-Serres, Craig Brodersen, Thomas N. Buckley, Lucio Conti, Alexander Christmann, Jose R. Dinneny, Erwin Grill, Scott Hayes, Robert W. Heckman, Po-Kai Hsu, Thomas E. Juenger, Paloma Mas, Teun Munnik, Hilde Nelissen, Lawren Sack, Julian Schroeder, Christa Testerink, Stephen D. Tyerman, Taishi Umezawa, Philip A. Wigge
Summary: This article presents unresolved questions in plant abiotic stress biology from 15 research groups. These questions include understanding how plants detect water availability, temperature, salinity, and rising CO2 levels, as well as the interaction between environmental and endogenous signaling and development, and the control of downstream responses. Adaptation to changing environments involves tradeoffs that limit ecological distribution and crop resilience. Exploring plant diversity can help identify fundamental limits and new trait combinations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
John D. Treado, Adam B. Roddy, Guillaume Theroux-Rancourt, Liyong Zhang, Chris Ambrose, Craig R. Brodersen, Mark D. Shattuck, Corey S. O'Hern
Summary: The spongy mesophyll is a complex and porous tissue found in plant leaves that plays a role in carbon capture and mechanical stability. Researchers have developed a mechanical model using computer simulations to explain the development of this tissue. They found that the generation of pore space in the spongy mesophyll requires a balance of cell growth, adhesion, stiffness, and tissue pressure to maintain mechanical stability.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE
(2022)