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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Despite phylogenetic effects, C-3-C-4 lineages bridge the ecological gap to C-4 photosynthesis
AU - Lundgren, Marjorie R.
AU - Christin, Pascal-Antoine
PY - 2017/1
Y1 - 2017/1
N2 - C-4 photosynthesis is a physiological innovation involving several anatomical and biochemical components that emerged recurrently in flowering plants. This complex trait evolved via a series of physiological intermediates, broadly termed 'C-3-C-4', which have been widely studied to understand C-4 origins. While this research program has focused on biochemistry, physiology, and anatomy, the ecology of these intermediates remains largely unexplored. Here, we use global occurrence data and local habitat descriptions to characterize the niches of multiple C-3-C-4 lineages, as well as their close C-3 and C-4 relatives. While C-3-C-4 taxa tend to occur in warm climates, their abiotic niches are spread along other dimensions, making it impossible to define a universal C-3-C-4 niche. Phylogeny-based comparisons suggest that, despite shifts associated with photosynthetic types, the precipitation component of the C-3-C-4 niche is particularly lineage specific, being highly correlated with that of closely related C-3 and C-4 taxa. Our large-scale analyses suggest that C-3-C-4 lineages converged toward warm habitats, which may have facilitated the transition to C-4 photosynthesis, effectively bridging the ecological gap between C-3 and C-4 plants. The intermediates retained some precipitation aspects of their C-3 ancestors' habitat, and likely transmitted them to their C-4 descendants, contributing to the diversity among C-4 lineages seen today.
AB - C-4 photosynthesis is a physiological innovation involving several anatomical and biochemical components that emerged recurrently in flowering plants. This complex trait evolved via a series of physiological intermediates, broadly termed 'C-3-C-4', which have been widely studied to understand C-4 origins. While this research program has focused on biochemistry, physiology, and anatomy, the ecology of these intermediates remains largely unexplored. Here, we use global occurrence data and local habitat descriptions to characterize the niches of multiple C-3-C-4 lineages, as well as their close C-3 and C-4 relatives. While C-3-C-4 taxa tend to occur in warm climates, their abiotic niches are spread along other dimensions, making it impossible to define a universal C-3-C-4 niche. Phylogeny-based comparisons suggest that, despite shifts associated with photosynthetic types, the precipitation component of the C-3-C-4 niche is particularly lineage specific, being highly correlated with that of closely related C-3 and C-4 taxa. Our large-scale analyses suggest that C-3-C-4 lineages converged toward warm habitats, which may have facilitated the transition to C-4 photosynthesis, effectively bridging the ecological gap between C-3 and C-4 plants. The intermediates retained some precipitation aspects of their C-3 ancestors' habitat, and likely transmitted them to their C-4 descendants, contributing to the diversity among C-4 lineages seen today.
KW - Biomes
KW - C-3-C-4 intermediate
KW - C-4 photosynthesis
KW - ecology
KW - evolution
KW - phylogeny
KW - WATER-USE EFFICIENCY
KW - GLOBAL LAND AREAS
KW - FLAVERIA ASTERACEAE
KW - INTERMEDIATE PHOTOSYNTHESIS
KW - LEAF ANATOMY
KW - PHOSPHOENOLPYRUVATE CARBOXYLASE
KW - GLYCINE DECARBOXYLASE
KW - CLEOME CLEOMACEAE
KW - KRANZ ANATOMY
KW - C4 GRASSES
U2 - 10.1093/jxb/erw451
DO - 10.1093/jxb/erw451
M3 - Journal article
VL - 68
SP - 241
EP - 254
JO - Journal of Experimental Botany
JF - Journal of Experimental Botany
SN - 0022-0957
IS - 2
ER -