Photosynthesis and photosynthetic efficiencies along the terrestrial plant’s phylogeny: lessons for improving crop photosynthesis

• Published in: The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology Vol. 101; no. 4; pp. 964 - 978
• Main Authors: Flexas, Jaume, Carriquí, Marc
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.02.2020
• Subjects: Angiospermae; Angiosperms; Aquatic plants; Bryophyta; Bryophyta - physiology; Bryophytes; Carbon dioxide; Conductance; crops; Crops, Agricultural - physiology; embryophytes; Environmental conditions; environmental factors; evolution; genotype; Genotypes; Magnoliopsida - physiology; Mesophyll; Mesophyll Cells - physiology; mesophyll conductance; nitrogen; Nitrogen - metabolism; Photosynthesis; photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency; phylogenetic groups; Phylogeny; Plant Physiological Phenomena; Resistance; Water - metabolism; water use efficiency; photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency; water use efficiency; mesophyll conductance; evolution; phylogenetic groups
• ISSN: 0960-7412; 1365-313X; 1365-313X
• DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14651

Summary Photosynthesis is the basis of all life on Earth. Surprisingly, until very recently, data on photosynthesis, photosynthetic efficiencies, and photosynthesis limitations in terrestrial land plants other than spermatophytes were very scarce. Here we provide an updated data compilation showing that maximum photosynthesis rates (expressed either on an area or dry mass basis) progressively scale along the land plant’s phylogeny, from lowest values in bryophytes to largest in angiosperms. Unexpectedly, both photosynthetic water (WUE) and nitrogen (PNUE) use efficiencies also scale positively through the phylogeny, for which it has been commonly reported that these two efficiencies tend to trade‐off between them when comparing different genotypes or a single species subject to different environmental conditions. After providing experimental evidence that these observed trends are mostly due to an increased mesophyll conductance to CO2 – associated with specific anatomical changes – along the phylogeny, we discuss how these findings on a large phylogenetic scale can provide useful information to address potential photosynthetic improvements in crops in the near future. Significance Statement The variation of maximum photosynthesis, water‐use‐efficiency and nitrogen‐use‐efficiency along the land plants' phylogeny is reviewed.