Riddled with holes: Understanding air space formation in plant leaves
| Autor: | Christopher Whitewoods |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Whitewoods, Christopher D [0000-0001-6886-3572], Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository |
| Rok vydání: | 2022 |
| Předmět: |
Crops
Agricultural Leaves Chloroplasts QH301-705.5 Plant Cell Biology Plant Science General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Spongy Mesophyll Plant Cells Mesophyll Cell Cycle and Cell Division Biology (General) Photosynthesis Stomata Skin Medicine and health sciences General Immunology and Microbiology Biology and life sciences General Neuroscience Plant Anatomy Air Cell Biology Stem Anatomy Carbon Dioxide Plant Leaves Cell Processes Sunlight Cellular Structures and Organelles Cellular Types Anatomy Integumentary System Epidermis General Agricultural and Biological Sciences Mesophyll Cells Extracellular Space Unsolved Mystery |
| Zdroj: | PLoS Biology PLoS Biology, Vol 19, Iss 12, p e3001475 (2021) |
| DOI: | 10.17863/cam.79463 |
| Popis: | Plants use energy from sunlight to transform carbon dioxide from the air into complex organic molecules, ultimately producing much of the food we eat. To make this complex chemistry more efficient, plant leaves are intricately constructed in 3 dimensions: They are flat to maximise light capture and contain extensive internal air spaces to increase gas exchange for photosynthesis. Many years of work has built up an understanding of how leaves form flat blades, but the molecular mechanisms that control air space formation are poorly understood. Here, I review our current understanding of air space formation and outline how recent advances can be harnessed to answer key questions and take the field forward. Increasing our understanding of plant air spaces will not only allow us to understand a fundamental aspect of plant development, but also unlock the potential to engineer the internal structure of crops to make them more efficient at photosynthesis with lower water requirements and more resilient in the face of a changing environment. Leaves are interwoven with large air spaces to increase the efficiency of photosynthesis; however, how these air spaces form and how different patterns have evolved is almost unknown. This Unsolved Mystery article discusses the existing evidence and poses new avenues of research to answer this question. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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