Contrasting anatomical and biochemical controls on mesophyll conductance across plant functional types

Jürgen Knauer, Matthias Cuntz, John R. Evans, Ulo Niinemets, Tiina Tosens, Linda-Liisa Veromann-Jürgenson, Christiane Werner, Sӧnke Zaehle

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Mesophyll conductance (gm) limits photosynthesis by restricting CO2 diffusion between the substomatal cavities and chloroplasts. Although it is known that gm is determined by both leaf anatomical and biochemical traits, their relative contribution across plant functional types (PFTs) is still unclear. We compiled a dataset of gm measurements and concomitant leaf traits in unstressed plants comprising 563 studies and 617 species from all major PFTs. We investigated to what extent gm limits photosynthesis across PFTs, how gm relates to structural, anatomical, biochemical, and physiological leaf properties, and whether these relationships differ among PFTs. We found that gm imposes a significant limitation to photosynthesis in all C3 PFTs, ranging from 10–30% in most herbaceous annuals to 25–50% in woody evergreens. Anatomical leaf traits explained a significant proportion of the variation in gm (R2 > 0.3) in all PFTs except annual herbs, in which gm is more strongly related to biochemical factors associated with leaf nitrogen and potassium content. Our results underline the need to elucidate mechanisms underlying the global variability of gm. We emphasise the underestimated potential of gm for improving photosynthesis in crops and identify modifications in leaf biochemistry as the most promising pathway for increasing gm in these species.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)357-368
Number of pages12
JournalNew Phytologist
Volume236
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Open Access - Access Right Statement

©2022 The Authors. New Phytologist 2022 New Phytologist Foundation. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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