Leaf transcriptomes from C3, C3-C4 intermediate, and C4Neurachne species give insights into C4 photosynthesis evolution.

The C4 photosynthetic pathway is hypothesized to have evolved from the ancestral C3 pathway through progressive changes in leaf anatomy and biochemistry with extant C3-C4 photosynthetic intermediate species representing phenotypes between species demonstrating full C3 and full C4 states. The Australian endemic genus Neurachne is the only known grass group that contains distinct, closely related species that carry out C3, C3-C4 intermediate, or C4 photosynthesis. To explore and understand the molecular mechanisms underlying C4 photosynthesis evolution in this genus, leaf transcriptomes were generated from two C3, three photosynthetic intermediate (proto-Kranz, C2-like, and C2), and two C4Neurachne species.

Insights into Regulation of C and C Photosynthesis in / Using RNA-Seq.

(incl. ) shows an immense diversity of C syndromes. More than 15 independent origins of C photosynthesis, and the largest number of C species in eudicots signify the importance of this angiosperm lineage in C evolution.

Biogeography of the xerophytic genus L. (Chenopodiaceae).

Aim: Using the extremophile genus , which includes c. 28 succulent, xerophytic C species, and is widely distributed in arid regions of Northern Africa, Arabia, and Asia, we investigate biogeographical relationships between the Irano-Turanian floristic region (ITfr) and its neighboring regions. We test whether the spread of arid and semi-arid biomes in Eurasia coincides with the biogeography of this drought-adapted genus, and whether the ITfr acted as source area of floristic elements for adjacent regions.

From cacti to carnivores: Improved phylotranscriptomic sampling and hierarchical homology inference provide further insight into the evolution of Caryophyllales.

Premise Of The Study: The Caryophyllales contain ~12,500 species and are known for their cosmopolitan distribution, convergence of trait evolution, and extreme adaptations. Some relationships within the Caryophyllales, like those of many large plant clades, remain unclear, and phylogenetic studies often recover alternative hypotheses. We explore the utility of broad and dense transcriptome sampling across the order for resolving evolutionary relationships in Caryophyllales.

Transcriptome Assembly and Comparison of C, C-C, and C Species of Tribe Salsoleae (Chenopodiaceae).

C photosynthesis is a carbon-concentrating mechanism that evolved independently more than 60 times in a wide range of angiosperm lineages. Among other alterations, the evolution of C from ancestral C photosynthesis requires changes in the expression of a vast number of genes. Differential gene expression analyses between closely related C and C species have significantly increased our understanding of C functioning and evolution.

C -C intermediates may be of hybrid origin - a reminder.

The currently favoured model of the evolution of C photosynthesis relies heavily on the interpretation of the broad phenotypic range of naturally growing C -C intermediates as proxies for evolutionary intermediate steps. On the other hand, C -C intermediates had earlier been interpreted as hybrids or hybrid derivates. By first comparing experimentally generated with naturally growing C -C intermediates, and second summarising either direct or circumstantial evidence for hybridisation in lineages comprising C , C and C -C intermediates, we conclude that a possible hybrid origin of C -C intermediates deserves careful examination.

C3 cotyledons are followed by C4 leaves: intra-individual transcriptome analysis of Salsola soda (Chenopodiaceae).

Some species of Salsoleae (Chenopodiaceae) convert from C photosynthesis during the seedling stage to the C pathway in adult leaves. This unique developmental transition of photosynthetic pathways offers the exceptional opportunity to follow the development of the derived C syndrome from the C condition within individual plants, avoiding phylogenetic noise. Here we investigate Salsola soda, a little-studied species from tribe Salsoleae, using an ontogenetic approach.

Evolution of leaf anatomy in arid environments - A case study in southern African Tetraena and Roepera (Zygophyllaceae).

The dry biomes of southern Africa (Desert, Nama Karoo and Succulent Karoo) are home to a rich and diverse xerophytic flora. This flora includes two morphologically diverse clades of Zygophyllaceae, Tetraena and Roepera (Zygophylloideae), which inhabit some of the most arid habitats in the region. Using a plastid phylogeny of Zygophylloideae we assess whether the evolution of putatively adaptive traits (leaf shape, vasculature, mode of water storage and photosynthetic type: C3 versus C4) coincides with the successful colonisation of environments with different drought regimes within southern Africa.

When do different C4 leaf anatomies indicate independent C4 origins? Parallel evolution of C4 leaf types in Camphorosmeae (Chenopodiaceae).

Broad-scale phylogenetic studies give first insights in numbers, relationships, and ages of C4 lineages. They are, however, generally limited to a model that treats the evolution of the complex C4 syndrome in different lineages as a directly comparable process. Here, we use a resolved and well-sampled phylogenetic tree of Camphorosmeae, based on three chloroplast and one nuclear marker and on leaf anatomical traits to infer a more detailed picture of C4 leaf-type evolution in this lineage.