ORCID Profile
0000-0002-0153-2602
Current Organisations
University of Tokyo
,
Università degli Studi di Genova
,
Universitat de les Illes Balears
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2022
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 03-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-06-2020
DOI: 10.1111/TPJ.14806
Abstract: Cell wall thickness is widely recognized as one of the main determinants of mesophyll conductance to CO 2 ( g m ). However, little is known about the components that regulate effective CO 2 diffusivity in the cell wall (i.e. the ratio between actual porosity and tortuosity, the other two biophysical diffusion properties of cell walls). The aim of this study was to assess, at the interspecific level, potential relationships between cell wall composition, cell wall thickness ( T cw ) and g m . Gymnosperms constitute an ideal group to deepen these relationships, as they present, on average, the thickest cell walls within spermatophytes. We characterized the foliar gas exchange, the morphoanatomical traits related with g m , the leaf fraction constituted by cell walls and three main components of primary cell walls (hemicelluloses, cellulose and pectins) in seven gymnosperm species. We found that, although the relatively low g m of gymnosperms was mainly determined by their elevated T cw , g m was also strongly correlated with cell wall composition, which presumably sets the final effective CO 2 diffusivity. The data presented here suggest that (i) differences in g m are strongly correlated to the pectins to hemicelluloses and cellulose ratio in gymnosperms, and (ii) variations in cell wall composition may modify effective CO 2 diffusivity in the cell wall to compensate the negative impact of thickened walls. We speculate that higher relative pectin content allows higher g m because pectins increase cell wall hydrophilicity and CO 2 molecules cross the wall dissolved in water.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 06-07-2017
DOI: 10.1104/PP.17.00552
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-03-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.JPLPH.2022.153689
Abstract: Extreme environments, such as deserts and high-elevation ecosystems, are very important from bio ersity and ecological perspectives. However, plant physiology at those sites has been scarcely studied, likely due to logistic difficulties. In the present study, leaf physiological traits in native plants were analyzed from arid zones across an elevational transect in Western China, from Turpan Basin to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) at Delingha. The aim of this study was to use leaf physiological traits to help identifying potentially threatened species and true extremophiles. Physiological measurements in the field, and particularly in situ measurements of gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence, have been determined to be useful to determine the current state of plants at a given environment. Using this approach plus a combination of leaf traits, several species performing particularly well at the QTP were identified, e.g. Hedysarum multijugum, as well as at Manas drylands, e.g. Peganum harmala and Setaria viridis. On the other hand, several species showed marked signs of severe stress, in particular a very low photosynthetic rate over its potential maximum, as well as other negative traits, like low water and/or nitrogen-use-efficiency, which should be considered in conservation plans. Interestingly, all C
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 29-03-2021
DOI: 10.1093/JXB/ERAB144
Abstract: The key role of cell walls in setting mesophyll conductance to CO2 (gm) and, consequently, photosynthesis is reviewed. First, the theoretical properties of cell walls that can affect gm are presented. Then, we focus on cell wall thickness (Tcw) reviewing empirical evidence showing that Tcw varies strongly among species and phylogenetic groups in a way that correlates with gm and photosynthesis that is, the thicker the mesophyll cell walls, the lower the gm and photosynthesis. Potential interplays of gm, Tcw, dehydration tolerance, and hydraulic properties of leaves are also discussed. Dynamic variations of Tcw in response to the environment and their implications in the regulation of photosynthesis are discussed, and recent evidence suggesting an influence of cell wall composition on gm is presented. We then propose a hypothetical mechanism for the influence of cell walls on photosynthesis, combining the effects of thickness and composition, particularly pectins. Finally, we discuss the prospects for using biotechnology for enhancing photosynthesis by altering cell wall-related genes.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2017
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 26-08-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.08.23.505027
Abstract: Leaf photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency (PNUE) ersified significantly among C 3 species. However, morpho-physiological mechanisms and interrelationships forming PNUE remain unclear on the evolutionary time scale. In this study, we compiled a novel extensive matrix of morpho-anatomical and physiological traits of leaf in 679 C 3 species ranging from bryophytes to angiosperms to understand the intricacy of interrelationships underlying the variations in PNUE. We found that LMA, mesophyll cell wall thickness (T cwm ), Rubisco N allocation fraction (P R ), and mesophyll conductance (g m ) together interpreted 83% of variations in PNUE, with P R and g m accounting for 65% of those variations. However, the P R effects were species-dependent on g m that is, the contribution of P R on PNUE was extensively significant in high-g m species in comparison to low-g m species. Standard major analysis (SMA) and path analysis suggested a weak correlation between PNUE and LMA, whereas the SMA correlation for PNUE–T cwm was strong. The P R was inversely proportional to T cwm , which was similar to the relationship between g m and T cwm (p-value 0.01), so that the internal CO 2 drawdown from intercellular airspace to carboxylaton sites was relatively conservative over a wide range of T cwm . Collectively, the coordination of changes in P R and g m connecting T cwm suggested the complex physiological mechanisms mediated by T cwm modulating PNUE across contrasting plant groups.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 04-11-2021
Abstract: The alternative oxidase pathway (AOP) is associated with excess energy dissipation in leaves of terrestrial plants. To address whether this association is less important in palustrine plants, we compared the role of AOP in balancing energy and carbon metabolism in palustrine and terrestrial environments by identifying metabolic relationships between primary carbon metabolites and AOP in each habitat. We measured oxygen isotope discrimination during respiration, gas exchange, and metabolite profiles in aerial leaves of ten fern and angiosperm species belonging to five families organized as pairs of palustrine and terrestrial species. We performed a partial least square model combined with variable importance for projection to reveal relationships between the electron partitioning to the AOP (τ a ) and metabolite levels. Terrestrial plants showed higher values of net photosynthesis (A N ) and τ a , together with stronger metabolic relationships between τ a and sugars, important for water conservation. Palustrine plants showed relationships between τ a and metabolites related to the shikimate pathway and the GABA shunt, to be important for heterophylly. Excess energy dissipation via AOX is less crucial in palustrine environments than on land. The basis of this difference resides in the contrasting photosynthetic performance observed in each environment, thus reinforcing the importance of AOP for photosynthesis.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-03-2021
DOI: 10.1111/PPL.13398
Abstract: Mesophyll conductance ( g m ), a key limitation to photosynthesis, is strongly driven by leaf anatomy, which is in turn influenced by environmental growth conditions and ontogeny. However, studies examining the combined environment × age effect on both leaf anatomy and photosynthesis are scarce, and none have been carried out in short‐lived plants. Here, we studied the variation of photosynthesis and leaf anatomy in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana (Col‐0) grown under three different light intensities at two different leaf ages. We found that light × age interaction was significant for photosynthesis but not for anatomical characteristics. Increasing growth light intensities resulted in increases in leaf mass per area, thickness, number of palisade cell layers, and chloroplast area lining to intercellular airspace. Low and moderate—but not high—light intensity had a significant effect on all photosynthetic characteristics. Leaf aging was associated with increases in cell wall thickness ( T cw ) in all light treatments and in increases in leaf thickness in plants grown under low and moderate light intensities. However, g m did not vary with leaf aging, and photosynthesis only decreased with leaf age under moderate and high light, suggesting a compensatory effect between increased T cw and decreased chloroplast thickness on the total CO 2 diffusion resistance.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 18-07-2018
DOI: 10.1093/JXB/ERY235
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 14-08-2018
DOI: 10.1093/JXB/ERY296
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2012
DOI: 10.1016/J.PLANTSCI.2012.05.009
Abstract: Mesophyll diffusion conductance to CO(2) is a key photosynthetic trait that has been studied intensively in the past years. The intention of the present review is to update knowledge of g(m), and highlight the important unknown and controversial aspects that require future work. The photosynthetic limitation imposed by mesophyll conductance is large, and under certain conditions can be the most significant photosynthetic limitation. New evidence shows that anatomical traits, such as cell wall thickness and chloroplast distribution are amongst the stronger determinants of mesophyll conductance, although rapid variations in response to environmental changes might be regulated by other factors such as aquaporin conductance. Gaps in knowledge that should be research priorities for the near future include: how different is mesophyll conductance among phylogenetically distant groups and how has it evolved? Can mesophyll conductance be uncoupled from regulation of the water path? What are the main drivers of mesophyll conductance? The need for mechanistic and phenomenological models of mesophyll conductance and its incorporation in process-based photosynthesis models is also highlighted.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-10-2016
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.13719
Abstract: Ferns and fern allies have low photosynthetic rates compared with seed plants. Their photosynthesis is thought to be limited principally by physical CO 2 diffusion from the atmosphere to chloroplasts. The aim of this study was to understand the reasons for low photosynthesis in species of ferns and fern allies (Lycopodiopsida and Polypodiopsida). We performed a comprehensive assessment of the foliar gas‐exchange and mesophyll structural traits involved in photosynthetic function for 35 species of ferns and fern allies. Additionally, the leaf economics spectrum (the interrelationships between photosynthetic capacity and leaf/frond traits such as leaf dry mass per unit area or nitrogen content) was tested. Low mesophyll conductance to CO 2 was the main cause for low photosynthesis in ferns and fern allies, which, in turn, was associated with thick cell walls and reduced chloroplast distribution towards intercellular mesophyll air spaces. Generally, the leaf economics spectrum in ferns follows a trend similar to that in seed plants. Nevertheless, ferns and allies had less nitrogen per unit DW than seed plants (i.e. the same slope but a different intercept) and lower photosynthesis rates per leaf mass area and per unit of nitrogen.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-07-2019
DOI: 10.1111/PPL.12755
Abstract: Mesophyll conductance to CO
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.PLANTSCI.2014.06.011
Abstract: The climate change conditions predicted for the end of the current century are expected to have an impact on the performance of plants under natural conditions. The variables which are foreseen to have a larger effect are increased CO2 concentration and temperature. Although it is generally considered CO2 assimilation rate could be increased by the increasing levels of CO2, it has been reported in previous studies that acclimation to high CO2 results in reductions of physiological parameters involved in photosynthesis, like the maximum carboxylation rate (Vc,max), stomatal conductance (gs) and mesophyll conductance to CO2 (gm). On the one hand, most of the previous modeling efforts have neglected the potential role played by the acclimation of gm to high CO2 and temperature. On the other hand, the effect of climate change on plant clades other than angiosperms, like ferns, has received little attention, and there are no studies evaluating the potential impact of increasing CO2 and temperature on these species. In this study we predicted responses of several representative species among angiosperms, gymnosperms and ferns to increasing CO2 and temperature. Our results show that species with lower photosynthetic capacity - such as some ferns and gymnosperms - would be proportionally more favored under these foreseen environmental conditions. The main reason for this difference is the lower diffusion limitation imposed by gs and gm in plants having high capacity for photosynthesis among the angiosperms, which reduces the positive effect of increasing CO2. However, this apparent advantage of low-diffusion species would be canceled if the two conductances - gs and gm - acclimate and are down regulated to high CO2, which is basically unknown, especially for gymnosperms and ferns. Hence, for a better understanding of different plant responses to future climate, studies are urged in which the actual photosynthetic response/acclimation to increased CO2 and temperature of ferns, gymnosperms and other under-evaluated plant groups is assessed.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-08-2015
DOI: 10.1111/PCE.12402
Abstract: Ferns are thought to have lower photosynthetic rates than angiosperms and they lack fine stomatal regulation. However, no study has directly compared photosynthesis in plants of both groups grown under optimal conditions in a common environment. We present a common garden comparison of seven angiosperms and seven ferns paired by habitat preference, with the aims of (1) confirming that ferns do have lower photosynthesis capacity than angiosperms and quantifying these differences (2) determining the importance of diffusional versus biochemical limitations and (3) analysing the potential implication of leaf anatomical traits in setting the photosynthesis capacity in both groups. On average, the photosynthetic rate of ferns was about half that of angiosperms, and they exhibited lower stomatal and mesophyll conductance to CO2 (gm ), maximum velocity of carboxylation and electron transport rate. A quantitative limitation analysis revealed that stomatal and mesophyll conductances were co-responsible for the lower photosynthesis of ferns as compared with angiosperms. However, gm alone was the most constraining factor for photosynthesis in ferns. Consistently, leaf anatomy showed important differences between angiosperms and ferns, especially in cell wall thickness and the surface of chloroplasts exposed to intercellular air spaces.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-06-2023
DOI: 10.1111/PCE.14641
Abstract: Leaf photosynthetic nitrogen‐use efficiency (PNUE) ersified significantly among C 3 species. To date, the morpho‐physiological mechanisms and interrelationships shaping PNUE on an evolutionary time scale remain unclear. In this study, we assembled a comprehensive matrix of leaf morpho‐anatomical and physiological traits for 679 C 3 species, ranging from bryophytes to angiosperms, to comprehend the complexity of interrelationships underpinning PNUE variations. We discovered that leaf mass per area (LMA), mesophyll cell wall thickness (T cwm ), Rubisco N allocation fraction (P R ), and mesophyll conductance (g m ) together explained 83% of PNUE variations, with P R and g m accounting for 65% of those variations. However, the P R effects were species‐dependent on g m , meaning the contribution of P R on PNUE was substantially significant in high‐g m species compared to low‐g m species. Standard major axis (SMA) and path analyses revealed a weak correlation between PNUE and LMA ( r 2 = 0.1), while the SMA correlation for PNUE–T cwm was robust ( r 2 = 0.61). P R was inversely related to T cwm , paralleling the relationship between g m and T cwm , resulting in the internal CO 2 drawdown being only weakly proportional to T cwm . The coordination of P R and g m in relation to T cwm constrains PNUE during the course of evolution.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 24-02-2022
Abstract: Background: Cancer tissue is characterized by low oxygen availability triggering neo angiogenesis and metastatisation. Accordingly, oxidation is a possible strategy for counteracting cancer progression and relapses. Previous studies used ozone gas, administered by invasive methods, both in experimental animals and clinical studies, transiently decreasing cancer growth. This study evaluated the effect of ozonized oils (administered either topically or orally) on cancer, exploring triggered molecular mechanisms. Methods: In vitro, in lung and glioblastoma cancer cells, ozonized oils having a high ozonide content suppressed cancer cell viability by triggering mitochondrial damage, intracellular calcium release, and apoptosis. In vivo, a total of 115 cancer patients (age 58 ± 14 years 44 males, 71 females) were treated with ozonized oil as complementary therapy in addition to standard chemo/radio therapeutic regimens for up to 4 years. Results: Cancer diagnoses were brain glioblastoma, pancreas adenocarcinoma, skin epithelioma, lung cancer (small and non-small cell lung cancer), colon adenocarcinoma, breast cancer, prostate adenocarcinoma. Survival rate was significantly improved in cancer patients receiving HOO as integrative therapy as compared with those receiving standard treatment only. Conclusions: These results indicate that ozonized oils at high ozonide may represent an innovation in complementary cancer therapy worthy of further clinical studies.
Publisher: ACM
Date: 15-02-2007
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd.
Date: 04-03-2020
DOI: 10.1042/BST20190312
Abstract: Besides stomata, the photosynthetic CO2 pathway also involves the transport of CO2 from the sub-stomatal air spaces inside to the carboxylation sites in the chloroplast stroma, where Rubisco is located. This pathway is far to be a simple and direct way, formed by series of consecutive barriers that the CO2 should cross to be finally assimilated in photosynthesis, known as the mesophyll conductance (gm). Therefore, the gm reflects the pathway through different air, water and biophysical barriers within the leaf tissues and cell structures. Currently, it is known that gm can impose the same level of limitation (or even higher depending of the conditions) to photosynthesis than the wider known stomata or biochemistry. In this mini-review, we are focused on each of the gm determinants to summarize the current knowledge on the mechanisms driving gm from anatomical to metabolic and biochemical perspectives. Special attention deserve the latest studies demonstrating the importance of the molecular mechanisms driving anatomical traits as cell wall and the chloroplast surface exposed to the mesophyll airspaces (Sc/S) that significantly constrain gm. However, even considering these recent discoveries, still is poorly understood the mechanisms about signaling pathways linking the environment a/biotic stressors with gm responses. Thus, considering the main role of gm as a major driver of the CO2 availability at the carboxylation sites, future studies into these aspects will help us to understand photosynthesis responses in a global change framework.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-01-2022
DOI: 10.1002/AJB2.1795
Abstract: Tip‐to‐base conduit widening is considered a key mechanism that enables vascular plants to grow tall by decreasing the hydraulic resistance imposed by increasing height. Widening of hydraulic anatomy (larger conducting elements toward the base of the vascular system) minimizes gradients in leaf‐specific hydraulic conductance with plant height, allowing uniform photosynthesis across the crown of trees. Tip‐to‐base conduit widening has also been associated with changes in conduit number. However, in bryophytes, despite having representatives with internal water‐conducting tissue, conduit widening has been scarcely investigated. Here, we examined the changes in hydroid diameter and number with distance from plant tip in Dawsonia superba and D. polytrichoides , two representatives of the genus containing the tallest extant bryophytes. The position of these moss species on the global scale of conduit size and plant size was consistent with a general scaling among plants with internal water transport. Within plants, patterns of conduit widening and number with distance from plant tip in endohydric mosses were similar to those observed in vascular plants. This study demonstrated that land plants growing upward in the atmosphere show analogous conduit widening of hydraulic structures, suggesting that efficient internal water transport is a convergent adaptation for photosynthesis on land.
Publisher: The Eurographics Association
Date: 2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-01-2020
DOI: 10.1111/TPJ.14651
Abstract: 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 CO
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2012
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-2023
DOI: 10.1111/PPL.14035
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2020
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-03-2019
DOI: 10.1111/PPL.12890
Abstract: Desiccation tolerant (DT) plants withstand complete cellular dehydration, reaching relative water contents (RWC) below 30% in their photosynthetic tissues. Desiccation sensitive (DS) plants exhibit different degrees of dehydration tolerance (DHT), never surviving water loss >70%. To date, no procedure for the quantitative evaluation of DHT extent exists that is able to discriminate DS species with differing degrees of DHT from truly DT plants. We developed a simple, feasible and portable protocol to differentiate between DT and different degrees of DHT in the photosynthetic tissues of seed plants and between fast desiccation (< 24 h) tolerant (FDT) and sensitive (FDS) bryophytes. The protocol is based on (1) controlled desiccation inside Falcon tubes equilibrated at three different relative humidities that, consequently, induce three different speeds and extents of dehydration and (2) an evaluation of the average percentage of maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII (F
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.TPLANTS.2019.07.002
Abstract: Until recently, few data were available on photosynthesis and its underlying mechanistically limiting factors in plants, other than crops and model species. Currently, a new large pool of data from extant representatives of basal terrestrial plant groups is emerging, allowing exploration of how photosynthetic capacity (A
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-07-2021
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.17577
Abstract: Global warming is expected to dramatically accelerate forest mortality as temperature and drought intensity increase. Predicting the magnitude of this impact urgently requires an understanding of the process connecting atmospheric drying to plant tissue damage. Recent episodes of forest mortality worldwide have been widely attributed to dry conditions causing acute damage to plant vascular systems. Under this scenario vascular embolisms produced by water stress are thought to cause plant death, yet this hypothetical trajectory has never been empirically demonstrated. Here we provide foundational evidence connecting failure in the vascular network of leaves with tissue damage caused during water stress. We observe a catastrophic sequence initiated by water column breakage under tension in leaf veins which severs local leaf tissue water supply, immediately causing acute cellular dehydration and irreversible damage. By highlighting the primacy of vascular network failure in the death of leaves exposed to drought or evaporative stress our results provide a strong mechanistic foundation upon which models of plant damage in response to dehydration can be confidently structured.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-02-2019
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.15675
Abstract: Photosynthesis in bryophytes and lycophytes has received less attention than terrestrial plant groups. In particular, few studies have addressed the nonstomatal diffusion conductance to CO
Location: No location found
Location: Spain
No related grants have been discovered for Marc Carriquí Alcover.