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32 results for “C4 grass”
Data from: Responses of C4 grasses to aridity reflect species-specific strategies in a semiarid savanna
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Flood-driven survival and growth of dominant C4 grasses helps set their distributions along tallgrass prairie moisture gradients
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C4 photosynthesis and the economic spectra of leaf and root traits independently influence growth rates in grasses
<p>Photosynthetic pathway is an important cause of growth rate variation between species, such that the enhanced carbon uptake of C<sub>4</sub> species leads to faster growth than their C<sub>3</sub> counterparts. Leaf traits that promote rapid resource acquisition may further enhance the growth capacity of C<sub>4</sub> species. However, how root economic traits interact with leaf traits, and the different growth strategies adopted by plants with C<sub>3</sub> and C<sub>4</sub> photosynthetic pathways is unclear. Plant economic traits could interact with, or act independently of, photosynthetic pathway in influencing growth rate, or C<sub>3</sub> and C<sub>4</sub> species could segregate out along a common growth rate-trait relationship.</p> <p>We measured leaf and root traits on 100+ grass species grown from seeds in a controlled, common environment to compare with relative growth rates (RGR) during the initial phase of rapid growth, controlling for phylogeny and allometric effects.</p> <p>Photosynthetic pathway acts independently to leaf and root functional traits in causing fast growth. Using C<sub>4</sub> photosynthesis, plants can achieve faster growth than their C<sub>3</sub> counterparts (by an average 0.04 g g<sup>-1</sup> day<sup>-1</sup>) for a given suite of functional trait values, with lower investments of leaf and root nitrogen. Leaf and root traits had an additive effect on RGR, with plants achieving fast growth by possessing resource-acquisitive leaf traits (high specific leaf area and low leaf dry matter content) or root traits (high specific root length and area, and low root diameter), but having both leads to an even faster growth rate (by up to 0.06 g g-1 day-1). C<sub>4</sub> photosynthesis can provide a greater relative increase in RGR for plants with a 'slow' ecological strategy than in those with fast growth. However, aboveground and belowground strategies are not coordinated, so that species can have any combination of 'slow' or 'fast' leaf and root traits.</p> <p>Synthesis: C<sub>4</sub> photosynthesis increases growth rate for a given combination of economic traits, and significantly alters plant nitrogen economy in the leaves and roots. However, leaf and root economic traits act independently to further enhance growth. The fast growth of C<sub>4</sub> grasses promotes a competitive advantage under hot, sunny conditions.</p>
Plant biomass, not plant economics traits, determines responses of soil CO2 efflux to precipitation in the C4 grass Panicum virgatum
<p>1. Plant responses to major environmental drivers like precipitation can influence important aspects of carbon (C) cycling like soil CO<sub>2</sub> efflux (J<sub>CO2</sub>). These responses may be predicted by two independent classes of drivers: plant size—larger plants respire more and produce a larger quantity of labile C, and plant economics—plants possessing more acquisitive plant economics strategies (i.e., high metabolic rate and tissue nutrient content) produce higher-quality tissue that respires rapidly and decomposes quickly.</p> <p>2. At two sites in central Texas, USA with similar climates and differing soil characteristics, we examined the response of eight <i>Panicum virgatum</i> genotypes to three annual precipitation levels defined by the driest, average, and wettest years from each site's precipitation history. We evaluated the individual and joint influence of plant genotypes and precipitation on J<sub>CO2</sub> and traits related to plant economics and plant size. We then used confirmatory path analysis to evaluate whether effects of precipitation on J<sub>CO2</sub> were in part related to effects of precipitation on plant economics traits or size ('mediated' effects).</p> <p>3. These genotypes exhibited variation in plant economics traits and aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), an aboveground measure of plant size. Increasing precipitation increased J<sub>CO2</sub> and ANPP more than plant economics traits. At both sites, ANPP was the single best predictor of J<sub>CO2</sub>. Moreover, the sites differed in the ways that plant size and plant economics traits combined with precipitation to influence J<sub>CO2</sub>. At the Austin site, the positive effect of precipitation on J<sub>CO2</sub> was mediated primarily by ANPP, offset by a smaller effect of leaf nitrogen content; no direct precipitation effect was detected. At the Temple site, increasing precipitation had positive direct and ANPP-mediated effects on J<sub>CO2</sub>. This suggests that greater water limitation at Austin may strengthen the links between plant size and J<sub>CO2</sub>.</p> <p>4. Synthesis Estimates of C cycling can be improved by accounting for mediation of precipitation effects on J<sub>CO2</sub> by plant economics traits and plant size in resource-limited environments.</p>
Contrasting effects of indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on nitrogen absorption of C3 and C4 grasses: Evidence from microcosm and 15N labeling experiments
<p><strong><em>Background and aims</em></strong></p> <p>Nitrogen (N) captured by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is a major pathway in the N uptake of host plants. However, the relative contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to N uptake in different plant functional types has not been well assessed.</p> <p><strong><em>Methods</em></strong></p> <p>Two dominant plant species in semiarid steppe ecosystems on the Mongolian plateau, i.e. <em>Leymus chinensis </em>(C<sub>3</sub> grass) and <em>Cleistogenes squarrosa</em> (C<sub>4</sub> grass), were selected in this study. We conducted a greenhouse manipulation experiment using novel microcosms combined with <sup>15</sup>N labeling techniques and investigated the effect of indigenous AMF on plant growth and quantified their relative contribution to N uptake under high and low levels of available soil N. </p> <p><strong><em>Results</em></strong></p> <p>Indigenous AMF contribute more to N uptake in C<sub>3</sub> grass than that in C<sub>4</sub> grass, and mycorrhizal partners act as parasites for C<sub>4</sub> plant growth. For <em>L. chinensis</em>, indigenous AM symbiosis suppressed plant growth under low soil N but improved plant growth under high soil N conditions. AMF contributed to <em>c.</em> 23% and 20% of the total plant N uptake under low and high soil N conditions, respectively. For <em>C. squarrosa</em>, indigenous AM symbiosis consistently inhibited plant growth under both low and high soil N conditions, and the percent contributions of AMF to N uptake were only <em>c.</em> 9% and 7%, respectively.</p> <p><strong><em>Conclusions</em></strong></p> <p>Our results demonstrate that indigenous AM symbiosis plays a vital role in N uptake by host plants, even in the absence of a positive growth response. AMF can modify the fitness of C<sub>3</sub> and C<sub>4</sub> grasses and thereby alter plant community composition and ecosystem N cycling, particularly under high N conditions. Our study has important implications for improving global N cycling models in the face of increasing global N deposition.</p>
Data from: Carbon isotope trends across a century of herbarium specimens suggest CO2 fertilization of C4 grasses
<p>Increasing atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> is changing the dynamics of tropical savanna vegetation. C<sub>3</sub> trees and grasses are known to experience CO<sub>2</sub> fertilization, whereas responses to CO<sub>2</sub> by C<sub>4</sub> grasses are more ambiguous. Here, we sample stable carbon isotope trends in herbarium collections of South African C<sub>4</sub> and C<sub>3</sub> grasses to reconstruct <sup>13</sup>C discrimination. We found that C<sub>3</sub> grasses showed no trends in <sup>13</sup>C discrimination over the past century but that C<sub>4</sub> grasses increased their <sup>13</sup>C discrimination through time, especially since 1950. These changes were most strongly linked to changes in atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> rather than to trends in rainfall climatology or temperature. Combined with previously published evidence that grass biomass has increased in C<sub>4</sub>-dominated savannas, these trends suggest that increasing water use efficiency due to CO<sub>2</sub> fertilization may be changing C<sub>4</sub> plant-water relations. CO<sub>2</sub> fertilization of C<sub>4</sub> grasses may thus be a neglected pathway for anthropogenic global change in tropical savanna ecosystems.</p>
Alloteropsis semialata as a study system for C4 evolution in grasses
<p><em>Background</em></p> <p>Numerous groups of plants have adapted to CO<sub>2</sub> limitations by independently evolving C<sub>4</sub> photosynthesis. This trait relies on concerted changes in anatomy and biochemistry to concentrate CO<sub>2</sub> within the leaf and thereby boost productivity in tropical conditions. The ecological and economical importance of C4 photosynthesis has motivated intense research, often relying on comparisons between distantly related C<sub>4</sub> and non-C<sub>4</sub> plants. The photosynthetic type is fixed in most species, with the notable exception of the grass <em>Alloteropsis</em> <em>semialata</em>. This species includes populations exhibiting the ancestral C<sub>3</sub> state in southern Africa, intermediate C<sub>3</sub>+C<sub>4</sub> populations in the Zambezian region and C<sub>4</sub> populations spread around the paleotropics. </p> <p><em>Scope</em></p> <p>We compile here the knowledge on the distribution and history of <em>Alloteropsis</em> as a whole and discuss how this has furthered our understanding of C<sub>4</sub> evolution. We further generate a chromosome-level reference genome for a C<sub>3</sub> individual and compare the genomic architecture to that of a C<sub>4</sub> accession. </p> <p><em>Conclusions</em></p> <p><em>Alloteropsis</em> <em>semialata</em> represents one of the best systems to investigate the evolution of C<sub>4</sub> photosynthesis as the genetic and phenotypic variation provides a fertile ground for comparative and population-level studies. Initial comparative genomics show the C<sub>3</sub> and C<sub>4</sub> genomes are highly syntenic and have undergone a modest amount of gene duplication and translocation since the different photosynthetic groups divided. The background knowledge and publicly available genomic resources make <em>Alloteropsis</em> <em>semialata</em> a great model for further comparative analyses of photosynthetic diversification.</p>
Drought susceptibility of southern African C4 grasses: phylogenetically and photosynthetically determined?
<ol> <li> <span>Factors that determine C</span><span>4 </span><span>grass distributions have been well documented, with evidence in the literature for C<sub>4</sub> photosynthetic subtypes displaying varying levels of drought susceptibility. However, the interactions between C</span><span>4 </span><span>photosynthetic subtype and phylogeny add complexity and are relatively under-studied. </span> </li> <li><span>We use species distribution modelling to determine the influence of rainfall on distribution patterns of representative C<sub>4</sub> grass families and subtypes. Select C<sub>4</sub> grass species, representing different photosynthetic subtypes (NADP-Me and NAD-Me) and lineages (Panicoideae and Aristidoideae), were then subjected to a progressive 58-day drought period and recovery phase, to explore drought responses through leaf water relations, gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence. </span></li> <li><span>We show Panicoideae NADP-Me species to be more susceptible to drought than both Panicoideae NAD-Me and Aristidoideae NADP-Me species due to apparent greater metabolic impairment. The differences between groups were related to how rapidly photosynthesis declines with exposure to drought and the rate of recovery post-drought, rather than the maximum extent of photosynthetic decline. The mechanisms for the relative maintenance of plant water status differed between the Panicoideae NAD-Me species, which utilised greater stomatal control, and the Aristidoideae NADP-Me species, which maintained water uptake through osmotic adjustment. </span></li> <li> <em><span>Synthesis:</span></em><span> We show here that drought susceptibility differs both phylogenetically and according to photosynthetic subtype, but that the role of phylogeny may outweigh physiological control. This research adds novel insight into the physiological differences behind observed rainfall-related differences in C<sub>4</sub> grass distribution patterns. </span> </li> </ol>
Stability of C3 and C4 grass patches after fire and simulated grazing
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>As the woody legume, </span><em>Prosopis glandulosa</em><span> (honey mesquite) has encroached into grasslands and rangelands in the southern Great Plains, USA, two grass species, C<sub>4</sub> shortgrass, </span><em>Buchloe dactyloides</em><span> (buffalograss), and C<sub>3</sub> mid-grass, </span><em>Nassella leucotricha</em><span> (Texas wintergrass), have increased in dominance. Occurrence of more productive C<sub>4</sub> mid-grasses and herbaceous diversity have declined. We measured effects of various combinations of spring clipping (to simulate cattle grazing) and summer and/or winter fire treatments on the stability of monoculture patches of these two grass species over an eight-year period, with the goal of reducing </span><em>Nassella</em><span> and increasing C<sub>4</sub> mid-grass cover. All fire treatments top-killed most </span><em>Prosopi</em><span><em><span>s</span></em> trees that subsequently resprouted. </span><em>Buchloe</em><span> cover declined in the No Clip + No Fire treatment but remained intact</span> with clipping and/or fire. Frequent clip<span>ping reduced </span><em>Nassella</em><span> cover across all fire treatments. </span><em>Buchloe </em><span>encroachment into </span><em>Nassella</em><span> patches was greatest in the Clip + Alternate Season fire treatment. C<sub>4</sub> mid-grass cover increased to 15–25% in </span><em>Nassella</em><span> patches in several fire-only or Clip + Fire treatments; greatest gains were observed in treatments that included summer fire. In contrast, C<sub>4</sub> mid-grass gains were lower in </span><em>Buchloe </em><span>patches. These results suggest that C<sub>4</sub> mid-grass restoration was linked with treatments that reduced</span><em> Nassella </em><span>cover.</span></p>
Data from: Competitive response of savanna tree seedlings to C4 grasses is negatively related to photosynthesis rate
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Data from: Carbon isotope trends across a century of herbarium specimens suggest CO2 fertilization of C4 grasses
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Contrasting effects of indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on nitrogen absorption of C3 and C4 grasses: Evidence from microcosm and 15N labeling experiments
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Alloteropsis semialata as a study system for C4 evolution in grasses
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Stability of C3 and C4 grass patches after fire and simulated grazing
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Data from: Climate change-driven shifts in C3 and C4 grass distributions and leaf traits could lead to changes in community-level flammability
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Drought susceptibility of southern African C4 grasses: phylogenetically and photosynthetically determined?
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Data from: Plant biomass, not plant economics traits, determines responses of soil CO2 efflux to precipitation in the C4 grass Panicum virgatum
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C4 photosynthesis and the economic spectra of leaf and root traits independently influence growth rates in grasses
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Data from: C4 savanna grasses fail to maintain assimilation in drying soil under low CO2 compared with C3 trees despite lower leaf water demand
1) C4 photosynthesis evolved when grasses migrated out of contracting forests under a declining atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]a) and drying climate around 30 million years ago. C4 grasses are hypothesised to benefit from improved plant–water relations in open habitats like savannas, giving advantages over C3 plants under low [CO2]a. But experimental evidence in a low CO2 environment is limited and comparisons with C3 trees are needed to understand savanna vegetation patterns. 2) To test whether stomatal conductance (gS) and CO2 assimilation (A) are maintained in drier soil for C4 grasses than C3 trees, particularly under low [CO2]a, we investigated photosynthesis and plant–water relations of three C3 tree and three C4 grass species grown at 800, 400 or 200 ppm [CO2]a over moderate wetting–drying cycles. 3) C4 grasses had a lower soil–to–leaf water potential gradient than C3 trees, especially at 200 ppm [CO2]a, indicating reduced leaf water demand relative to supply. Yet the dependence of gS and A on predawn leaf water potential (a measure of soil water availability) was greater for the C4 grasses than trees, particularly under low [CO2]a. 4) Our findings establish that gS and A are not maintained in drier soil for C4 grasses compared with C3 trees, suggesting that this mechanism was not prevailing in the expansion of C4–dominated grasslands under low [CO2]a. This inherent susceptibility to sudden decreases in soil water availability justifies why C4 grasses have not evolved a resistant xylem allowing operation under drought, but instead shut down below a water potential threshold and rapidly recover. We point to this capacity to respond to transient water availability as a key overlooked driver of C4 grass success under low [CO2]a.
Traits explain sorting of C4 grasses along a global precipitation gradient
<p>Species distributions are closely associated with moisture availability, but the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. Drought relations are especially important for plants such as C<sub>4</sub> grasses that dominate seasonally dry ecosystems. Here, we test the hypothesis that C<sub>4</sub> grass species sampled across global precipitation gradients show variation in survival under drought that can be explained by their traits. Our experiment subjected 18 C<sub>4</sub> grass species to a lethal drought under controlled environmental conditions. The number of days until death was measured, along with root traits, senescence and aspects of hydraulic function. <span><span>We identified two strategies; Drought avoiding species that stayed green as the water potential declined, and drought tolerating species that senesced more quickly but could extend survival via drought tolerant meristems. </span></span><span><span>Plants that stay-green for longer occupied drier habitats and had the longest survival under drought, facilitated by narrow root diameter and isohydric stomatal behaviour. Plants that senesced quickly had thicker roots, an anisohydric strategy, and occupied wetter habitats.</span></span> Global distributions of C<sub>4</sub> grasses can be predicted by variation in rates of senescence, meristem survival, root traits and stomatal strategy, showing the value of these traits for understanding plant distributions in relation to climate.</p>
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Allen Brain Atlas
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