Lessons from relatives: C4 photosynthesis enhances CO2 assimilation during the low-light phase of fluctuations.

ABSTRACT: Despite the global importance of species with C4 photosynthesis, there is a lack of consensus regarding C4 performance under fluctuating light. Contrasting hypotheses and experimental evidence suggest that C4 photosynthesis is either less or more efficient in fixing carbon under fluctuating light than the ancestral C3 form. Two main issues have been identified that may underly the lack of consensus: neglect of evolutionary distance between selected C3 and C4 species and use of contrasting fluctuating light treatments. To circumvent these issues, we measured photosynthetic responses to fluctuating light across 3 independent phylogenetically controlled comparisons between C3 and C4 species from Alloteropsis, Flaveria, and Cleome genera under 21% and 2% O2. Leaves were subjected to repetitive

SUBMITTER: Arce Cubas L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10517189 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature