Native environment modulates leaf size and response to simulated foliar shade across wild tomato species.

ABSTRACT: The laminae of leaves optimize photosynthetic rates by serving as a platform for both light capture and gas exchange, while minimizing water losses associated with thermoregulation and transpiration. Many have speculated that plants maximize photosynthetic output and minimize associated costs through leaf size, complexity, and shape, but a unifying theory linking the plethora of observed leaf forms with the environment remains elusive. Additionally, the leaf itself is a plastic structure, responsive to its surroundings, further complicating the relationship. Despite extensive knowledge of the genetic mechanisms underlying angiosperm leaf development, little is known about how phenotypic plasticity and selective pressures converge to create the diversity of leaf shapes and sizes across line

SUBMITTER: Chitwood DH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3257252 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature