Maximum CO₂ diffusion inside leaves is limited by the scaling of cell size and genome size.

ABSTRACT: Maintaining high rates of photosynthesis in leaves requires efficient movement of CO₂ from the atmosphere to the mesophyll cells inside the leaf where CO₂ is converted into sugar. CO₂ diffusion inside the leaf depends directly on the structure of the mesophyll cells and their surrounding airspace, which have been difficult to characterize because of their inherently three-dimensional organization. Yet faster CO₂ diffusion inside the leaf was probably critical in elevating rates of photosynthesis that occurred among angiosperm lineages. Here we characterize the three-dimensional surface area of the leaf mesophyll across vascular plants. We show that genome size determines the sizes and packing densities of cells in all leaf tissues and that smalle

SUBMITTER: Theroux-Rancourt G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7934972 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature