The genomics of plant response to elevated atmospheric CO2 –elucidating plastic and adaptive mechanisms

Abstract

The increase of carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) is the main factor in global climate change, and the atmospheric [CO2] has risen from 280 parts per million (ppm) during the pre-industrial period to the most recently estimated figure of 400 ?mol mol-1 due to human activities. The increase of [CO2] could potentially have a morphological, genetic and ecological effect on vegetation. Populus is considered as a model tree to study the autumnal senescence in response to different [CO2] for several reasons. Previous studies have identified elevated [CO2] (e[CO2]) could cause delayed natural autumnal senescence on plants such as poplar and soybean. This report studied two microarrays on two Populus species– Populus. x euramericana and Populus tremuloides grown under ambient and elevated [CO2] (360ppm and 550 560ppm) from POP/EUROFACE and AspenFACE and identified that e[CO2] significantly increased the antioxidative enzyme and products (anthocyanin), thus prevented oxidative stress and therefore caused delayed natural senescence. Further study of e[CO2] effect on an evolutionary level was applied on Plantago lanceolata, a common grass species which has grown in a naturally high-CO2 spring for hundreds of years. The plants from inside and outside of the spring were collected and exposed to either ambient or elevated [CO2] (380ppm and 700ppm) for a seasonal cycle. The morphological study indicated that plant biomass traits were influenced by long term [CO2] (original site), whereas epidermal cells and stomatal traits showed more adaptation to short-term [CO2] change (elevated/ambient [CO2]). The following transcriptome sequencing on the plants from inside and outside spring supported the morphological data and identified an in-sufficient Calvin cycle in spring plants’ response to high [CO2]. However, the significant genetic evolutionary adaption to high [CO2] failed to be detected in this experiment. Furthermore research on the genetic and genomic level was required to understand whether long-term growth in different [CO2] has a selection effect on plants. This will allow the prediction of vegetation behaviour in future atmospheric [CO2].

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