Regional differences in leaf evolution facilitate photosynthesis following severe drought.
New Phytol
; 243(6): 2457-2469, 2024 Sep.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39021265
ABSTRACT
Characterizing physiological and anatomical changes that underlie rapid evolution following climatic perturbation can broaden our understanding of how climate change is affecting biodiversity. It can also provide evidence of cryptic adaptation despite stasis at higher levels of biological organization. Here, we compared evolutionary changes in populations of Mimulus cardinalis from historically different climates in the north and south of the species' range following an exceptional drought. We grew seeds produced from predrought ancestral plants alongside peak-drought descendants in a common glasshouse and exposed them to wet and dry conditions. Before the drought, northern ancestral populations expressed traits contributing to drought escape, while southern ancestral populations expressed drought avoidance. Following the drought, both regions evolved to reduce water loss and maintain photosynthesis in dry treatments (drought avoidance), but via different anatomical alterations in stomata, trichomes, and palisade mesophyll. Additionally, southern populations lost the ability to take advantage of wet conditions. These results reveal rapid evolution towards drought avoidance at an anatomical level following an exceptional drought, but suggest that differences in the mechanisms between regions incur different trade-offs. This sheds light on the importance of characterizing underlying mechanisms for downstream life-history and macromorphological traits.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Fotosíntesis
/
Hojas de la Planta
/
Evolución Biológica
/
Sequías
Idioma:
En
Revista:
New Phytol
Asunto de la revista:
BOTANICA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido