Mesophyll porosity is modulated by the presence of functional stomata

Lundgren, Marjorie R.; Mathers, Andrew; Baillie, Alice L.; Dunn, Jessica; Wilson, Matthew J.; Hunt, Lee; Pajor, Radoslaw; Fradera-Soler, Marc; Rolfe, Stephen; Osborne, Colin P.; Sturrock, Craig J.; Gray, Julie E.; Mooney, Sacha J.; Fleming, Andrew J.

Abstract

The formation of stomata and leaf mesophyll airspace must be coordinated to establish an efficient and robust network that facilitates gas exchange for photosynthesis, however the mechanism by which this coordinated development occurs remains unclear. Here, we combine microCT and gas exchange analyses with measures of stomatal size and patterning in a range of wild, domesticated and transgenic lines of wheat and Arabidopsis to show that mesophyll airspace formation is linked to stomatal function in both monocots and eudicots. Our results support the hypothesis that gas flux via stomatal pores influences the degree and spatial patterning of mesophyll airspace formation, and indicate that this relationship has
been selected for during the evolution of modern wheat. We propose that the coordination of stomata and mesophyll airspace pattern underpins water use efficiency in crops, providing a target for future improvement.

Citation

Lundgren, M. R., Mathers, A., Baillie, A. L., Dunn, J., Wilson, M. J., Hunt, L., …Fleming, A. J. (2019). Mesophyll porosity is modulated by the presence of functional stomata. Nature Communications, 10(1), Article 2825. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10826-5

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 4, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Jun 27, 2019
• Publication Date: 2019-12
• Deposit Date: Jul 23, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 23, 2019
• Journal: Nature Communications
• Electronic ISSN: 2041-1723
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 2825
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10826-5
• Keywords: General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology; General Physics and Astronomy; General Chemistry
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2332067
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-10826-5
• Additional Information: Received: 22 November 2018; Accepted: 3 June 2019; First Online: 27 June 2019; : The authors declare no competing interests.