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Functional convergence of growth responses to shade and warmth in Arabidopsis
Author(s) -
RomeroMontepaone Sofía,
Sellaro Romina,
Esteban Hernando Carlos,
CostiglioloRojas Cecilia,
Bianchimano Luciana,
Ploschuk Edmundo L.,
Yanovsky Marcelo J.,
Casal Jorge J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.17430
Subject(s) - phototropism , biology , shade avoidance , hypocotyl , phytochrome , arabidopsis thaliana , arabidopsis , photosynthesis , shade tolerance , botany , ecology , gene , mutant , genetics , blue light , red light , physics , canopy , optics
Summary Shade and warmth promote the growth of the stem, but the degree of mechanistic convergence and functional association between these responses is not clear. We analysed the quantitative impact of mutations and natural genetic variation on the hypocotyl growth responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to shade and warmth, the relationship between the abundance of PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4) and growth stimulation by shade or warmth, the effects of both cues on the transcriptome and the consequences of warm temperature on carbon balance. Growth responses to shade and warmth showed strong genetic linkage and similar dependence on PIF4 levels. Temperature increased growth and phototropism even within a range where damage by extreme high temperatures is unlikely to occur in nature. Both cues enhanced the expression of growth‐related genes and reduced the expression of photosynthetic genes. However, only warmth enhanced the expression of genes involved in responses to heat. Warm temperatures substantially increased the amount of light required to compensate for the daily carbon dioxide balance. We propose that the main ecological function of hypocotyl growth responses to warmth is to increase the access of shaded photosynthetic organs to light, which implies functional convergence with shade avoidance.