2017 CO2 Assimilation in Plants from Genome to Biome Gordon Research Conference, Lucca, Italy

植物和藻类利用太阳能通过光合作用将二氧化碳转化为碳水化合物、蛋白质和脂肪。这可以说是地球上最重要的过程，因为它直接或间接地提供了我们所有的食物，大部分的燃料和纤维，以及我们呼吸的氧气。全球饮食趋势和人口增长意味着，到2050年，世界将需要比现在多70%的粮食来自农作物，最终来自光合作用。为了避免破坏更多的森林和其他主要栖息地，同时不给水和肥料资源造成压力，我们需要在目前用于粮食生产的土地上生产这额外的70%，比如美国中西部。然而，在绿色革命期间给我们带来大量产量增加的技术现在已经达到了生物学极限，需要新的创新。就太阳能、水和氮肥的利用而言，当今作物的光合作用效率不到理论效率的20%，而且在过去的100年里，作物的光合作用几乎没有什么改善。对这一过程的科学认识发展迅速。2016年，首次有可能将这种理解从计算机和实验室转移到农田生产力的提高上。本次会议将汇集受到这些发展启发的专家和青年科学家，讨论如何将这些基础科学进展应用于作物生产，以造福全球粮食供应、环境和农村经济。对社会来说，推进和应用我们对植物和藻类吸收二氧化碳的理解从未像今天这样重要。世界面临着双重挑战，一是可持续地为本世纪中叶生产足够的粮食，二是寻找新的机会为生物制造生产可再生原料。本次会议将通过讨论我们在理解和应用方面的新进展来解决从基因水平到全球水平的这些挑战。主题包括：为粮食安全和生物能源增加光合作用的工程；合成光合CO2吸收途径；加速CO2同化和产量提高的表型组学；克服Rubisco氧化；CO2同化装置的演变与发展；inter-compartmental通量;CO2同化动力学模拟；碳浓缩机制的新进展；调节气孔响应和叶肉导度的研究进展适应大气变化；全球二氧化碳汇的量化；以及工程景观来抵消气候变化。

Plants and algae use the sun's energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbohydrates, proteins, and fats through photosynthesis. This is arguably the most important process on the planet as the source, directly or indirectly, of all our food, most of our fuel and fibers, and the oxygen that we breathe. Global dietary trends and population growth mean that by 2050 the world will require 70% more food from crops, and ultimately from photosynthesis, than it is producing today. To avoid destroying more forest and other prime habitat while not stressing water and fertilizer resources, we need to produce this extra 70% on land currently in use for food production, such as the US Midwest. However, the techniques that gave us large yield increases during the Green Revolution are now reaching their biological limits, and new innovations are needed. Photosynthesis in today's crops achieves less than 20% of its theoretical efficiency in terms of use of solar energy, water, and nitrogen fertilizer, and there has been little improvement in crops over the last 100 years. Scientific understanding of the process has developed rapidly. In 2016, it became possible for the first time to move this understanding from the computer and laboratory to demonstrate productivity increases on farm fields. This meeting will bring together experts and young scientists inspired by these developments to discuss how these fundamental science advances are being and will be applied in crop production to the benefit of global food supply, the environment, and rural economies.Advancing and applying our understanding of CO2 assimilation in plants and algae has never been more important to society than it is today. The world faces the dual challenges of producing adequate food for mid-century sustainably and identifying new opportunities to generate renewable raw materials for biomanufacturing. This meeting will address these challenges from the gene level to the global level by discussing emerging advances in our understanding and their application. Topics include: engineering increased photosynthesis for food security and bioenergy; synthetic photosynthetic CO2 assimilatory pathways; phenomics in accelerating improvement in CO2 assimilation and yield; overcoming oxygenation at Rubisco; the evolution and development of the CO2 assimilation apparatus; inter-compartmental fluxes; kinetic modeling of CO2 assimilation; what is new in carbon concentrating mechanisms; prospects for modifying stomatal responses and mesophyll conductance; adapting to atmospheric change; quantification of global sinks for CO2; and engineering landscapes to offset climate change.