Exploiting natural variation to discover tools to increase crop plant yield

本项目旨在通过对黄花属植物C3、C4和C3-C4中间种的研究，确定促进C4通路进化的特定生化和潜在分子修饰。大多数陆地植物利用C3或C4光合作用吸收二氧化碳。利用C4途径的植物在多个植物谱系中从C3祖先进化而来，在干旱、强光和盐碱化环境中表现出更高的光合作用和太阳辐射转化为生物量的速率，这些环境由于全球气候变化而不断扩大。这个项目的结果可以确定需要什么来设计提高产量和抵御气候变化影响的植物品种，并有助于我们对趋同进化过程的理解。

This project aims to identify the specific biochemical and underlying molecular modifications that contributed to the evolution of the C4 pathway by studying C3, C4 and C3-C4 intermediate Flaveria species. Most land plants use C3 or C4 photosynthesis to assimilate CO2. Plants using the C4 pathway evolved from C3 ancestors in multiple plant lineages, and show higher rates of photosynthesis and conversion of solar radiation to biomass in arid, high-light and saline environments, which are expanding due to global climate change. The outcomes of this project could define what is required to engineer plant varieties with increased yield and the ability to withstand effects of climate shift, and contribute to our understanding of convergent evolutionary processes.