Abstract
Future climate change is set to have an impact on the physiological performance of global vegetation. Increasing temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentration will affect plant growth, net primary productivity, photosynthetic capability, and other biochemical functions that are essential for normal metabolic function. Alongside the primary metabolic function effects of plant growth and development, the effect of stress on plant secondary metabolism from both biotic and abiotic sources will be impacted by changes in future climate. Using an untargeted metabolomic fingerprinting approach alongside emissions measurements, we investigate for the first time how elevated atmospheric CO2 and temperature both independently and interactively impact on plant secondary metabolism through resource allocation, with a resulting “trade-off” between secondary metabolic processes in Salix spp. and in particular, isoprene biosynthesis. Although it has been previously reported that isoprene is suppressed in times of elevated CO2, and that isoprene emissions increase as a response to short-term heat shock, no study has investigated the interactive effects at the metabolic level. We have demonstrated that at a metabolic level isoprene is still being produced during periods of both elevated CO2 and temperature, and that ultimately temperature has the greater effect. With global temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentrations rising as a result of anthropogenic activity, it is imperative to understand the interactions between atmospheric processes and global vegetation, especially given that global isoprene emissions have the potential to contribute to atmospheric warming mitigation.
Highlights
IntroductionA central mechanism deployed by plants that allows them to mitigate environmental stress is the modulation of their secondary metabolism
Resisting environmental stress is one of the major challenges faced by plants
We report for the first time both the independent and combined effects of temperature and CO2 on the production and flux of plant secondary metabolism with a focus the flavonoids and isoprene biosynthesis using Salix spp. (Terra Nova [(S. viminalis×Salix triandra)×Salix miyabeana])
Summary
A central mechanism deployed by plants that allows them to mitigate environmental stress is the modulation of their secondary metabolism This can take the form of anti-feedant compounds to reduce herbivory (Hopkins et al, 2017), and the production of compatible solutes that allow plants to maintain homeostatic water relations under drought conditions (Holström et al, 2000). Such environmental challenges are being exacerbated by climate change, and there is a need to understand the biological controls on secondary metabolism in relation to changing climate. Up regulation of secondary metabolism and can in turn form part of a plant’s protection strategy against short-term environmental stresses (Ramakrishna and Ravishankar, 2011)
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