On the evolution of plant thermomorphogenesis

Area of Science:

• Plant Science
• Evolutionary Biology
• Physiology

Background:

• Plants acclimate to environments via phenotypic plasticity, crucial for survival.
• Land colonization presented challenges like temperature fluctuations, driving plant adaptation.
• Thermomorphogenesis, plant architectural changes in response to heat, is a key adaptation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the evolutionary origins of thermomorphogenesis.
• To hypothesize how thermomorphogenesis evolved with plant morphological complexity.
• To understand plant acclimation to elevated temperatures across lineages.

Main Methods:

• Literature review synthesizing evolutionary and physiological data.
• Comparative analysis of thermomorphogenesis across plant lineages.
• Hypothesis generation on the evolution of temperature response.

Main Results:

• Phenotypic plasticity is key to plant acclimation, especially on land.
• Elevated temperatures and fluctuations posed significant adaptive challenges.
• Understanding thermomorphogenesis in diverse plant groups remains limited.

Conclusions:

• Thermomorphogenesis likely co-evolved with terrestrialization and increasing morphological complexity.
• Further research is needed on thermomorphogenesis in basal plant lineages.
• Evolutionary-physiological perspectives are vital for understanding plant heat adaptation.