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Updated: Aug 29, 2025

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Evolution and function of red pigmentation in land plants.

Kevin M Davies1, Marco Landi2, John W van Klink3

  • 1The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 11600, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.

Annals of Botany
|September 7, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Land plants produce red pigments like flavonoids to cope with environmental stress. These pigments, evolving multiple times, protect against radiation and offer unique lineage benefits.

Keywords:
Anthocyaninantioxidantauronidinbetalainbiosynthesisevolutionflavonoidphotomodulationphotoprotectionstress

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Area of Science:

  • Plant Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Land plants commonly synthesize red pigments, primarily flavonoids (phenylpropanoid pathway), in response to environmental stressors.
  • Different land plant lineages exhibit distinct red pigments, including anthocyanins, betalains, sphagnorubins, and auronidins.
  • Terrestrial algae also produce red pigments (carotenoids, phenolics) under abiotic stress.

Approach:

  • This review examines environmental triggers for red pigmentation in non-reproductive tissues.
  • It explores theories on the functions of stress-induced pigmentation and the evolution of biosynthetic pathways.
  • Comparative analysis includes stress-induced pigmentation in land plants versus terrestrial algae.

Key Points:

  • Pigment evolution is diverse across land plant lineages.
  • Red pigments serve dual roles: screening damaging radiation and providing lineage-specific benefits.
  • Betalains are an alternative to anthocyanins in some flowering plants lacking anthocyanin biosynthesis.

Conclusions:

  • Pigment biosynthetic pathways have evolved multiple times in land plants.
  • Red pigments provide photoprotection against damaging photosynthetically active radiation.
  • Secondary functions of these pigments confer specific advantages to different plant lineages.