Plant terrestrialization: an environmental pull on the evolution of multi-sourced streptophyte phenolics

Area of Science:

• Plant biochemistry
• Evolutionary biology
• Metabolomics

Background:

• Phenolic compounds are diverse in land plants, serving vital functions from signaling to stress protection.
• Their roles are often linked to environmental responses, with origins traceable to algal ancestors.
• Streptophyte algae, progenitors of land plants, possess pathways for producing key phenolics, like the phenylpropanoid pathway.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize knowledge on specialized phenolic compound production throughout streptophyte evolution.
• To propose an evolutionary scenario for the chemodiversity of phenolics in streptophytes.
• To explore the impact of environmental cues on phenolic compound evolution.

Main Methods:

• Literature synthesis and review.
• Comparative analysis of biosynthetic pathways.
• Phylogenetic reconstruction of metabolic evolution.

Main Results:

• Identified conserved and novel phenolic biosynthetic routes across streptophyte evolution.
• Documented the expansion of phenolic compound diversity from algae to land plants.
• Highlighted the role of the phenylpropanoid pathway in adaptation.

Conclusions:

• Environmental pressures were key drivers in shaping phenolic compound chemodiversity in streptophytes.
• The evolution of specialized phenolics is integral to the adaptation of plants to terrestrial environments.
• Understanding this evolutionary history provides insights into plant metabolism and adaptation.