Projects per year
Abstract
Anthropogenic emissions have caused atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations to double since the industrial revolution. Although this could benefit plant growth from the 'CO2 fertilisation' effect, recent studies report conflicting impacts of elevated CO2 (eCO2) on plant-pathogen interactions. Fungal pathogens are the leading cause of plant disease. Since climate change has been shown to affect the distribution and virulence of these pathogens, it is important to understand how their plant hosts may also respond. This review assesses existing reports of positive, negative, and neutral effects of eCO2 on plant immune responses to fungal pathogen infection. The interaction between eCO2 and immunity appears specific to individual pathosystems, dependent on environmental context and driven by the interactions between plant defence mechanisms, suggesting no universal effect can be predicted for the future. This research is vital for assessing how plants may become more at risk under climate change and could help to guide biotechnological efforts to enhance resistance in vulnerable species. Despite the importance of understanding the effects of eCO2 on plant immunity for protecting global food security, biodiversity, and forests in a changing climate, many plant-pathogen interactions are yet to be investigated. In addition, further research into the effects of eCO2 in combination with other environmental factors associated with climate change is needed. In this review, we highlight the risks of eCO2 to plants and point to the research required to address current unknowns.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1791-1804 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | The Biochemical journal |
Volume | 480 |
Issue number | 22 |
Early online date | 17 Nov 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 29 Nov 2023 |
Bibliographical note
© 2023 The Author(s).Acknowledgements
This work was funded by the BBSRC Future Leader Fellowship BB/P00556X/2, the JABBS foundation project ‘Resistance strategies of oak trees in the arms race with pathogens' and the UKRI grant ‘MEMBRA’ NE/V021346/1 to E.L.
Keywords
- Carbon Dioxide/pharmacology
- Forests
- Plants
- Plant Immunity
- Climate Change
- forest trees
- plant defence
- CO2
- crops
- resistance mechanisms
- climate change
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MEMBRA: Understanding Memory of UK Treescapes for Better Resilience and Adaptation
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Natural Environment Research Council
1/08/21 → 31/01/25
Project: Research Councils
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Resistance strategies of oak trees in the arms race with pathogens
1/09/19 → 31/08/23
Project: Research
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Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council
1/07/18 → 30/06/21
Project: Research Councils