Ali Leverett

A model of the coexistence of C4, crassulacean acid metabolism, and bicarbonate use in a single cell of Ottelia alismoides.

A novel single‐cell NAD‐ME C4 subtype integrated with #CAM and #bicarbonate use in an aquatic plant

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
by Sheng Jiang et al.

@WileyPlantSci #photosynthesis #Rubisco

Rho GTPase overexpression impacts leaf internal architecture and mesophyll conductance in Arabidopsis Leaves are built from multiple cell types and are structured to enable the conversion of carbon dioxide and water into sugars in the process of photosynthesis. Understanding how cell architecture im.....

New paper - led by Isabella Østerlund

Rho-GTPase overexpression can impact the development of cell shape and airspace structure in Arabidopsis.

These genetic changes can also reduce photosynthesis, due to lower mesophyll conductance

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

One day in the lab, we accidentally discovered that the spines of a cactus 🌵 straighten when exposed to fog. I was intrigued and so were my collaborators. How does this work and what can be gained from it? Here are some of the answers in our new preprint:
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

🎉🆕📰🎉: The winner takes it all: a single genotype of Kalanchoe × houghtonii is a global invader
doi.org/10.1093/aob/...

Inside the Essex ‘drought room’ testing crops for climate change After one of the driest springs on record, and with British harvests collapsing, urgent research is finding creative ways to help farmers adapt

Since I’ve moved to England in 2020 we’ve lived through three of the hottest years on record. Unsurprisingly, this is impacting crop yields. Read more about the impact, and the work we do to mitigate this in this weekend’s times: www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...

New Article: "Leaf venation network evolution across clades and scales" rdcu.be/epLNP

Evolution of leaf venation networks, from fewer, corrugated veins to high vein density and smoother loops. Herbivory as a potential driver of venation architectural changes.

A high‐quality genome of the Atacama Desert plant Cistanthe cachinalensis and its photosynthetic behavior related to drought and life history Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis has independently evolved many times in arid-adapted plant lineages. Cistanthe cachinalensis (Montiaceae), a desert annual, can upregulate CAM facul...

New #CAM paper dropped! nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1... #plantscience

Regulation of Crassulacean acid metabolism at the protein level in Kalanchoë laxiflora (Katharina Schiller , Saskia Janshoff , Sanja Zenker , Prisca Viehöver , James Hartwell , Jürgen Eirich , Iris Finkemeier , Andrea Bräutigam) doi.org/10.1093/plph... #PlantScience

please share - 2 postdoc positions available - molecular physiology of stomata and plant water use of efficiency
lab.igb.illinois.edu/leakey/post-... @ripeproject.bsky.social @aspbofficial.bsky.social

🌿 Excited to share our latest preprint!
We tracked how plasmodesmata numbers evolved across the path from C₃ → C₄ photosynthesis in Flaveria - and found a stepwise increase in cell-to-cell connectivity.
Thoughts or feedback are most welcome 😊
#PlantScience

♻️🆓: Elevated nocturnal respiratory rates in the mitochondria of CAM plants: current knowledge and unanswered questions
doi.org/10.1093/aob/...

Welcome to the Pallavi Singh Lab account! We explore how plants respond to water stress, investigate shoot-root interactions via monocot grafting & work on enhancing photosynthesis. Follow us for research updates, fieldwork adventures & behind the scenes lab moments!
#PlantScience #Photosynthesis

Faster relaxation of nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) in C4 than in C3 species Acceleration of photoprotective non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) responses to changes in light intensity has been suggested as a strategy to enhance crop yield. Despite many key crops utilising C4 ph...

Have you ever wondered about NPQ in C4 plants? ☀️🪴 Check out the recent pre-print from Lucìa who used to be a PhD student/post-doc in our lab and now works for the @ripeproject.bsky.social in Illinois. She shows that C4 plants have faster NPQ than related C3 plants.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Check out our postdoc Georgia's new paper on the role of hydrogen peroxide in coordinating photosynthesis with stomatal opening 🌱

In it she shows that chloroplast-derived hydrogen peroxide coordinates stomatal conductance and that this signal predominantly arises from the guard cells.

WE’RE HIRING!

Funded 3-year postdoc looking at the impact of chilling on maize 🌽

The project will be looking at chilling responses in roots and shoots 🌱❄️ including the role of ABA and photoinhibition.

Applications close 28th March. More details below www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/50591/

I just signed (this one is for British citizens only)

Sorry I know that’s so vague and unhelpful - but feel free to email me too I’ll see if I can remember much from 2016

I used one during my PhD - there was a super useful A4 booklet that someone had made as a guide, but I can’t remember who it was by. It had a blue cover and cartoons of a scientist with a beard.

Tried finding it online but hard without remembering the author - someone on here might know

I need help finding a pdf of a paper that seems to be impossible for me to find - can anyone help?

“Physiological conditions in cucumber houses” (1917) F.G. Gregory

Please can I join

Shortcutting Photorespiration Protects Potato Photosynthesis and Tuber Yield Against Heatwave Stress Over two growing seasons, a chloroplast localized synthetic glycolate metabolic pathway expressed in potato, enhanced tuber biomass. We confirmed that this yield benefit did not come at the cost of t...

Over 3 pandemic summers @kmeacham-hensold.bsky.social led a fabulous team characterizing a photorespiratory bypass in field-grown potato, giving us more evidence that manipulating PR can enhance crop thermotolerance!

Out today : onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/oidcS...

@globalchangebio.bsky.social

Election day distraction: new preprint!

Intensive leaf cooling promotes tree survival during a record heatwave | PNAS Increasing heatwaves are threatening forest ecosystems globally. Leaf thermal regulation and tolerance are important for plant survival during heat...

Leaf cooling during extreme heat 🌡️🍃
Leaf thermal thresholds breached 🥵
Tradeoffs between thermal and hydraulic safety 🤝

Read about all this and more in our new paper in PNAS!
#Botany #PlantScience 🌾🧪

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

I know that feeling!

Nonlinear models based on leaf architecture traits explain the variability of mesophyll conductance across plant species We demonstrated that systematic training and testing of random forest regression models using a comprehensive data set, covering different plant functional types, can pinpoint leaf structural and ana....

New paper out - led by Milad Rahimi-Majd

This study uses non-linear models to explore the relationships between anatomy and leaf mesophyll conductance

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴🪴

The long and tortuous path towards improving photosynthesis by engineering elevated mesophyll conductance Plant, Cell & Environment is an ecology journal analysing the ways plants respond to their environment including biological, physiological and ecological factors.

🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

New review paper out:

We outline the uncertainties/ambiguities that are present when estimating mesophyll conductance (gm).

We also explore whether genetically engineering higher gm will lead to greater crop yields.

🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Clusia pratensis' plant in Panama

Many thanks to alileverett@bsky.social for his excellent presentation today on Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) and succulence in the genus 'Clusia' - part of Cambridge's Plant Sciences seminar series.

Photo: 'Clusia pratensis' plant in Panama taken by Ali during field research.

Understanding the nocturnal respiratory metabolism in CAM plants is crucial for comprehending their adaptation to water-limited environments. Recent insights and physiological data underscore the significance of elevated nocturnal respiratory rates, emphasizing the need to address key questions for effective utilization in changing climates.

🌵 #CAMPlantsWeek

Elevated nocturnal respiratory rates in the mitochondria of CAM plants: current knowledge and unanswered questions by Alistair Leverett and Anne Borland in @annbot

#openaccess article
botany.fyi/jSfqIr

#PlantScience #Botany

Contrary to previous beliefs, our study challenges the notion that reduced internal air space benefits Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants. We argue that low % internal air space is likely an outcome of cellular volume optimization rather than an adaptive advantage, as stomatal closure during CAM phase III saturates internal CO2 concentrations, minimizing the impact of low mesophyll conductance on gas flux within leaves.

🌵 #CAMPlantsWeek

Low internal air space in plants with crassulacean acid metabolism may be an anatomical spandrel by Alistair Leverett and co-authors in @annbot.bsky.social

#openaccess article
👉https://botany.fyi/mEJf4J

#PlantScience #Botany

The orchestration of leaf vein density in succulent Clusia species reveals a strategic coordination with Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). CAM's influence on vascular anatomy, rather than bulk hydraulic capacitance (CFT), underscores its pivotal role in shaping water dynamics. Understanding this synergy is crucial for potential bioengineering applications in enhancing CAM traits in C3 crops.

🌵 #CAMPlantsWeek

eaf vein density correlates with crassulacean acid metabolism, but not hydraulic capacitance, in the genus Clusia by Alistair Leverett and co-authors in @annbot.bsky.social

#openaccess article
👉 botany.fyi/NqxMjn

#PlantScience #Botany