Plasticity in metabolism underpins local responses to nitrogen in Arabidopsis thaliana populations

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) is central for plant growth, and metabolic plasticity can provide a strategy to respond to changing N availability. We showed that two local A. thaliana populations exhibited differential plasticity in the compounds of photorespiratory and starch degradation pathways in response to three N conditions. Association of metabolite levels with growth‐related and fitness traits indicated that controlled plasticity in these pathways could contribute to local adaptation and play a role in plant evolution.

Plasticity of rosette size in response to nitrogen availability is controlled by an RCC1-family protein

“…For the phenotyping, 190 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions were grown on soil containing limiting, intermediate and optimal amounts of nitrogen and as described in Pandey et al 2019. The accessions that were obtained from the Nottingham Arabidopsis stock centre (NASC) and are listed in Table S1.…”

“…phenotypes) including early rosette diameter (ERD), final rosette diameter (FRD), flowering time (FT) and yield (YIE) (Table S2). A pilot experiment with a subset of accessions, following an established protocol (Pandey et al, 2019), was used to determine the N conditions considered as limiting, intermediate and optimal for growth (Methods). Accessions with missing data in at least one N condition were removed from further analysis, resulting in 142 (ERD), 109 (FRD), 127 (FT) and 102 (YIE) accessions to characterize plasticity of the four phenotypes.…”

“…Plants take up N from the soil primarily as ammonium and nitrate. N distribution in soil varies both in time and in space resulting in uneven growth among individuals, populations and species (Lark et al, 2004;Pandey et al, 2019). In agriculture, stable crop growth and yield are ensured by applying fertilizers that contain N. However, losses of the large amount of N supplied via fertilization to the environment negatively impact entire ecosystems (Guignard et al, 2017;McAllister, Beatty, & Good, 2012).…”

“…Given the tight coordination between carbon and N metabolism, genetically improving photosynthesis may also increase NUE and reduce the necessity of fertilizers (Evans & Clarke, 2018). It was also demonstrated that the plasticity in growth-related traits in response to N availability varies between local populations of Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) (Pandey et al, 2019). Further, Arabidopsis accessions cope with differences in N availability by modifying the root and shoot architecture, growth, and biomass (de Jong et al, 2019;Ikram, Bedu, Daniel-Vedele, Chaillou, & Chardon, 2012;Masclaux-Daubresse & Chardon, 2011;Meyer et al, 2019;North, Ehlting, Koprivova, Rennenberg, & Kopriva, 2009).…”

The Consequences of a Disruption in Cyto-Nuclear Coadaptation on the Molecular Response to a Nitrate Starvation in Arabidopsis

“…Variations in the response to N supply were reported among Arabidopsis natural accessions, indicating that genetic variation modulates the physiological response of plants to N starvation [7,8]. Moreover, recent reports pointed to a possible link between metabolism plasticity, management of N pools and response to N availability in natural populations [9,10]. Mitochondria and chloroplasts are key players in plant N metabolism as in energy metabolism and C assimilation [11].…”