Shade tolerance: when growing tall is not an option.
Two different plant strategies exist to deal with shade: shade avoidance and shade tolerance. All shade-exposed plants optimize photosynthesis to adapt to the decrease in light quality and quantity. When shaded, most species in open habitats express the shade-avoidance syndrome, a growth response to escape shade. Shade-tolerant species from forest understories cannot outgrow surrounding trees and adopt a tolerance response. Unlike shade avoidance, virtually nothing is known about regulation of shade tolerance. In this opinion article, we discuss potential modes of molecular regulation to adopt a shade-tolerance rather than a shade-avoidance strategy. We argue that molecular approaches using model and non-model species should help identify the molecular pathways that underpin shade tolerance, thus providing knowledge for further crop improvement.
Plant Ecophysiology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Charlotte M M
CM
Gommers
Eric J W
EJ
Visser
Kate R
KR
St Onge
Laurentius A C J
LA
Voesenek
Ronald
R
Pierik
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004777:Environment; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000528:radiation effects; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks / Q000528:radiation effects; D008027:Light; D055537:Light Signal Transduction / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D063245:Plant Development / Q000528:radiation effects; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena / Q000528:radiation effects*; D010944:Plants / Q000528:radiation effects*; D014197:Trees / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000528:radiation effects