Small plants with big secrets

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The inconspicuous anthocerot is one of four species of anthocerot found in Quebe
The inconspicuous anthocerot is one of four species of anthocerot found in Quebec. These plants are related to the first plants to leave the aquatic environment and settle on land 500 million years ago. "Even today, anthoceroses have characteristics that are present in algae, but not in other land plants," points out Villarreal. - Michel Lamond
Professor Juan Carlos Villarreal believes it’s time to pay more attention to so-called inferior plants

Two recently published studies by a research team that includes Université Laval’s Juan Carlos Villarreal demonstrate that modest, little-known plants can provide valuable fundamental knowledge about the evolution of life on Earth, and inspire innovations that can increase agricultural production.

The plants in question are anthocerotia, a group related to the first plants to leave the aquatic environment and establish themselves on land 500 million years ago. "Even today, anthocerotia have characteristics that are present in algae, but not in other land plants," points out Juan Carlos Villarreal , professor in the Department of Biology, member of the Institute of Integrative and Systems Biology and curator of the Louis-Marie Herbarium at Université Laval.

To date, scientists have identified 223 species of bark beetle around the world, but as they are little studied, this may be an underestimate, says the researcher. Quebec is home to 4 anthoceroti species whose populations, concentrated in southern Quebec, are not very abundant.

Together with Fay-Wei Li’s team from Cornell University, Professor Villarreal studied the genomes of 10 species belonging to different anthocerote families to better understand how they had evolved from their common ancestor. These 10 species split 300 million years ago, but unlike many other land plant groups, their chromosomes remained surprisingly stable, this team reports in Nature Plants.

"On the other hand, they have developed accessory chromosomes, which are not essential to their survival, but which provide them with certain advantages. These accessory chromosomes evolve rapidly and are different between individuals, and even between different parts of the same plant", stresses Professor Villarreal.

In another study published in Nature Plants, the research team focused on structures found only in algae and anthocerotia. Called pyrenoids, these structures contain enzymes that capture CO2 and convert it into plant biomass during photosynthesis.

"Anthoceroses have a mechanism that enables them to concentrate CO2 in their pyrenoids, which increases the efficiency of photosynthesis by 60% compared with other plants," emphasizes Juan Carlos Villarreal. Li’s team is attempting to integrate these pyrenoids into the genome of agricultural plants in order to increase their productivity. There should be significant progress on this front within the next five years."

In plant research, there is a strong bias in favor of vascular plants, those with roots and conducting vessels that ensure the circulation of sap, notes Professor Villarreal: "Scientists devote a lot of time and energy to researching vascular plants. Conversely, modest, uncharismatic plants such as anthoceroses, mosses and liverworts are neglected, not least because it’s difficult to get funding to study them."

"It’s time to put an end to chauvinism in plant research. By broadening our horizons to include anthoceroses, mosses and liverworts, we are embarking on a path that will lead us to a more global understanding of the plant kingdom."

-- Juan Carlos Villarreal Yet, he argues, these plants are able to grow in the planet’s most inhospitable environments, they play key roles in the element cycle, particularly that of carbon, and they could help us better understand the evolution of life on Earth. Last but not least, their peculiarities could inspire unsuspected applications. "It’s time to put an end to chauvinism in plant research. By broadening our horizons to include anthoceroses, mosses and liverworts, we are embarking on a path that will lead us to a more global understanding of the plant kingdom."