Plant circadian clocks increase photosynthesis, growth, survival, and competitive advantage

Antony N Dodd, Neeraj Salathia, Anthony Hall, Eva Kévei, Réka Tóth, Ferenc Nagy, Julian M Hibberd, Andrew J Millar, Alex A R Webb

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Circadian clocks are believed to confer an advantage to plants, but the nature of that advantage has been unknown. We show that a substantial photosynthetic advantage is conferred by correct matching of the circadian clock period with that of the external light-dark cycle. In wild type and in long- and short-circadian period mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana, plants with a clock period matched to the environment contain more chlorophyll, fix more carbon, grow faster, and survive better than plants with circadian periods differing from their environment. This explains why plants gain advantage from circadian control.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)630-3
Number of pages4
JournalScience
Volume309
Issue number5734
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2005

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