Jana Peter
Research Focus
The evolution of carbon concentrating mechanisms is highly complex but greatly efficient, especially in warm climates and arid areas. However, engineering anatomical and metabolic traits of C4 photosynthesis is challenging. Therefore, we explore C3-C4 intermediates, which employ a simpler photorespiratory carbon shuttle. In many plant groups they could also have served as step stone on the evolutionary path to C4 photosynthesis. In the Brassicaceae family, C3-C4 features have independently evolved multiple times. Within the Diplotaxis clade, there is a diverse range of species to dissect the underlying genetics of C3-C4 traits. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for the implementation of those complex traits into C3 crop plants.
