Navigating Challenges in Interpreting Plant Physiology Responses through Gas Exchange Results in Stressed Plants

Abstract

Review Navigating Challenges in Interpreting Plant Physiology Responses through Gas Exchange Results in Stressed Plants Diego A. Márquez *, Anna Gardner and Florian A. Busch School of Biosciences and Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK * Correspondence: d.a.marquez@bham.ac.uk Received: 14 November 2024; Revised: 20 December 2024; Accepted: 27 December 2024; Published: 13 January 2025 Abstract: This paper explores the challenges that arise when performing and interpreting leaf gas exchange measurements in plants subjected to abiotic stress. It highlights how factors such as cuticular fluxes, stomatal closure, and common assumptions about gas exchange can lead to errors, especially under stress conditions. Key phenomena such as substomatal cavity unsaturation and stomatal patchiness during water stress are discussed in detail, as they significantly complicate the calculation of gas exchange parameters under stress. The paper also addresses the importance of other factors, including steady-state conditions, the differences between adaxial and abaxial surface responses, and boundary layer effects, all of which play critical roles in influencing the accuracy of measurements. Important physiological indicators—such as intrinsic water-use efficiency, minimum leaf conductance, substomatal CO2 concentration, and mesophyll conductance—are analysed in the context of how stress-induced discrepancies in data often result from measurement artefacts rather than true physiological differences. To address these challenges, the paper outlines practical approaches to improving measurement accuracy, offering insights on standardising experimental conditions and minimising errors. By recognising these issues, gaps in current knowledge are identified, providing a comprehensive overview of the challenges in interpreting leaf gas exchange data under stress conditions and suggesting areas for further study.

Plant phenotyping relevance

植物の葉ガス交換測定における誤差要因、解釈上の課題、精度改善と標準化を中心に扱う方法論レビューであり、植物生理状態の取得・評価法が中核である。

Code and data availability

This is a review/perspective article on interpreting gas exchange in stressed plants. It presents no original plant-phenotyping measurements, datasets, images, or analysis code of its own; figures reproduce data from prior cited work (e.g., Márquez et al. 2023a). The Data Availability Statement only says data are in 'a

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