Given differing photosynthetic pathways, there is evidence to suggest that legumes and other C4 plants may perform quite well under higher temperature environments compared to other crops. Additionally, there are predictions that nutrients within plant tissue is going to diminish with ensuing climatic changes (i.e. longer growing season, increased temperature and evapotranspiration, elevated CO2 levels), meaning that in the future humans will be required to eat more of a particular crop to receive the same amount of nutritional value as they receive now.
What kind of research opportunities/topics does this information make you curious about pursuing?
Article Effects of CO_2 and Temperature on Growth and Resource Use o...
(see fig 5)
Article Plant reproduction under elevated CO2 conditions: A meta-ana...
(see fig 2)
The question is extremely broad but crucial to a major problem of our time. Trying to keep this response as short and clear as possible I would suggest focusing on aspects of:
1. Plasticity of Phenotype
2. Genomic activation and deactivation
3. "Upstream" and "Downstream" dynamics of genetic activity.
Dear @Candice Walker You have chosen the topic "climate change response in legumes". In your explanation, you have stated: "there is evidence to suggest that legumes and other C4 plants...". To my knowledge, legumes are not C4 plants.
Climate change has multiple effects including temporal variations in the amount, intensity and duration of precipitations, and rise in temperature. There is significant difference in adaptive features between legumes and C4 group of plants. Most legumes are accustomed to growing under stress conditions, and have mostly non-determinate growth habit. Whereas C4 plants such as maize, sorghum, sugarcane, etc are determinate crops adapted to growing under tropical conditions. The effect of rising temperature may not have pronounced adverse effects on C4 plants; however, legumes under such a condition are likely to suffer (photorespiratory losses will be high, leading to low biomass). Nevertheless, legumes will continue to survive by virtue of its special growth habit.
Prediction shall be based on observations, otherwise, all climate-related predictions will be subjected to be politicized as it was challenged by the former U.S.A, president (TRUMP)!
Please take a look at this link
https://agritrop.cirad.fr/597147/