Rice Genomics and Genetics 2024, Vol.15, No.3, 94-105 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/rgg 98 Radiation of Australian Oryza Species: The formation of Oryza australiensis began with the divergence from a common ancestor shared with other Oryza species. This divergence likely occurred due to geological events and climatic changes that led to the isolation of populations. Over time, the isolated populations of Oryza in Australia adapted to the local environmental conditions, including the arid and semi-arid climates, soil types, and ecological interactions with other native flora and fauna. These adaptations involved changes at the genetic level, which contributed to the development of specific traits that are unique to Oryza australiensis. Matthew et al. (2021) found that Oryza australiensis exhibited higher leaf photosynthetic efficiency compared to Oryza sativa (Figure 2). Figure 2 Leaf developmental, photochemical, and biochemical traits contributing towards photosynthetic differences between two extreme genotypes: Oryza sativa ssp. indica cv. IR64and Oryza australiensis (Adopted from Mathan et al., 2021) Image caption: Wider leaf, larger mesophyll cells, larger veins, fewer number of mesophyll cells between two consecutive veins, more chloroplasts, efficient Electron Transport Rate along with higher leaf nitrogen content and Rubisco activity facilitate higher leaf photosynthesis per unit area in the wild rice species Oryza australiensis compared to the cultivated variety Oryza sativa ssp. indica cv. IR 64 (Adopted from Mathan et al., 2021)
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