Format: ORAL

Jessica A. Berasategui1,2, Anz?e Žerdoner Calasan1, Alexander Zizka4 Gudrun Kadereit1,3

1 Prinzessin Therese von Bayern Lehrstuhl für Systematik, Biodiversität & Evolution der Pflanzen, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Germany 2 Institute for Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany 3 Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg und Botanische Staatssammlung München, Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns, Germany 4 Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany

Photosynthetic pathways play a pivotal role in shaping the ecological and structural diversity of plant species. The C4 photosynthetic pathway has independently evolved over 61 times in multiple angiosperm lineages and consists of a series of anatomical and biochemical modifications to the ancestral C3 pathway increasing plant productivity under warm and light-rich conditions. C4 eudicots entail an enormous structural and ecological diversity, whereas the C4 syndrome in grasses is more uniform and phylogenetically constrained. Using GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) database we compiled an occurrence data matrix for 1514 C4 taxa, covering more than 80% of currently known C4 grasses and eudicots. The highest C4 species diversity is in Mexico/Southern United Statesand Australia. Furthermore, C4 grasses predominantly thrive in more humid regions compared to their eudicot counterparts, and among the latter, various biochemical subtypes exhibit specific climate preferences, with C4 eudicots often adapting to drier conditions through features like succulence and salt tolerance. Our study illustrates that GBIF is a valuable resource for meta world-wide biogeographical studies.