Isoetes taiwanensis

Isoetes taiwanensis
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Lycophytes
Class:	Lycopodiopsida
Order:	Isoetales
Family:	Isoetaceae
Genus:	Isoetes
Species:	I. taiwanensis
Binomial name
Isoetes taiwanensis De Vol

Isoetes taiwanensis is a species of

The first quillwort genome sequence was of I. taiwanensis.[3] This showed that there were differences in its biochemistry from terrestrial plants that had adopted the same strategy for CO₂ fixation, namely Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). This involves the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and plants have two forms of the enzyme. One is normally involved in CO₂ fixation during photosynthesis and the other in central metabolism. From the genome sequence, it appears that in I. taiwanensis both forms are involved in photosynthesis. In addition, the time of day of the peak abundance of some of the components of CAM was different from terrestrial plants. These fundamental differences in biochemistry suggests that CAM in I. taiwanensis, and likely all quillworts, is another example of convergent evolution of CAM.^[3]

References

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