Toward mechanistic modelling and rational engineering of plant respiration.

Plant respiration provides energy to support all cellular processes, including biomass production, but also plays a major role in the global carbon cycle. Therefore, modulation of plant respiration can be used to both increase plant yield and mitigate effects of global climate change. Mechanistic modelling of plant respiration at sufficient biochemical detail can provide key insights for rational engineering of this process. Yet, despite its importance, plant respiration has attracted considerably less modelling effort in comparison to photosynthesis. In this update review, we highlight the advances made in modelling of plant respiration, emphasizing the gradual but important change from phenomenological to models based on first principles. We also provide a detailed account of the existing resources that can contribute to resolving the challenges in modelling plant respiration. These resources point at tangible improvements in the representation of cellular processes that contribute to CO2 evolution and consideration of kinetic properties of underlying enzymes to facilitate mechanistic modelling. The update review emphasizes the need to couple biochemical models of respiration with models of acclimation and adaptation of respiration for their effective usage in guiding breeding efforts and improving terrestrial biosphere models tailored to future climate scenarios.