The Characteristic Timescales of the Arabidopsis thaliana Metabolism and the Phenotypic Effects of Forcing Them

Response mechanisms preserve steady states in complex systems (including living systems). These mechanisms respond with characteristic timescales. Therefore, they can be identified and probed with oscillatory forcing. This approach is rarely used in plant biology.

Sub-circadian intermittent illumination (i.e., square waves of light/dark periods of equal duration) of Arabidopsis thaliana plants cause remarkable phenotypical effects. We show these effects are highly dependent on the duration of the light-dark cycle, identifying characteristic timescales in three distinct windows (10.5-42 s, 168-336 s, and 1350-5400 s). Among these effects is an extension of the life cycle by 60%, a 2-fold increase in flower setting, and a near complete elimination of lateral root development.

This oscillatory light forcing is compatible with vertical farming where it could reduce energy and chemical inputs and highlights the methodological value of temporal-forcing of environmental parameters on sub-circadian timescales in plant systems.