Reconsidering photorespiration through the eyes of guard cells.

Photorespiration is proposed as a key, previously overlooked regulator of stomatal opening, linking leaf CO2 uptake and water loss under hotter, drier, variable extremes.

• Why it matters: Resilient crops are needed as climate change increases extreme heat and drought, but it remains unresolved how photorespiration influences guard cell control of gas exchange.
• What they did: The work synthesizes existing evidence and considers whether photorespiration occurs in mesophyll cells, guard cells, or both, outlining possible mechanisms for how it could affect stomatal opening.
• The result: Highlighting photorespiration–stomata interactions identifies a potential target to improve water-use efficiency and resilience while aiming not to compromise yield.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.