Descrizione del progetto
In che modo le piante possono individuare i propri vicini
Per decenni, le interazioni intraspecifiche tra le piante sono state considerate di tipo puramente competitivo in natura. Per varie specie di piante selvatiche, tuttavia, prove sperimentali recenti hanno svelato l’esistenza di interazioni positive, in cui un genotipo può cooperare con un conspecifico per ridurre la crescita competitiva. Al fine di modificare la propria risposta competitiva, le piante devono essere capaci di riconoscere l’identità dei propri vicini. Il progetto KNOWN, finanziato dall’UE, studierà il ruolo diretto o indiretto dei composti secreti dalle radici nel mediare la percezione e il riconoscimento delle piante limitrofe nelle interazioni conspecifiche. L’obiettivo sarà raggiunto grazie a un approccio interdisplinare che abbina ecologia evolutiva, chimica, genetica quantitativa e microbiologia. La comprensione di questo legame tra il riconoscimento e le risposte sotterranee alla plastica aiuteranno la progettazione di varietà di raccolti ad alto rendimento.
Obiettivo
Understanding the social networks of plants is essential for predicting their coexistence. For decades, intraspecific interactions were assumed to be purely competitive in nature. However, recent experimental evidence has demonstrated the existence of positive interactions for various wild plant species, wherein a genotype can recognize a conspecific, and cooperate to reduce competitive growth when growing with either their kin, or even an unrelated intra/con specific. My PhD research took this a step further by giving the first-ever evidence for the existence of both these types of positive interactions within the same plant species, varying between natural populations.
To alter their competitive response, plants must have mechanisms to reliably distinguish the identity of their neighbors. The root systems are known to be critical for sensing and integrating signals that allow plants to perform elaborate behaviors similar to those of intelligent animals. Yet, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. This project aims to understand the direct or indirect role of root-secreted compounds in mediating neighbor perception and recognition in conspecific interactions. To do this, we will combine interdisciplinary approach at the interface of evolutionary ecology, chemistry, quantitative genetics, and microbiology
Understanding how plants recognize each other is a crucial step in determining how competitive traits evolve in intraspecific plant-plant interacting systems, which has implications in both natural and agroecological contexts. Comprehending intraspecific recognition mechanisms can ultimately help illuminate the dynamics of natural plant populations and aid in predicting their resilience in the face of current and future global changes. More importantly, understanding this link between recognition and belowground plastic responses can be exploited to design efficient crop variety mixtures with high yield potential owing to cooperative interactions.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinatore
8000 Aarhus C
Danimarca