Assessment of virome response in birch (Betula sp.) to climate change

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Tree decline in diverse ecosystems calls for more research to elucidate the mechanistic reasons, especially in the context of interactions between phytopathogenic viruses and changing climatic conditions. This project will gain more information about the impact of mixed viral infection in deciduous trees under changing climatic conditions, i.e. increased air temperatures and decreasing soil drying. As a result of our 20-years of experience, we conclude that viruses are widespread in urban and forest trees. How far these viruses do interact with other stress factor is not studied in trees so far. And the impact of climate change in virus infected trees is of particular interest and causes a challenge in research. To get a better understanding about the complex virus/plant interaction, and how this will be affected in the light of changing climate, is it useful to capture transcriptomic and proteomic (stress) responses. In particular, the influence of climate change, i.e. air warming and drought stress (i.e. soil water scarcity), on the virus plant pathosystem, which is adapted to northern areas of temperate and boreal climates, will be studied in this envisaged comprehensive approach. Doing so by using the recently discovered birch virome as a model system. The investigation of the impact of natural tree virome on tree transcriptomes and proteomes under climate change conditions is novel. As seed plantations are living germplasms for future urban or forest cultivation of trees, studying the viral status and the interaction in virus/plant systems to climate change is of essential interest for reforestation. Within this program, we will connect different academic schools of thought - plant virology and plant physiology. This will strengthen the disciplinary competence of the participants in the fields of plant science and virology by working together in a cross-disciplinary team. The PhD students will learn to pool approaches of the involved disciplines and benefit from systems thinking and synergistic effects.