Research on plant-water relations examining physiological, structural, and molecular mechanisms of plant responses to their environment

植物与水关系的研究，考察植物对其环境反应的生理、结构和分子机制

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-04137
• 负责人: Hacke, Uwe
• 金额: $ 2.19万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=587624
• 关键词: Research; plant; water; relations; examining

Water availability plays an important role in maintaining the health and productivity of both managed and natural ecosystems. In the light of global changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, it is becoming increasingly important to better understand physiological and molecular responses of plants to water stress. The impact of changes in temperature and precipitation on Canada’s boreal forest is expected to be greater than on temperate and tropical forests. Forests in Canada are likely to be affected not only by direct impacts of drought but also by natural disturbances that are brought on by drought (e.g., fire and insects). Water availability is often a limiting factor for the productivity of crops and the survival of plantation trees. Drought also reduces tree productivity and survival across many forest ecosystems. Whether a tree lives or dies in response to a drought episode depends in part on maintaining the integrity of its ‘plumbing system’, which is positioned between the dry soil and the even dryer atmosphere. The xylem (wood) is the principal water-conducting tissue in vascular plants. The hydraulic system of plants depends on a unique but inherently unstable mechanism. As the soil dries, water columns in the xylem may break, causing an air blockage (embolism). As drought increases, more embolism forms in the wood until leaves do not receive enough water to survive. We will study the hydraulic properties of different plant organs (leaves, stems, and roots) to determine which part of the plant is most vulnerable to embolism formation and loss of hydraulic conductivity. While xylem allows for efficient transport of water and nutrients over long distances (over 100m in redwood trees), aquaporins (membrane-based water channels) facilitate water movement on a cellular scale. Before water enters the xylem in roots, and after it exits the xylem in leaf veins, it flows through living cells, via aquaporins. Water channels are dynamically regulated and are likely to play an important role in a plant’s response to changing environments. We will study how aquaporins impact water flow in living cells of roots and leaves, in order to understand their role in drought stress physiology. Findings will be interpreted in a whole-plant context. The proposed research will integrate water relations research at the molecular, organ, organismal scales.

水的供应在维持管理生态系统和自然生态系统的健康和生产力方面发挥着重要作用。鉴于全球温度和降水模式的变化，更好地了解植物对水分胁迫的生理和分子反应变得越来越重要。气温和降水变化对加拿大北方森林的影响预计将大于对温带和热带森林的影响。加拿大的森林不仅可能受到干旱的直接影响，而且可能受到干旱引起的自然干扰（例如火灾和昆虫）的影响。