Is plant organisation the fountain of eternal youth?

高龄、衰老时的表现下降会影响生活质量、寿命和生产力。人们认为，这种现象是普遍存在的，包括从微生物到人类的所有物种。然而，一些植物并没有表现出衰老。这个项目将确定使植物逃脱衰老的机制。利用一个独特的全球人口数据库，该项目将确定850种植物是否、如何以及何时发生衰老。它还将在实验中测试干旱、营养物质和重新萌发如何影响辛普森沙漠中两种Mallee Eucalyptus的衰老。这项研究将为衰老的进化提供新的见解，并将阐明一些植物如何逃脱所谓的不可避免的命运。

The decline in performance at advanced ages, senescence, affects life quality, lifespan and productivity. It is believed that this phenomenon is universal, including all species from microbes to humans. Yet, some plants do not exhibit senescence. This project will identify the mechanisms that enable plants to escape senescence. Using a unique global demographic database, the project will determine whether, how and when senescence has evolved across 850 plant species. It will also experimentally test how drought, nutrients and resprouting affect senescence in two mallee Eucalyptus species in the Simpson Desert. This research will provide new insights into the evolution of senescence and will elucidate how some plants escape a supposedly unavoidable fate.