On the propagation of eXtreme nonsense
In the modern time, not quite like when I was a graduate student, the use of any non-model species (and “model” was not a word […]
drought tolerance
Sporobolus stapfianus
Sporobolus stapfianus is a member of one of the largest and most important plant families, the Poaceae, but, alas, as Gaff et al. have put it, it is “obscure”. In this case, the desiccation tolerance is not apparent in all tissues, but is restricted to immature leaves of intact plants, and an as yet uncertain portion of the root system. Young leaves can tolerate drying to a comparable to the dryness of seeds for at least a year. Additional stress tolerances are to ionizing radiation, extreme temperatures and salinity to at least 215 mM NaCl.
Arabidopsis arenosa
A. arenosa is a wonderful model for understanding the mechanisms and effects of repeated genome duplication and hybridization events, and for studying ecological adaptation. It is found throughout Europe in a variety of disturbed area types (mountain slopes, forest margins, roadsides, railroad tracks, river banks and grassy and sandy areas), and from sea level up to 2000 m, with genetic specializations to a wide variety of edaphic conditions.
Cutting edge: Desiccation tolerance explored through genomes and transcriptomes
Resurrection plants are a diverse and unique group of angiosperms able to tolerate desiccation to the point of being air-dry at low humidity, sometimes for […]
Schrenkiella parvula
Schrenkiella parvula – a 7 chromosome member of the Brassicaceae – has an eXtreme ability, in the natural world, to function in the hypersaline conditions surrounding Lake Tuz in central Anatolia, Turkey. It is also notable for its tolerance of high levels of other cations, especially Li+ and Mg2+ and of Boron. These extreme adaptations were central to the initial decision to sequence the genome of this species.
Bringing extremophytes to the public: Kudos to Jill Farrant
The concept of using extremophytes to improve food security – either as crops themselves or as sources of genes to improve other crops – is […]