Plants at Birmingham

Single cell approaches to environmental stress

 

We are interested in environmental effects on plant growth and development. The role of cell turgor pressure is central. We use techniques including pressure probe, single cell sampling and aphid stylectomy to sample phloem and xylem.

Environmental stresses including drought, salt, soil compaction, temperature and nutrient imbalance are studied. Our focus is at the single cell level to understand whole plant function. Plant physiology is interpreted within the framework of water and solute relations which determine cell turgor pressure and underlie many plant responses to environmental change. We are examining plant growth and its integration with xylem and phloem function. The use of insects also allows us to study the relationship between aphid performance and plant status. Recently we have begun to use knockout mutants in Arabidposis to determine gene function, in particular in relation to how the phloem and xylem function and how changes in plant genes can regulate insect performance

....................................................................................................................................................................