Like humans and animals, Plants also face the challenge of climate changeAs the climate warms and becomes drier, plants look for ways to adapt to these new extreme conditions. research published in Global Change Biology by a team from the University of Liverpool and Syracuse University in the United States, reveals how plants modify their DNA to survive in a changing environment.
For the past 15 years, researchers have examined how a range of plant species in a grassland near Buxton, UK, respond to extreme weather events, such as intense droughts y heavy rainfallThe results were surprising: these changing conditions have induced genetic changes in the plants, a phenomenon that scientists have called "evolutionary rescue«.
Dr Raj Whitlock, Professor of Ecology at the University of Liverpool's Institute of Integrative Biology, highlighted the fact that plants can exhibit changes in their genetic diversity In such a short period of time, this represents a surprising discovery, given that plants are generally thought to take much longer to adapt to climate variations. This could explain the ability of the studied species to thrive in challenging environmental conditions. In this context, it is important to understand how plants adapt to climate change.
The research was carried out in the Buxton Climate Change Impacts Laboratory (BCCIL), where climate has been experimentally manipulated since 1993 to observe how plants respond to such changes.
Despite the fascinating findings, Climate change remains a formidable challenge for most of the world's plant species. All of them must adapt to a constantly changing climate. Plants, as they face rising temperatures, salinity, prolonged droughts, and other stresses, employ a variety of mechanisms to ensure their survival, which can also be observed in Mediterranean ecosystems, which are particularly vulnerable.
The mechanisms that plants use to adapt include modifications in their growth and metabolism, the regulation of stomata, the pores that allow the exchange of gases and water, and changes in the expression of genes encoding protective and antioxidant proteins. Each of these mechanisms has a specific effect on the vital functions of plants and is crucial for their survival under adverse conditions.
Recently, the following have been identified: Cycling DOF Factors (CDFs), a group of essential transcription factors that regulate plant responses to various abiotic stress conditions. These factors modulate key aspects such as flowering time and root growth, as well as tolerance to different types of environmental stress. Recent research suggests that the functions of CDFs are conserved in other species, including crops of agricultural interest. This is critical to understanding the plant adaptation to climate change.
Adaptation to Environmental Stress
Plants are subject to a series of environmental stresses that have increased in frequency and intensity due to climate change. drought, for example, is one of the factors that most impacts plant growth. When drought conditions are severe, plants must close their stomata to reduce water loss, which in turn limits their ability to photosynthesize.
Stomatal closure, however, can be detrimental if temperatures are high. A recent study has identified a molecular mechanism that controls stomatal opening and closing, helping plants balance transpiration and water conservation. This signaling system is vital for plants facing extreme conditions and allows them to respond quickly and efficiently to changes in their environment. To learn more about how plants survive in adverse conditions, please see our article on the survival of plants in the desert.
Furthermore, when plants experience stress, epigenetic memory This memory allows them to remember these conditions and react more effectively in the future. This memory can be passed on to offspring, increasing their chances of survival in a changing environment. Recent studies have shown that trees can remember past heat waves or droughts, which influences their ability to cope with new periods of stress.
Plants use several biochemical and physiological mechanisms to maintain their growth and protect their cellular integrity against adverse conditions. These mechanisms are typically orchestrated by an extensive set of stress-response genes and complex networks of transcription factors. Research has shown that concentrations of plant hormones, such as abscisic acid and salicylic acid, are critical in regulating these adaptive responses, allowing plants to respond in real time to the environmental changes that affect them.
Understanding how plants adapt to climate change is also essential for developing strategies to ensure their long-term survival and improve agricultural production. New crop varieties must be more resilient to extreme weather conditions to ensure food security in the future, as discussed in the article on Conservation agriculture as a practice against climate change.
However, plant adaptation does not occur in isolation. climate change It is affecting ecosystems as a whole, which in turn impacts species diversity and their resilience. Therefore, it is imperative to consider the combined impact of climate change and human activity on biodiversity and on plants' ability to adapt to these new challenges.
Plants have a remarkable capacity for adaptation, but rapid changes in climate and other factors are a constant threat. It is essential to continue researching and understanding how plants respond to these changes, and how we can help them adapt, not only for their survival, but also for the well-being of our planet.
