Studies on the molecular mechanism of wood formation in poplar trees as affected by drought stress and seasonality

Duration of the project: 2014 - 2017

Contact: Lisa Kins, Email: lkins(at)gwdg.de

Wood is a basic material which is increasingly required as construction material and energy source. However, the production of woody biomass in forest ecosystems is expected to be negatively affected by climate change. Because of its economic and ecological importance it is important to unravel the processes underlying wood formation.
This PhD project which is part of WATBIO (www.watbio.eu) aims to understand the molecular mechanisms of wood formation in Populus in response to its abiotic environment, especially drought stress. Furthermore, we study the influence of different levels of day-length on drought stress plants.
The objectives are to compare the wood anatomy and the signalling pathway under drought stress under a changing seasonal regime. We hypothesise that drought stress and short-day conditions have similar effects on wood formation. We suggest that drought and seasonal regulation may converge on the same signaling pathways that eventually regulate wood anatomy.
To identify the pathways involved in acclimation of wood production to seasonal and drought induced changes, Populus x canescens trees are kept in climate chambers under controlled conditions of water supply and day length in a full factorial design. Physiological parameters are monitored regularly and wood anatomy and transcriptional responses are investigated.

Climate chamber experiment with Populus x canescens.