Postgraduate research students

Plants in a changing climate! CO₂-sensitive mechanisms for stomatal control

Rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and global climate change pose significant challenges to the planet, with implications for food, water, and land availability. Atmospheric CO₂ has increased from 280 μmol mol^-1 to 400 μmol mol^-1 since the pre-industrial era and is expected to reach 900 μmol mol^-1 by the end of the 21^st century. The resulting greenhouse effect has raised temperatures, affecting global precipitation, pest infestations, and pathogen loads. To understand plant responses to these changes, it is essential to examine how plants regulate water loss and CO₂ uptake in a changing environment.

CO₂ is vital for photosynthesis in plants and is acquired through microscopic pores called ‘stomata’ with water loss in transpiration as an exchange. Plants respond to elevated CO₂ through short-term adjustments in stomatal movements and long-term changes in stomatal development. CO₂ regulates osmotic solute transport and membrane trafficking to influence stomatal behaviour, and the mechanics of this regulation remain largely unexplored. Understanding CO₂-sensitive membrane traffic and its regulation can provide insights into plant behaviour in a changing environment.

• Dr Rucha Karnik
• Professor Michael Blatt

• The First Prize of the PGR symposium talk

Presentations

• 2023: Plant Science Seminar (Glasgow)

• 2023: PGR Symposium (Glasgow)

• 2023: SEB Centenary Conference Edinburgh 2023 (Edinburgh)

• 2024: Three Minute Thesis competition (Glasgow)

Public Engagement