Brazil - The biomechanics and biophotonics of plant health and development
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Department Name: Biological Sciences
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Publications
Gallep CM
(2018)
Peter Barlow's insights and contributions to the study of tidal gravity variations and ultra-weak light emissions in plants.
in Annals of botany
De Mello Gallep C
(2022)
Are cyclic plant and animal behaviours driven by gravimetric mechanical forces?
in Journal of experimental botany
Gallep CM
(2020)
Time-resolved ultra-weak photon emission as germination performance indicator in single seedlings.
in Journal of photochemistry and photobiology
| Description | Two aspects constitute the novelty. First that the seed of plants, as they germinate emit a small amount of "weak" photons, which are a signal that germination is starting to take place. If is possible that the amount and rhythm at which there photons are emitted reveal the health of the seed and its capacity to germinate. The second aspect is that there is a variation, day by day, in the amount of photons emitted by plants as they grow. Now taking a young seedlings, we could measure that the amount of photons (or bursts of them) varies with a rhythm that corresponds to that of the daily lunisolar cycle. Some aspects of this have been measured before, in the 60s, see our paper in J experimental botany, but had been dismissed in favour of the circadian cycles of activity that are evident in many organism. Our analysis is looking very attentively at the actual rhythm and has revealed that the rhythm corresponds to that of the variation in the micro gravitational pull that both the sun and the moon exert on all matter on earth. This means that plants, in our case, are sensitive to the small changes in gravity, and adjust their growth patterns accordingly. The implications of this are difficult to completely appreciate at this point, but it becomes increasingly clear that circadian clocks may be involved in that process. |
| Exploitation Route | Whilst this is too early to say some aspects of our research could help in precision agriculture on the one hand, contributing a new method to the assessment of stress during germination, on Earth or in microgravitational conditions and on the other hand, one outcome pertains to the revision of what is in fact understood by an "internal clock", or "endogenous clock". This aspect may be controversial and requires further documentation, and the careful writing up of a large impact paper which will challenge conventional understanding of circadian rhythm in organisms. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Agriculture, Food and Drink,Creative Economy,Education,Electronics,Energy,Environment,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Title | Electrometer & Picoammeter for field use |
| Description | The tools used are uncommon in biophysics, and require more development. The novelty is in the use of new instruments that can inform researchers on local electrical potential gradients and their action on living organisms (plants and animals mostly now). The tools operate in the context of our research on electrical physical ecology of organisms, and its evolution through day by day weather and through changes in climate. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Impacts are not yet to be measured and appreciated fully. We collaborate with the Bristol Science Museum (@Bristol) to monitor the electrical ecology of city bees, to compare it countryside bees. We also collaborate with the Atmospheric physics group at the University of Bristol. More impact are expected when the technique become published and widespread. |
| Title | Finite element modelling - Multiphysics modelling |
| Description | This method is standard within the engineering and physics community. It is increasingly used in the life sciences, as software is becoming available and amenable to the complexity of biological systems. Also, a large portion of accessibility is due to the power of modern desktop computers. |
| Type Of Material | Model of mechanisms or symptoms - non-mammalian in vivo |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The method has impacted on our capacity to model the complex interaction of organisms with their physical environment. This aspect - that we call Physical Ecology - is expanding and is poised to touch many realms of life Sciences. For us the impact has been significant as the model predictions have allowed us to better understand the sensory ecology of the organisms we study, mostly insects, but also plants. |
| URL | https://uk.comsol.com/ |
| Title | Laser Doppler vibrometry applied to plant samples |
| Description | This is a new application of the technology, applied to measuring small vibrations on plant samples. - namely seeds, and seedlings. |
| Type Of Material | Biological samples |
| Year Produced | 2008 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Our research has now established that vibrations at the level of picometers (10 to the minus 12) can be measured on seeds and seedlings. The full impact is not realisable yet, but we have good evidence to say that it may be useful to measuring the viability of any individual seed. Could have impact in agriculture, if made practical and cheap a technique. Now it is expensive and a rather specialised technique. |
| Title | Laser refractometry |
| Description | This is a novel application of the laser Doppler vibrometer. which is adapted to visualise sound fields in space and time. Original techniques from the 70's are modified and formalised to generate data animations of the probation of sound fields in the mess and micro-acoustic environment. |
| Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
| Year Produced | 2012 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This research is changing the way sound propagation and radiation can be studied, not only for animals but also for technological systems. Especially because it is an optical method, it can be fast and reach a small scale length and resolution that microphones cannot deliver. The broader applications of the technique is being explored in follow-on grant applications. |
| Title | Photo Multiplier tube |
| Description | This technique has been around for a while and in its most expanded form is used to detect neutrinos crossing the earth. Here, we apply a much reduce, cheaper and simpler version to measure the photons emitted by plant material. As a plant grows it emits photons (in fact every thing does when disturbed mechanically). We are measuring photon emissions in conjunction with growth of seeds and seedlings. Only a few labs have been doing so, and we have good reason to think that this technique is very promising, in tandem with laser Doppler techniques as well. |
| Type Of Material | Biological samples |
| Year Produced | 2010 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Health monitoring in seeds, detection of gravitational variation in plants. |
| Title | micro-scanning laser Doppler for biological specimens |
| Description | The tool results from the adaptation of existing laser Doppler technology, as applied to biological samples. In its bespoke form, this instrument can measure subnano-scale vibrations of small biological tissue in response to various disturbances - sound, electric fields - and visualise the biological response to those. The instrument is constantly evolving, acquiring new capacity. |
| Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Understanding of the mechanisms at work in the miniature hearing organs of insects. Discovering the basis of active mechanisms in arthropod mechanoreceptors. Characterisation of electro-mechanical receptors. |
| Description | C. Gallep - UNICAMP Sao Paulo |
| Organisation | State University of Campinas |
| Country | Brazil |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The partnership is between Prof Cristiano Gallep from Sao Paulo UNICAMP, an expert in biophotonics and ultraslow photo emissions in biological material. Our contribution is towards the development of a novel approach in assessing the function of photonics emissions, marrying photon detection (Gallep) to nano mechanics (Robert). In brief, simultaneous measurements using photon detectors (PMT) and laser Doppler vibrometry, AFM and KPFM, will be used to establish causation and correlations between physiological processes and biophotons and vibrations. We contribute time and expertise. The partnership benefits from reciprocity complementarity, as the respective expertises are at first sight unlikely yet find a use and "raison d'être" in a common question and hypothesis setting. This partnership is funded by a Royal Society Newton Exchange programme (finished) and a BBSRC UK-Brazil partnership award (ongoing). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Partners are contributing time and expertise in biophotonics, in the context of the home department of electrical engineering in Limeira/Sao Paulo. See above for more details of reciprocal benefits |
| Impact | Collaboration is multidisciplinary, involving engineering and biology; more precisely electrical engineering, optical telecommunication engineering, sensory biophysics, nano mechanics, botanics, crop science and insect science. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Circadian biology - T. Moraes/Stitt |
| Organisation | Max Planck Society |
| Department | Max Planck Institute Golm |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Provide research question and rational to revisit circadian entrainment in view of luni/solar cycles |
| Collaborator Contribution | Phenomenological and genetic analysis of circadian activity - time resolved analysis of plant activity. |
| Impact | none yet |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Electro-Photonics - M. Cifra |
| Organisation | Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic |
| Country | Czech Republic |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Contribution research questions and techniques to measure local electrical potentials and charges on biological surfaces. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution to developing technique to asses the physiological dynamics of electrosensitive bio-surfaces, using photons. Access to cellular level mechanisms of electro photonic effects. |
| Impact | none so far in terms of publications - in prep |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Professor Jo Gottsman |
| Organisation | University of Bristol |
| Department | School of Earth Sciences |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Broadening the realm of influence of circadian rhythms to plants/organisms |
| Collaborator Contribution | Measurements of tidal forcing. |
| Impact | Not any outputs yet. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Open Days UCAS |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Recruitment of students Recruiting quality students and provide them with the motivation that our institution is the one where to learn biology. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007 |
| Description | Open days at UoB |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The goal of this activity is mostly about presentation of the department and recruitment of new students. This activity in of national reach, occasionally international. The results are encapsulated in the recruitment of new students who decide to come to Bristol for their University education. Notable impacts are that on a regular basis, students, often my tutees, let me know that they came to visit Bristol and visited my lab during open days or UCAS days, and decided to come to Bristol. One outcome, which is very satisfactory, is that visitors are inspired and "fired up" by the acquisition of knowledge during our interactions, and more importantly, use this fire as a motivation to learn and discover more about the world through studies at University. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014 |
| Description | Scientific Cafe |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The presentation sparkle many question and discussions on the role of bees in the environment, our society. the role of insects, and why shall we bother to study them, their hearing? How is the scientific method suitable in getting us the knowledge we need to develop a better society for all? The impacts are multiple, as for the other activities listed in the survey/report, but one of them specific to this activity is the engagement of local people at a local cultural center, linking the University and its scientists to the public in the context of a relaxed and informal forum. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |