Plant Adaptations that Increase Root-Soil Cohesion
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Department Name: Biological Sciences
Abstract
Humans have degraded almost a quarter of vegetated land on earth, most by soil erosion. Soil loss on conventionally managed agricultural land dwarfs soil production with around 12 million fertile hectares lost annually. Plant roots produce soil cohesion, retain soil on slopes and cycle nutrients into soils, which are amongst the largest carbon sinks on earth (Lal R, Science 304: 1623). However, we don't know how roots stabilise soils; differences between species show that plant genes matter, but almost nothing is known about such genes. This ignorance could prove costly as population growth demands more food production. Climate change may compound the problem by bringing more frequent extreme weather likely to exacerbate soil loss.
In work funded by the Leverhulme Trust and SWBio DTP we have established methods to measure cohesion between Arabidopsis roots and soils. By comparing Arabidopsis mutants we have identified root traits that prevent uprooting and water erosion (two papers and a review in preparation). Our work to date identifies two important areas for further development: 1. Cohesion is a product of root-soil interaction and we need better understanding of the effectiveness and mechanisms of identified traits. 2. Plants adapt to their local environments and so far we have been testing laboratory strains, grown in compost for 60+ generations, that might have lost important traits for root-soil cohesion. The diversity of traits in natural soils is not known nor is the extent to which root traits reflect the 'native' soil.
This PhD project will address these issues. The student will discover how root-soil cohesion works, and at the same time identify and rank the importance of any root traits we might have missed. The results will identify root traits that contribute to root-soil cohesion along with mechanisms by which plants have adapted to specific properties of soils.
In work funded by the Leverhulme Trust and SWBio DTP we have established methods to measure cohesion between Arabidopsis roots and soils. By comparing Arabidopsis mutants we have identified root traits that prevent uprooting and water erosion (two papers and a review in preparation). Our work to date identifies two important areas for further development: 1. Cohesion is a product of root-soil interaction and we need better understanding of the effectiveness and mechanisms of identified traits. 2. Plants adapt to their local environments and so far we have been testing laboratory strains, grown in compost for 60+ generations, that might have lost important traits for root-soil cohesion. The diversity of traits in natural soils is not known nor is the extent to which root traits reflect the 'native' soil.
This PhD project will address these issues. The student will discover how root-soil cohesion works, and at the same time identify and rank the importance of any root traits we might have missed. The results will identify root traits that contribute to root-soil cohesion along with mechanisms by which plants have adapted to specific properties of soils.
People |
ORCID iD |
Claire Grierson (Primary Supervisor) | |
Bethany Eldridge (Student) |
Studentship Projects
Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BB/M009122/1 | 01/10/2015 | 31/03/2024 | |||
1797946 | Studentship | BB/M009122/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/04/2021 | Bethany Eldridge |
Description | We have identified and quantified novel root traits that affect how roots adhere and enmesh to the substrates they grow on. The knowledge gained by identifying and ranking which root traits are important for enhancing root-soil cohesion could be applied to crop breeding, where the root systems of important crop species can be tailored for enhancing root-soil cohesion. Enhancing root-soil cohesion will reduce the risk of soil erosion, which poses a significant threat to future food security. This knowledge may also be important when to understand how roots adhere and uptake nutrients/ water from different types of growth media (e.g. agar) used in propagation/ new technologies being developed within the green tech industry. |
Exploitation Route | The knowledge gained by identifying and ranking which root traits are important for enhancing root-soil cohesion could be applied to crop breeding, where the root systems of important crop species can be tailored for enhancing root-soil cohesion. Enhancing root-soil cohesion will reduce the risk of soil erosion, which poses a significant threat to future food security. This knowledge is also being used to understand how roots acquire nutrients and water in new green tech systems such as aeroponics. |
Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment |
Title | A high throughput assay which measures the adhesion of plant roots to substrates |
Description | Our high throughput assay which measures the attachment of 5-day-old Arabidopsis seedlings to agar when seedling-containing agar plates are subject to pulses of centrifugal force. |
Type Of Material | Biological samples |
Year Produced | 2017 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | Using this method we have: i. quantified the contribution of physical structures such as root hairs have in enhancing root-substrate cohesion, ii. scanned mutants that have altered biochemical properties affecting root surface and/or root exudate properties, and iii. screened pools of Arabidopsis mutants to identify novel genes that affect root-substrate cohesion. A methods paper is in production and will be submitted in 2020. This method has also been used in a set of experiments that feature in a large interdisciplinary manuscript that has been accepted for publication in 2020 (publication date pending). |
Description | LettUs Grow and Antony Dodd |
Organisation | LettUs Grow |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | I conducted an industrial placement and spearheaded the writing of a literature review (which will be submitted for publication) |
Collaborator Contribution | Antony Dodd (JIC) and multiple colleagues at LettUs Grow have contributed to the writing and editing of the literature review |
Impact | Literature review which will be submitted for publication. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Green Man Festival, 2018 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Conducted outreach at Green Man festival in Wales to educate the general public about the carbon footprint of food production, where food originates and the impact pests will have on food production due to climatic instability. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Gren Man Music Festival 2017 and 2018 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I was involved in organizing, making an running interactive science events in 2017 and 2018 in Green Man's "Einsteins Garden" area, where we engaged and educated the public about the importance of plant science and agriculture. More specifically, we educated the public about unsustainable environmental practices and climate change. This often sparked debates about environmental restoration approaches and genetic modification. Each year, we spoke to over 4000 members of the public. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |
URL | http://einsteinsgarden.net/info-2/ |