E&E Seminar: “Plant acclimation to environmental stresses via coordinated alteration of chemical, physiological and structural traits” by Ülo Niinemets (Estonian University of Life Sciences)
October 14, 2025
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Location
SELE 4289
Calendar
Download iCal FilePlease join us October 14, 2025 at 12:30pm in SELE 4289 for an E&E Seminar featuring "Plant acclimation to environmental stresses via coordinated alteration of chemical, physiological and structural traits" by Dr. Ülo Niinemets (Estonian University of Life Sciences).
Host: Miquel Gonzalez-Meler
Abstract: The acclimation to modified environment improves plant photosynthesis and growth in altered conditions, but the degree of acclimation strongly varies in dependence on the rate and severity of environmental alterations. There is also a high interspecific variability in tolerance of different stresses and the degree of stress acclimation. Understanding the drivers of plant acclimation capacity is crucial to predict future modifications in vegetation productivity. Acclimation to environmental perturbations involves modifications in plant chemical, physiological and structural traits and the rate and extent of changes of different types of traits strongly differ. This presentation suggests that the environment-driven change is potentially the fastest and occurs to the greatest degree for chemical traits, whereas structural traits change slowly and to a limited extent. In addition, the reversibility of trait values upon return to pre-stress conditions is the smallest for structural traits and greatest for chemical traits. The combinations of chemical, physiological and structural trait values strongly vary for different plants species, and this variation provides the main explanation for species differences in environmental acclimation capacity. This presentation concludes with the plea that the worldwide analyses investigating vegetation response to global change need to incorporate the large interspecific variation in environmental responsiveness.
Date posted
Jun 24, 2025
Date updated
Sep 12, 2025