Researchers at the University of Sheffield are diving into a fascinating study on how plants adapt to climate change through a process called “natural genetic engineering.” This involves plants taking genes from other species to help them evolve faster, especially in tough conditions like drought and heat.
Dr. Luke Dunning leads the project, focusing on grasses such as wheat and maize. His team believes understanding how these plants share genes can open new paths for developing crops that are more resilient. Grasses are not only vital for ecosystems but also economically important, making them an excellent choice for this research.
By learning more about lateral gene transfer (LGT) in grasses, the researchers hope to create crops that can withstand harsh climatic conditions. Dunning emphasized the urgency of this work. “If we can uncover how plants share and integrate genes, we can better understand how crops like wheat and maize adapt,” he noted. This knowledge could help ensure stable food supplies as climate conditions change.
The study is backed by a £950,000 grant from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and involves collaboration with Bangor University.
The research aims to explore three key questions:
How does LGT occur? The team will look into whether it happens through reproductive contamination, where DNA from another species mixes during plant reproduction.
How often does LGT happen? They will measure how frequently this gene transfer occurs in natural grasslands, which will highlight its role in helping plants adapt quickly.
Where do these genes go? Understanding if the foreign genes land in specific places in the plant’s genome is crucial for their effectiveness.
Recent studies show that climate change is causing major shifts in plant behavior, making this research more relevant than ever. A study from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that agricultural yields could drop by as much as 30% without intervention.
By decoding these natural processes, scientists aim to create crops that might not just survive, but thrive. As global food production faces pressures from environmental changes, this research holds promise for a more sustainable future in agriculture.
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Engineering,Plant Pathology
