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Genetics of adaptation to novel environmental challenges
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Project A2
Fitness effects of molecular variants affecting leaf area and economics spectrum of Hordeum vulgare
Characterization of natural variation in leaf shape and photosynthesis of barley under diverse environmental conditions (Photo: B. Stich)
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Project A12
Comparative analysis of gene-specific adaptive potentials across changing environments in A. thaliana
Common garden experiment with A. thaliana in three different conditions varying on competition and nutrient supply.
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Project B1
Ecological diversification in urban habitats: A comparative approach across four ruderal Brassicaceae species
Investigating urban biodiversity on site (Photo: J.Floret)
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Project B2
Adaptation of perennial Arabis alpina along a latitudinal gradient in Scandinavia
How do plants adapt to high-latitude environments that are extremely stressful and allow only very short growing seasons? (Photo: G. Coupland))
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Project B4
Adaptation via geneflow in endangered Arabis floodplain species
The home of Arabis nemorensis, A. sagittata and their hybrids in the natural reserve of Bruderlöcher in Hessen. Understanding the consequences of contemporaneous gene flow may help protect species from extinction (Photo: Y. Oezoglan)).
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Project B7
Adaptation in ecologically diverse Hordeum species: a comparative intra- and inter-species approach
Common garden experiment with ecologically diverse Hordeum species under water- and nutrient-limiting conditions.
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Project B7
Our Early Career Researchers in action!
After work in the common garden experiment
The CRC TRR 341 "Plant Ecological Genetics" is a transregional collaborative research centre funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Researchers from the University of Cologne (UoC) and the Heinrich-Heine-University (HHU) in Düsseldorf team up with their colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIPZ) , the Ruhr University in Bochum (RUB), the Philipps University in Marburg (UMR), the University of Potsdam (UP), and the Julius Kühn-Institut in Sanitz (JKI) to work in identifying the genetic mechanisms of trait variation promoting plant adaptation to environmental changes.
The CRC TRR 341 is organized in two scientific areas counting together 19 research projects. The integrated graduate programme in Ecological Genetics (GEcoGen) provides early-career researchers a training environment for developing scientific and professional expertise in both Molecular Biology and Ecology.
Scientific profile
What are the genetic underpinnings of plant adaptation to global environmental change?
Ecosystems worldwide are threatened by anthropogenic degradation, fragmentation and climate change. Plants are part of almost all food webs and critical for the functioning of ecosystems. Thus, their ability to adapt to environmental changes is crucial. In the CRC TRR 341 we dissect the genetics of plant adaptation to their environment. Using state-of-the-art genetic technologies with a combination of field surveys and controlled environmental manipulations, we seek to identify the genetic variation underlying survival and reproduction in plants growing under altered resource availability, abiotic stress and plant-plant competition pressures.
Ultimately, our projects will provide key information on the traits, genes and genetic variants promoting adaptations to global environmental change in plants, and assist future efforts to preserve natural ecosystems.