Effects of climate change on plants

Increased CO2 levels and variations in temperature and humidity linked to climate change can alter plant ecophysiology.

An important part of the research carried out at BIOMA is focused on determining the effects of climate change and other environmental pressures. In addition to the field programs of study in natural ecosystems, agronomically important crops such as grapevine(Vitis vinifera), alfalfa(Medicago sativa), lettuce(Lactuca sativa) or wheat(Triticum aestivum) are also studied. This research is mainly focused on determining the effects of environmental factors associated with climate change, such as the increase in_CO2 and the increase in temperature and drought, both acting in isolation or interacting with plants.

This broad area of work, in turn includes the following lines of research:

• Plant response to abiotic and biotic stress factors: this involves studying how plants respond to abiotic environmental factors such as radiation, temperature, lack of water, salinity, etc., and to biotic factors such as pathogenic fungi or mycorrhizae and nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

• Grapevine biology: the increase of_CO2 (greenhouse gas) and its associated effects (temperature increase and water scarcity) are issues of great concern for the wine and winemaking industry. This line of work investigates the adaptive capacity of several grapevine varieties to different environmental factors associated with climate change. The study analyzes the growth, production, plant physiology and quality of grapes, as well as their potential for quality winemaking.

• Arbuscular mycorrhizae in natural and agricultural ecosystems: the goal of this line of research is to study mycorrhizal fungi and their interaction with plant roots, which provide important benefits in terms of nutrition, water, defense and stress tolerance. Fungal root symbiosis is a very effective means of improving the adaptation of crops and natural vegetation to climatic changes, which are already occurring and are likely to become more severe in the future.

• Agricultural application of sewage sludge: this line of work studies the benefit of employment of sewage sludge in agriculture. In addition to its use as fertilizer, its potential to mitigate the effects of climate change in agricultural areas is analyzed, since the application of sludge favors the water retention capacity of soils and carbon sequestration thanks to an increase in humification fees .