Forest trees have a key role as sinks for the atmospheric greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (CO2). Trees take up the CO2 through narrow openings in their leaves (called stomata). After fixing the CO2 in their green chloroplasts to form carbohydrates (or sugars), these compounds are then transported through a conductive tissue (phloem) to the trunk of the tree where they are providing building blocks for the plant biomass. A specific stem cell system (cambium) orchestrates the underlying radial growth. In the CoE in Tree Biology we will address how the genes control the carbon sink effect of trees. We will first dissect the process in the source (leaf), transport (phloem) and sink (cambium) segments. Finally, we will integrate this information at a whole tree level by combining various disciplines of plant science to analyze how the forest tree individuals vary in their capacity to fix CO2. We will also use this information to breed trees that act as more efficient carbon sinks.

2022

2024