Integration of physiology and ecology to study light responses in a natural environment

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K19391
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biology of Cells to Organisms, and related fields
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Nagatani Akira 京都大学, 理学研究科, 教授 (40183082)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 工藤 洋 京都大学, 生態学研究センター, 教授 (10291569)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 光応答 / 野外 / トランスクリプトーム / 光受容体 / スペクトル解析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Plants can perceive light stimuli and respond to them properly. Molecular mechanisms for such responses have been elucidated through the intensive experiments performed under controlled light conditions in laboratories. However, much less is known about the responses under natural complex conditions. In this study, we conducted continuous light measurements in the field and figured out its characteristics. We then collected large scale transcriptome data from plants growing in the field and identified light responsive genes. The results indicated that the responses in the field are different from ones observed in the laboratory in several important aspects. Thereby, a new research field is opened to gain deeper insights into the plant life.

Free Research Field

植物生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術学的意義は、これまでほとんど顧みられることが無かった野外の光応答に真正面から取り組み、その実態の一端を明らかにしたことにある。この結果、人為的な条件下で行われてきた従来型の研究からは予想できなかったような光応答の側面が明らかにされつつある。これによって、植物のより深い理解に向けた新しい分野が拓かれる端緒となった。植物研究は、農業や環境保護などにつながる社会的にも重要なテーマであり、本研究をさらに進めることで、人類の維持・発展に資する重要な成果が得られると期待される。