Origin of resistance against desiccation and cryoinjuries in biological soil crust microalgae of High Arctic

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Burkhard Becker
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems ; Plant Genetics and Genomics ; Plant Physiology
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 492049859

This international project aims to understand the complex eco-physiological and molecular-genetic mechanisms of resistance of biological soil crusts (BSC) microalgae to stresses associated with the harsh Arctic conditions. The topic is relevant to the most urgent global problem, climate change, which is of particular importance in the Arctic. We generally expect that hardened and/or starved BSC microalgae will be more resistant to Arctic winter, melt-freeze cycles, cryostress and desiccation, compared to those growing under more favourable conditions. These physiological differences will be accompanied by morphological modifications and altered metagenomic and/or (meta)transcriptomic profiles, and metabolic pathways. The project will combine field observations and manipulation studies together with laboratory experiments and analyses in close co-operation of Czech and German partners. University of South Bohemia (USB) and Institute of Botany CAS (IB CAS) will provide the expertise on understanding the eco-physiology (hardening, starvation, cryoinjuries and desiccation stresses) of BSC microalgae on Svalbard over the whole period of a year. Insitut for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne (IfP UC) will provide the expertise to study the same BSCs microalgae with respect to description of molecular genetic principles of their hardening, starvation, cryoinjuries and desiccation stresses resistances through metagenomic and (meta)transcriptomic analyses. Unique combination of molecular biology and algal physiology methods together with field studies will allow complex insight into survival strategies of BSC microalgae, from sub-cellular to community levels.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Czech Republic
• Partner Organisation: Czech Science Foundation
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Josef Elster