Speedy stomata: genome-wide association mapping of stomatal kinetics and water use efficiency of plants

Prof Anna Amtmann, School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Glasgow

Prof Ian Dodd, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University 

Prof Mike Blatt, School of Molecular Biosciences, University of Glasgow

Project Summary

This PhD project addresses the urgent need to secure food production under climate change. Global agricultural crop production is under acute threat from dwindling water resources, exacerbated by more frequent and more extreme weather events. Any potential benefits of increased CO2 levels for photosynthesis are thwarted by yield losses from heat and drought. Stomatal pores in the surface of plant leaves are at the centre of this problem because they facilitate both the uptake of CO2 and the loss of water. Stomata open and close in response to environmental signals using an intricate regulatory network. In this PhD project you will investigate the genetic factors that determine the speed of stomatal responses and their effects on water use efficiency of the plant. Your research will be based on genome-wide association (GWA) mapping of stomatal kinetics across a panel of Arabidopsis accessions. You will investigate candidate genes in two genetic regions with strong association peaks and assess their importance for improving water use efficiency. You will be working in a world-renown research team and receive training in cutting-edge experimental techniques used for quantitative genetics, molecular biology and plant physiology as well as computational tools for GWAS, transcriptomics and mathematical modelling.