Role of intraspecific chemodiversity in responses to environmental challenges

Role of intraspecific chemodiversity in responses to environmental challenges

Plants face both abiotic (e.g., drought) and biotic (e.g., herbivory) stresses, either individually or in combination. The mechanisms behind plant responses to these stresses are not yet fully understood. In particular, the role of intraspecific chemodiversity in plants in plastic responses to such stresses has been largely overlooked.

To study this impact, three chemically diverse species will be exposed to either single or combined stresses and their responses measured with regard to growth and metabolic traits. Comparative analyses will reveal plant species-specific, chemotype-specific and stress-specific versus general responses.