Upscaling of anatomical, physiological and molecular determinisms of transpiration at wood and leaf levels in poplar trees subjected to water stress

PI : Didier Le Thiec (UMR 1137 Ecophysiologie et Ecologie Forestières – EEF)

Co-applicants :
C. Rathgeber (Laboratoire d’Etude des Ressources Forêts-Bois – LERFOB)

Collaboration :
H. Cochard (INRA – UMR PIAF)
T. Barigah (INRA – UMR PIAF)
Nicolas Angeli : Plateforme technique PTEF :
Julien Ruelle : Plateforme technique Xylosciences

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Context — The on-going climate change is predicted to result in a higher frequency of dry and warm summers. This kind of event increases the risk of water supply shortage for tree plantations as well as for natural populations, with an increased risk of reduced wood productio. Appropriate responses to these climatic risks might be found in the selection of genotypes able either to find larger amounts of water from the soil, or to use the transpired water more efficiently, i.e. increasing the biomass production per unit of transpired water.

Objectives — The principal objective of the project is to evaluate the relative importance of adaptive mechanisms of water transport in response to drought that are essential for maintaining or increasing transpiration efficiency at different scales of space and time.

Approaches — We propose to identify anatomical and molecular mechanisms involved in the transfer of water in the plant (leaf-wood anatomy, hydraulic transpiration).

Expected results and impacts — We will seek to develop research (i) to provide new insights into the physiological bases of drought impacts, (ii) to characterize acclimatization process induced by this constraint (phenotypic plasticity), (iii) to characterize intraspecific diversity of functional traits likely to be a natural selection or genetic improvement programs, (iv) to provide knowledge at tree level (leaf, trunk) for a integration at whole tree level and stand.