Extreme drought resistance of grass from chloroplast and mitochondrial biology
Celebrate our Tangled Roots exhibition by learning about the current research happening with grasses and drought.
Come along for a public presentation from researchers at the University of Auckland about the biology of grasses and how this work could find ways to improve drought resistance of grasses. There will be a presentation from several researchers, with plenty of time for them to answer your questions.
This talk will be held in the Logan Campbell building and all visitors are welcome to attend. No bookings required. Free to attend.
More details about the speakers and their research that will be covered in this public talk.
Allan Wu - The chloroplast is responsible for photosynthesis; it is the ability for the plant to feed itself and create oxygen. It is the process that underpins our life on earth. How an essential organelle such as the chloroplast is made in plants has remained an elusive mystery. The wether love grass (Eragrostis nindensis) is a resurrection grass that is used as a study model for understanding chloroplast biogenesis. When drought occurs, the wether love grass will wilt, shrivel, and turn brown. It appears dead and comes back to life when water returns. This process allows the study of chloroplast biogenesis. It is thought that the understanding of which genes are turned on and how this is done will give us a blueprint on how photosynthesis can be improved for food security over the next 25 years.
Eric Marshall - Resurrection plants feature a unique ability to survive without water, termed vegetative desiccation tolerance. It is an extreme adaptation with species found across all major plant lineages with at least 115 known angiosperm species. Typically, desiccation tolerance occurs in the orthodox seeds of many common plants where seeds remain metabolically alive despite the lack of water. The understanding of what genetic controls are responsible for the resurrection plants in evolving and expressing these genetic factors in their leaves and not just their seeds can offer an understanding of improving drought tolerance in more plants.
Erikan Baluku - Plants need energy to grow, repair, and survive, and this energy largely comes from tiny structures inside their cells called mitochondria. Most plants struggle during drought because their energy systems shut down. However, resurrection plants, like Eragrostis nindensis, can lose nearly all their water and still come back to life when it rains. Interestingly, while their green parts (photosynthesis) shut down, their mitochondria stay alive. My research explores how these plants keep mitochondria working during extreme dryness and how special genes and proteins might protect them. This knowledge could help us develop crops that survive drought and climate change contributing to SDG2 on Zero hunger by 2050.
Thursday
12 February 2026
11am – 12pm
Free
2026-02-12
2026-02-12
Pacific/Auckland
11am – 12pm
: 11am – 12pm Free
Celebrate our Tangled Roots exhibition by learning about the current research happening with grasses and drought.
Come along for a public presentation from researchers at the University of Auckland about the biology of grasses and how this work could find ways to improve drought resistance of grasses. There will be a presentation from several researchers, with plenty of time for them to answer your questions.
This talk will be held in the Logan Campbell building and all visitors are welcome to attend. No bookings required. Free to attend.
More details about the speakers and their research that will be covered in this public talk.
Allan Wu - The chloroplast is responsible for photosynthesis; it is the ability for the plant to feed itself and create oxygen. It is the process that underpins our life on earth. How an essential organelle such as the chloroplast is made in plants has remained an elusive mystery. The wether love grass (Eragrostis nindensis) is a resurrection grass that is used as a study model for understanding chloroplast biogenesis. When drought occurs, the wether love grass will wilt, shrivel, and turn brown. It appears dead and comes back to life when water returns. This process allows the study of chloroplast biogenesis. It is thought that the understanding of which genes are turned on and how this is done will give us a blueprint on how photosynthesis can be improved for food security over the next 25 years.
Eric Marshall - Resurrection plants feature a unique ability to survive without water, termed vegetative desiccation tolerance. It is an extreme adaptation with species found across all major plant lineages with at least 115 known angiosperm species. Typically, desiccation tolerance occurs in the orthodox seeds of many common plants where seeds remain metabolically alive despite the lack of water. The understanding of what genetic controls are responsible for the resurrection plants in evolving and expressing these genetic factors in their leaves and not just their seeds can offer an understanding of improving drought tolerance in more plants.
Erikan Baluku - Plants need energy to grow, repair, and survive, and this energy largely comes from tiny structures inside their cells called mitochondria. Most plants struggle during drought because their energy systems shut down. However, resurrection plants, like Eragrostis nindensis, can lose nearly all their water and still come back to life when it rains. Interestingly, while their green parts (photosynthesis) shut down, their mitochondria stay alive. My research explores how these plants keep mitochondria working during extreme dryness and how special genes and proteins might protect them. This knowledge could help us develop crops that survive drought and climate change contributing to SDG2 on Zero hunger by 2050.
Auckland Botanic Gardens, 102 Hill Road, Auckland 2105, New Zealand
Auckland Botanic Gardens
botanic.gardens@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
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