In it Death Valley, located in California, USA, A group of scientists detected a planta that resists very high temperatures.
After that, they carried out a laboratory analysis with seeds of the species, in which they reproduced the circumstances of that place and, indeed, verified that the vegetal runs smoothly.
The results of this study represent a unique opportunity for the agriculturesince the characteristics of said planta to ensure that others also withstand high degrees of heat.
The discovery of Tidestromia oblongifolia, «the plant that best withstands extreme heat»
He Death Valley is he hottest place of the planet. Its peculiar geography, with a ravine that reaches almost 100 meters below sea level, traps and compresses the air, which prevents its circulation. Therefore, when the summer sun falls on this environment and the stones become hot, The temperature can exceed 50 degrees Celsius.
These conditions are incredibly hostile to life, and pose a risk to tourists who venture into the terrain. In fact, it is estimated that they die about 4 visitors per year due to the hyperthermiasince the human body does not have sufficient capacity to cool itself in the face of such extreme temperatures.
Seung Rhee, one of the scientists who investigated Tidestromia oblongifolia.Despite this context, researchers from the Michigan State University They were almost certain that, in the most remote places of the Valley, a living being reproduces without being altered by the heat. This is the plant known as Tidestromia oblongifoliawho seems to enjoy the very high degrees.
To verify this, the doctors Karine Prado and Seung Yon Rhee, who led the academic research group, built a special greenhouse to replicate the particularities of Death Valley and planted the plant.
The study was a complex challenge at a technological level, since most greenhouses are designed for plants that grow in environments between 20 and 30 degrees and with high humidity, so reaching 50 ºC and a minimum humidity required making a considerable number of modifications.
However, the scientific team managed to reproduce the characteristics of the Valley, and the planted plants, in less than 10 days, reached triple its biomass. In the same period, other species that had also been cultivated died.
«When we first brought these seeds to the lab, we struggled to get them to grow. But once we managed to mimic the conditions of Death Valley in our growth chambers, they started to grow,» Prado told the National Geographic.
Likewise, the directors of the study explained to the organization how it is possible for Tidestromia oblongifolia to develop, since, for most plants, these temperatures are practically incompatible with photosynthesis, the method they have to obtain the necessary food from carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the air and water.
Despite high temperatures, Tidestromia tripled in size. Photo: YT video capture (Cell Press)Seung Yon Rhee, who defined Tidestromia oblongifolia as ««the documented plant that best withstands extreme heat»the study paid attention to both the plant’s genome and other essential components for its photosynthesis.
Thus, they noticed that, when temperatures begin to rise, This species reprograms its DNA to adapt to extreme heat in less than 24 hours. The plant, then, acquires genes that protect proteins from heat, others that help maintain the photosynthesis process and others that are responsible for repairing damage from heat stress.
They also found that it begins to produce large amounts of an enzyme called Rubisco activase, which is necessary to ensure that photosynthesis continues stably, since it is what takes CO₂ from the air and introduces it into the chemical cycle with which the plant manufactures sugars.
Furthermore, according to experts, Tidestromia oblongifolia experiences changes at the cellular level. When exceeding 40ºC, each of its cells repositions its mitochondria, the energy-producing organelles, and places them next to its chloroplasts, the internal structure that carries out photosynthesis. Thus, it achieves faster energy exchange and prevents damage to the chloroplasts.
The latter also adopt a «little cup» shape, a fact that had never been observed in this type of plants. For this reason, the researchers believe, they manage to increase the efficiency of CO₂ capture, easily release excess energy and avoid internal “overheating.”
«We could transform agriculture»: the importance of Tidestromia oblongifolia for humanity
Scientist Seung Rhee said that it is important to know why Tidestromia oblongifolia survives high temperatures, since it could serve science to introduce modifications to other plants, with the aim that all of them can adapt to increasing levels of heat.
«Understanding how (Tidestromia oblongifolia) acclimates to heat can help us develop new strategies with which adapt our plants to an increasingly hot planet«, expresó a National Geographic.
«If we learn how to replicate these mechanisms in crops, we could transform agriculture and adapt it to a hotter world,» added the expert.
Scientist Rhee says Tidestromia research could transform agriculture.Plants that live in a desert climate have had millions of years to perfect their reproduction strategies at hostile temperatures, which a large part of living beings could face in the future.
For this reason, the doctor argues, now that the material means exist that allow it, specialists must devote themselves to the study of these species. «We finally have the tools such as genomics, high-resolution microscopy imaging and systems biology to learn from them,» said the researcher from the University of Michigan.
With the effects of climate change threatening the plantations necessary to obtain food, having species that are more resilient to temperature extremes can help ensure the stability of crops and, therefore, the human survival.
As Prado, the other director of the study, said, «this research not only explains how a desert plant overcomes the heat, but also gives us a roadmap of how vegetation could adapt to the world we are heading to.»
