Project Name: Physiological and molecular framework for understanding the impact of Antarctic regional warming on the reproductive growth of the vascular plant species Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis.

Principal Investigator: León A. Bravo (UFRO-Chile)

Co-Investigator: Patricia Sáez (UDEC-Chile)

Duration: 2020-2023

Funding: ANID – FONDECYT

Objectives:

Establish how warming affects the reproductive growth regulatory network in the two Antarctic flowering species.

Due to regional warming in Antarctica, an increase in sexual reproduction of C. quitensis and D. antarctica (the latter with low germination rates) has been observed, and although most reports on the impact of this warming on the 2 species have anticipated this, there is limited information on their reproductive strategies. Therefore, it has been proposed to study the impact of warming on the reproductive growth and regulation of the flowering process of D. antarctica and C. quitensis.

The results of this research may have interesting practical implications for agriculture because global warming is affecting the flowering and establishment of economically important crops.