Evolutionary adaptation to local soil pH in Arabidopsis halleri (A09)

• Subject Area: Plant Physiology
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 456082119

Calcareous soils are characterized by high, alkaline pH levels and low availabilities of iron, a crucial nutrient in plants. Natural populations of the long-lived and stress-tolerant Arabidopsis halleri are well known for their ability to accumulate and tolerate high concentrations of heavy metals that can interfere with iron nutrition, but these populations also inhabit exceptionally diverse soils spanning a wide range of pH values. Our central objective is to decipher the molecular physiological basis of how different populations of the species A. halleri can inhabit soils with contrasting pH and thus varying availability of iron and other minerals.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 341: Plant Ecological Genetics
• Applicant Institution: Universität zu Köln
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Ute Krämer, since 7/2022