• KUDOH Hiroshi
• YUMOTO Genki

• Environmental Responses

• Field science

Global warming is expected to drastically alter ecosystems within decades.As plants make up the majority of the Earth's biomass and are the source of energy flow in ecosystems, it is important to predict how plants will respond to changes in the Earth's environment. This prediction should be based on an understanding of the underlying mechanisms of organismal responses. Recent molecular biology has demonstrated the importance of 'chromatin memory', which operates across cell divisions and even across generations. The primary goals of our research are to understand and predict long-term plant responses to environmental changes, both at the level of chromatin regulation and ecological functions. The studies are carried out using Arabidopsis halleri (a perennial plant native to Japan) for research under natural conditions and Arabidopsis thaliana for molecular genetic research.

Arabidopsis halleri flowers visited by a bee polinator.