Research Interests:
My research program
focuses on root biology and ion transport processes as
they relate to mineral nutrient acquisition and plant
responses to the environment. In this general area, there
are three major projects currently underway:
- Research on
fundamental aspects of plant mineral
nutrient transport with emphasis on
improving the accumulation of
nutritionally important mineral nutrients
in plants (Fe, Zn, Ca) and minimizing the
entry of toxic heavy metals (Cd, Pb) into
the food chain.
- The
phytoremediation of heavy metal and
radionuclide contaminated soils, both
from a basic and applied perspective.
This research ranges from investigations
into fundamental mechanisms of heavy
metal/micronutrient transport and
hyperaccumulation to field trials of the
phytoremediation of radionuclide
contaminated soils.
- We currently
have a major program dealing with plant
responses to abiotic stress, with a
primary focus on mechanisms of aluminum
toxicity and tolerance for plants growing
on acid soils. This project involves an
integration of physiological
investigations of Al tolerance mechanisms
with the molecular mapping and cloning of
Al tolerance genes in Arabidopsis and
important crop plants ("functional
genomics" of Al tolerance).
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Some of our work on the
molecular genetics and physiology of aluminum
tolerance was featured on the cover of the May
1998 issue of Plant Physiology. See Larsen et al (1998)
and Degenhardt
et al (1998) for the
publications relating to this research
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| My research
approach involves the interdisciplinary
application of methodologies from molecular
biology and genetics (cloning of ion transport
genes, Al tolerance genes, genes conferring heavy
metal tolerance), membrane biophysics involving
microelectrode techniques, biochemistry, plant
physiology and soil chemistry in order to
elucidate underlying mechanisms. An ultimate goal
is to identify genes that control important plant
traits related to mineral nutrient acquisition
and abiotic stress tolerance, in order to
facilitate crop improvement in these areas. |
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