Research Projects

Plants have developed adaptive mechanisms to tolerate environmental changes, such as extreme temperature and anthropogenic factors, for their survival and reproduction. Thermal priming is a strategy where a past stress exposure alters responses to a later stress event, lasting from several months to years and evolving to the next generation. Research on priming phenomena and their molecular basis in plants has attracted attention, but the molecular mechanisms under plant stress priming remain largely unknown. Seagrasses, a unique group of marine angiosperm recolonized in marine realms, have developed a range of adaptive characteristics to overcome environmental stress. As a foundation species in the marine ecosystem, seagrasses provide valuable socio-economic services such as coastal protection, fishery maintenance, carbon sequestration, and burial. However, seagrasses are declining due to rapid environmental changes driven by human activities, with about 7% global coverage disappearing every year. Ten seagrass species (∼14%) have already been listed at risk of extinction, while three seagrass species are under endangered status. The decline threatens species that depend on seagrass ecosystems for food and habitat, particularly endangered species, as it signals greater devastation in the future. Epigenetic modifications and stress memory in terrestrial plants have potential adaptive mechanisms to withstand environmental changes, and as a clonal plant, seagrasses offer an opportunity to understand the effects of epigenetics without concern for genetic variation. However, our knowledge about the role of epigenetic modifications and stress memory in seagrasses remains unknown.