We are interested in how plants sense and respond to their environment. The research emphasis of the lab is to try and understand these processes at the cellular level. We combine advanced microscopy approaches such as:

• confocal microscopy
• laser ablation
• laser tweezers
• ratio imaging
• image analysis
  

with

• biochemistry
  
• molecular biology

Using these techniques, we use several experimental systems to address the following questions:

• How do roots and shoots sense and respond to gravity? We use Arabidopsis roots as our experimental material for many of these studies.

• How do the hormones gibberellin and abscisic acid regulate germination? We are using the hormone responses of the aleurone cells of barley grains as the model system to answer this question.

• In an allied project we are investigating how the rhizoids of the alga Chara respond to gravity.

• We are also investigating how tip growth is controlled in both Chara rhizoids and root hairs of Arabidopsis.

• New to thinking about gravitropism in plants? Here is a good introduction to the topic, time lapse movies of growing roots, and outlines for teaching gravitropism.

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Last Updated
October 5, 2004