Seminar by Guillaume Tcherkez, Institut de Recherche en Horticulture et Semences, Université d’Angers & Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra

Dans le cadre de l’animation scientifique, Guillaume Tcherkez, professeur à l’Institut de Recherche en Horticulture et Semences, Université d’Angers & Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, présentera une conférence intitulée “New insights in the use of 13C natural abundance for water use efficiency in plants” le mardi 21 janvier à 11h en salle de séminaire.

Résumé de la présentation:
Stable carbon isotopes have been used extensively since the 80s to correlate the carbon isotope composition (d13C) to water use efficiency (WUE, ratio of carbon gain to water loss). There have been considerable applications including for breeding, that is, finding varieties or cultivars that are best adapted to low water availability. However, there are several complications in the relationship between d13C and WUE, like isotope fractionation in non-photosynthetic processes, or the contribution of previously neglected effects, such as internal conductance for CO2. In our recent work, we have studied these effects precisely and assessed whether they have consequences on tree ring utilisation to estimate past WUE and CO2 effects led by climate change. In this presentation, the theoretical background will be provided, and the outcome of these studies will be illustrated. The objective is to give a modern, updated view of the relationship between WUE and 13C and thus on how d13C values can be used in plants.