Research

Life is dangerous ... especially for a plant that cannot simply run away to escape harmful environments. Plants are attacked by pests such as insects, nematodes, fungi, bacteria and viruses. Furthermore, they are exposed to abiotic forms of stress like drought, heat, cold, high salinity, and ultraviolet light. Unfavorable environmental conditions shift equilibria in ecosystems and result in enormous reductions in crop productivity. To cope with stress, plants have evolved remarkable defensive and protective strategies that allow them to develop into fertile organisms. Plant defense responses are continuously evolving in an evolutionary battle with pests, which in turn modify their invasive strategies to consume plants. This gave rise to an impressive arsenal of plant weapons. Many of the thousands of known plant secondary metabolites are thought to function in plant defense. To recognize danger and induce defenses, plants evolved a complex signaling network that responds to signals from the environment and regulates the synthesis of defense compounds. For more, please continue to read on my personal web site.

Publications

Johannes Stratmann - Bibliography