The characteristics of the Atacama Desert in Chile play against life
After the poles, this is the driest place on the planet. In addition to the scarcity of water, the soil has few nutrients. Sunlight produces extremely high radiation and much of its territory is more than 2,500 meters above sea level.
Even so, dozens of species of plants, herbs and shrubs manage to survive in this hostile region.
And how do they do it? According to experts, the answer to this question is essential for finding solutions to the challenges that humanity already faces.
Understanding these adaptation mechanisms can provide valuable clues for producing crops capable of living in areas where there is a shortage of food for people. Or in areas that are becoming more desert due to climate change.
Now, a group of researchers claims to have found a series of genetic strategies that explain the resistance and adaptability of the Atacama plants.
What does this discovery, whose authors compare with the discovery of a gold mine, consist?
Genetics and evolution
For ten years, a team of botanists, microbiologists, ecologists and experts in genomics and evolution analyzed the climate, temperature, soil and vegetation in 22 zones at different altitudes within the Atacama.
Then they took samples from the soil and 32 species of plants to analyze their genetic sequences in the laboratory.
According to Rodrigo Gutiérrez, co-author of the research and professor at the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, most of these plants had never been studied.
As part of the analysis, Gutiérrez and his team compared the genomes of 32 Atacama species with 32 other genetically similar species that had not undergone the process of adaptation in the desert.
The aim was to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the Atacama plants to identify the genetic changes that allowed them to adapt to extreme conditions.
mutations and bacteria
The study yielded two major results.
The first was that they identified mutations in 265 genes present in several Atacama plants.
According to the researchers, these mutations may be the result of evolutionary processes that facilitate the adaptation of plants to desert conditions.
Among these genes, for example, they found some that are related to the reaction to sunlight and photosynthesis, and that help plants to resist the extreme radiation of the Atacama.
They also discovered genes related to the response of plants to stress and salt, as well as others involved in detoxification processes.
These genes, according to the authors, may be associated with the adaptation of plants to hostile and nutrient-poor conditions in this region.
The second discovery was realizing that some plant species develop bacteria in the soil around their roots.
These bacteria optimize the uptake of nitrogen, a fundamental nutrient for plant growth, which is scarce in Atacama.
food safety
Some Atacama plants are closely related to essential crop types such as grains, vegetables and potatoes.
So Gutiérrez describes his discovery as a “genetic gold mine” that can be used to develop more resistant crops in areas affected by increased desertification.
“Our study is relevant for regions that are becoming increasingly arid, with factors such as drought, extreme temperatures and the presence of salt in water and soil, which represent a significant threat to global food production”, says the researcher .
Gloria Coruzzi, a researcher at the Center for Genomics and Biological Systems at New York University and co-author of the study, believes that “in an era of accelerated climate change, it is critical to discover the genetic bases for improving crop production and resilience under dry and nutrient-poor conditions”.
BBC Mundo consulted Elizabeth Weretilnyk, a professor at McMaster University in Canada and an expert on plant adaptation to adverse ecosystems, who did not participate in the research.
For Weretilnyk, this study shows that it is possible “to accelerate the discovery of genes and adaptive traits that can guide efforts to improve crops that are less tolerant of stress.”
Weretilnyk also hopes that this study will inspire further research into “a future with greater food security”.
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