Why do we study calcium signaling in plants?
Plants depend on calcium signals to survive in a changing world. Understanding how these signals break down under stress helps us protect crops against disease and climate challenges.
How does our research relate to world problems?
We study calcium signaling because it is one of the most universal ways living cells sense and respond to their environment. In plants, calcium signals control how they grow, defend themselves against pathogens, and adapt to changing conditions. Environmental stresses linked to climate change, such as rising temperatures and shifting humidity, can weaken these calcium-based responses and leave plants more vulnerable to disease.
Food security depends on healthy crops that can withstand both pathogens and the stresses of a changing climate. By understanding how calcium signals work, and how they fail under stress, we can identify weak points in plant resilience and develop strategies to strengthen them. This research not only informs fundamental biology but also provides tools to breed or engineer crops that are more resistant to both disease and climate extremes.
Our work helps connect the fine-scale dynamics of plant cells to global challenges in agriculture and sustainability. In doing so, it contributes to ensuring reliable food production and preparing agriculture for the environmental conditions of the future.
Climate change stresses plants by weakening their natural defenses, leaving them more vulnerable to disease and reducing crop yields. Figure from Lahli R., et al., Crop and Environment, 2024.
These maps show how climate change could reshape the global spread of plant diseases. Today (top maps), soil-borne pathogens such as Phytophthora, Pythium, and Penicillium are already widespread. By 2050 (bottom maps), models predict that warming temperatures and shifting land use will expand their reach into new regions. This means farmers and communities worldwide may face more frequent and severe outbreaks that threaten food security. Figure from Singh BK., et al., Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2024.
Climate Change is Already Intensifying Plant Disease
Warmer temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and rising humidity can stress plants and weaken their immune defenses, making them easier targets. At the same time, these same environmental changes create conditions where pathogens can thrive and spread into new regions where they previously couldn’t survive.
For example, soil-borne pathogens like Phytophthora and Pythium are projected to expand dramatically by 2050 (left panel), raising the risk of global crop losses. This means climate change doesn’t just stress plants directly: it also fuels the microbes that attack them, creating a double burden for food security.