Dr. Hendrik Poorter

Senior Researcher

 Research Topics

1. Meta-Phenomics

The response of plants to their environment can best be described by dose-response curves. Unfortunately, for most plant traits these curves are not known, notwithstanding a wide range of publications. The first target of my work is to reconstrThe response of plants to their environment can best be described by dose-response curves. Unfortunately, for most plant traits these curves are not known, notwithstanding a wide range of publications. The first target of my work is to reconstruct these dose-response curves for a range of growth-related traits (RGR, photosynthesis, respiration, water relations, chemical composition, anatomy, morphology) in response to 12 of the most important a-biotic environmental factors.uct these dose-response curves for a range of growth-related traits (RGR, photosynthesis, respiration, water relations, chemical composition, anatomy, morphology) in response to 12 of the most important a-biotic environmental factors.´
- Review on biomass allocation
- Biomass allocation: effect of size and species
For more information see www.metaphenomics.org

Zea mays grown in pots of various sizes

Examples of dose-response curves for Total Dry Mass

2. Leaf Mass per Area (LMA)

LMA (or alternatively SLA) is one of the important traits underlying variation in growth rate between species, and strongly affected by various environmental factors such as light and temperature. What are the factors underlying variation in LMA (with special focus on leaf anatomy) and what are the consequences thereof?
- Review on LMA
- Relation with anatomy

How anatomy affects LMA

3. Growth of plants

A plant’s growth rate depends on the genetic potential, and the environmental interaction. It is therefore important to know how to grow plants (inside/outside, small pots / large pots / hydroponics), and how to analyse growth and the underlying variables, such as photosynthesis, respiration, allocation and morphology. Under what conditions can plants from various environments best grown and what can we learn from different phenotyping platforms?
- Effect of pot size
- Comparing lab- and field-grown plants
- Growth of sun and shade species in relation to light
- Trait correlation networks

Example of a trait correlation network for photosynthesis- and growth-related traits

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