NASA has funded much of this research as part of their Space Biology program, which has enabled me to study seed production in the model plants Arabidopsis and Brassica on board the US Space Shuttle and the Russian Mir Space Station. Of particular import to plant growth in microgravity is the unusual behavior of fluids and gases. In a series of experiments designed to elucidate failed reproduction during spaceflight, my lab showed that decreased carbohydrate content of leaves in microgravity led to energy reserves which were insufficient to support the reproductive effort. Increasing the carbon dioxide available to the plant resulted in reproductive success. My current research continues this exploration into the effects of microgravity on seed development.
Plant tissues harbor fascinating gaseous microenvironments.
For example, the oxygen content of the locular space surrounding developing seeds in Brassica is less than half that of the ambient atmosphere, while carbon dioxide levels are twenty-times higher. My lab's goal is to understand how microgravity modulates these microenvironments, and what the consequences are for development of embryos and seed storage reserves. But this research has relevance beyond microgavity. Many of these problems can be linked to gaseous anomalies within the micro-environment of the maturing fruit. By elucidating the role of the internal atmosphere in plant development, we can mitigate these losses both on earth and in space.