Format: ORAL

Joe Q He, Rosa Sanchez-Lucas, Phoebe Swift, Charlotte Jones, Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, Marco Catoni, Estrella Luna-Diez

University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Memory is the acquisition, retention and transmission of information guiding future action. The imprinting of memory in plants mostly happens by altering its epigenetic signature through DNA methylation, which has been shown to contribute to both short-term phenotypic plasticity and the longer-term adaptive capacity. In our large research project MEMBRA, we are studying epigenetic changes and transgenerational memory because of climate change-associated stress in key forest tree species present. Different abiotic (i.e. drought, frost, elevated CO2) and biotic stresses (i.e. insect infestation and different diseases) have been selected based on our data showing that they alter important traits, such as growth, within UK forests. Leaf DNA from selected trees exposed to stress has been extracted and subjected to Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing (WGBS). A custom bioinformatic pipeline was established to call differentially methylated points (DMPs) and regions (DMRs) and to associate the differential stresses to the methylome. Our long-term aim is to integrate the capacity of tree species to develop memory into the spectrum of tree form and function and test its influence on forest resilience. Memory will be used as a plant functional trait to help select the most resilient forests and populations to be targeted as a source of seeds for afforestation programme. Therefore, MEMBRA is concerned with the implications of establishing long-term memory of stress as a key characteristic of trees that can fundamentally change climate resilience strategies. Through this multidisciplinary project working with artists, ethicists and policy experts, we are providing a paradigm shift in our understanding of the adaptation capacity of forests to the unprecedented rapid global-change-driven environmental shifts.