Arabidopsis Thaliana

Plants are sessile organisms and their only alternative to a rapidly changing environment is a fast adaptation to abiotic and biotic stresses. Among the several known species of flowering plants, Arabidopsis thaliana is the only plant that has been most thoroughly studied. This angiosperm with dicotyledonous seeds belonging to the family Brassicaceae was known to botanists for at least four centuries and has been used since then for experimental studies for about half a century, until it was Friedrich Laibach who had outlined the advantages of using it in genetic experiments and had also suggested that it could be used as a plant model system in 1943. Its unique features favors genetic experiments, which include its small size, a rapid generation time, the ability to grow well under controlled conditions, high fecundity of up to 10,000 seeds per plant. Like the peas that Mendel studied, it reproduces mainly by self-fertilisation. Arabidopsis is considered a model plant for many studies as its genomic sequence was completely identified and its mechanisms in genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic regulation are often similar to other plant species. The aim of this book is to give an up-to-date overview on the recent breakthroughs in the area of responses and adaptations of Arabidopsis, particularly those regarding its cultivation, life cycle and functional genomics. The chapters are focused on the most exciting and innovative researches on this species, involving authors with strong research experience. The present volume would definitely be an ideal source of scientific information to the advanced students, junior researchers, faculty and scientists involved in the ecology, agriculture, environmental microbiology, genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, biotechnology and other areas involving Arabidopsis studies and plant sciences in general.