U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science

Poplar Genome Based Research for Carbon Sequestration in Terrestrial Ecosystems
Principal investigator:
Scott A. Harding, Michigan Technological University
sahardin@mtu.edu

Co-investigators:
Chung-Jui Tsai, Michigan Technological University; Richard L. Lindroth, University of Wisconsin

Project period:
August 2005 to present


ER64112 		  A genomics investigation of partitioning into and among flavonoid-derived condensed tannins for carbon sequestration in Populus

Summary: In Populus tree tissues, one of the quantitatively important chemical destinations for photosynthetically captured atmospheric carbon dioxide is condensed tannin. Among the characteristics of condensed tannin that make it important for the study of carbon sequestration are its resistance to decay (conversion back into carbon dioxide from shed plant parts) and the highly variable control of its natural abundance. Industrially, condensed tannins from trees have been used to toughen leather and other animal hide products by cross-linking and inactivating degradative proteins. Depending on their chemical structure, appropriate quantities of condensed tannins can slow the decomposition of plant debris and organic matter buried in the soil as well. Although condensed tannins in dead plant debris factor into soil decay processes, the biological control of condensed tannin abundance, organ distribution, and chemical form in living trees has been much less thoroughly explored.

The goals of this project are to:

  • describe the genetic and metabolic control of condensed tannin abundance and chemical form in both shoot and root tissues,
  • analyze the effects of experimentally varied condensed tannin abundance on the synthesis of other decay-resistant carbon forms such as lignin,
  • test specific hypotheses about the control of condensed tannin abundance and form in roots and shoots using transgenically altered plants, and
  • explore the molecular and physiological bases for changes in condensed tannin abundance in relation to other compounds in juvenile-maturing trees.
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