AOX in Plant Systematics

The first time I ever questioned plant systematics was as a child visiting my family in Jamaica. Walking along the beach, my father stopped me to show me a magic trick. He knelt in front of a tiny plant and told me not to blink. He reached out, lightly tapped the leaves, and instantly, they folded inward as if retreating from the sun. I was convinced for a moment that my father was a sorcerer, but curiosity quickly took over. How did the plant know it was being touched? How and why did it move? Did it move to protect itself?

My curiosity at that moment has carried on through my academic journey and driven my research to this day. Years later, I found myself conducting sampling for my research at McMaster University, reliving that very same childhood memory. As Dr. Susan Dudley guided me through the newly renovated greenhouse, she stopped in front of a plant called Mimosa pudica. She reached out, touched its leaves, and as they did in my memories, they instantly folded inwards. At that moment, I wasn’t just a biologist collecting samples; I was a child excitedly questioning plant systematics.

My experience collecting samples was only further heightened by the breathtaking species found in the greenhouse. From elusive coniferous trees like Norfolk Pine (Araucaria heterophylla) to more familiar plants like the Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata), this facility had it all. As a molecular biologist who usually spends most of their time around a bench, this day made me feel like a field researcher.

My sampling trip to McMaster, though exciting and nostalgic, was designed to obtain live samples of nonangiosperm plants for my research project at Wilfrid Laurier University in the McDonald Lab. A research project that focuses on alternative oxidase (AOX), a mitochondrial terminal oxidase involved in plant stress responses.

The purpose of AOX research is heightened by issues that ecosystems face at the hands of climate change. Climate change has introduced complex and unpredictable stressors to Canada's agriculture and ecosystems, including the Canadian boreal forests. Populated by non-flowering plants like conifers, mosses, and ferns, the boreal forest acts as a global carbon sink. However, stressors introduced by climate change undermine carbon sequestration and the biodiversity within these ecosystems. As environmental conditions become increasingly volatile, the resilience and adaptability of plant systems are tested. Investigating plant systematics, particularly through studying the alternative oxidase (AOX) pathway, oYers a promising avenue to understand how plants respond to biotic and abiotic stressors. A deeper dive into this terminal oxidase must be survive taken as AOX helps plants adapt to stress by allowing them to challenges like pathogens, extreme temperatures, and oxygen deprivation.

The curiosity that a single plant sparked for me as a child in Jamaica is the curiosity that inspires my research on AOX and plant systematics. Just as the Mimosa pudica responds to touch, AOX allows plants to respond to environmental stressors. By combining my childhood curiosity with molecular biology, I hope to use my project to meaningfully contribute to research that explores how plants adapt to our ever-changing world.

Contributed by Anissa Franics

McDonald Lab

Wilfred Laurier University