Plant roots develop and function in soil environments where oxygen availability is highly dynamic and often limiting. Yet, oxygen is fundamental to cellular respiration, metabolism, and developmental decision-making. How roots perceive, distribute, and adapt to fluctuating oxygen levels remains poorly understood.

The Root Respiration Lab investigates how oxygen availability shapes root metabolism, development, and environmental adaptation. We study oxygen not only as a metabolic substrate, but also as a regulatory signal that coordinates growth, tissue differentiation, and stress responses belowground.

By combining physiology, genetics, advanced oxygen sensing, and quantitative approaches, our research aims to uncover the principles that govern how roots “breathe” underground and how oxygen landscapes are integrated into developmental programmes.