Umeå Plant Science Centre

Fascination of Plants Day 2024

Would you like to get to know more about the research we do at UPSC? For the Fascination of Plants Day 2024, we prepared short videos to let you sneak in four currently ongoing research projects at UPSC. Take a look!

The research projects:

How to study interactions between proteins?

PhD student Laura Tünnermann studies how a specific amino acid transporter that is facilitating the uptake of amino acids into plant cells is regulated. In this video, she explains how she tests if this amino acid transporter is interacting with another protein. Take a look to learn more!

Content & photos: Laura Tünnermann; illustrations & animations: Sonhita Chakraborty; editorial: Anne Honsel. This film was produced for the Fascination of Plants Day 2024.

How is flowering regulated in trees?

PhD student Laura García Romañach studies how flowering is regulated in trees. She investigates if a mechanism that is regulating cone-setting in spruce works in the same way in aspen trees. Have a look if you would like to know how it went!

Content & photos: Laura García Romañach; illustrations & animations: Sonhita Chakraborty; editorial: Anne Honsel. This film was produced for the Fascination of Plants Day 2024.

What determines the shape of a cell?

The researchers Siamsa Doyle, Sija Liu and their colleagues explore how cells are shaped. They discovered a gene in aspen that seem to be involved in shaping jigsaw-puzzle cells, very specifically formed cells found on the outer surface of leaves. Take a look on this video to learn how they test if the gene is indeed shaping cells in aspen!

Content & photos: Siamsa Doyle; illustrations & animations: Sonhita Chakraborty; editorial: Anne Honsel. This film was produced for the Fascination of Plants Day 2024.

The glue that sticks plant cells together

PhD student Léa Bogdziewiez studies how the cell wall sticks plant cells together. This is not easy to do within the plant. That is why she and her colleagues decided to simplify their work and start their studies with isolated single cells. Have a look at this video to learn how they isolate the plant cells!

Content & photos: Léa Bogdziewiez; illustrations & animations: Sonhita Chakraborty; editorial: Anne Honsel. This film was produced for the Fascination of Plants Day 2024.

How do we study the function of tree genes at the Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC)?

Research on trees is one of our main focus at UPSC. We often use genetically modified trees as tool to understand tree growth and development. Take a look on how we make and work with genetically modified trees!

Film: Simon Öhman Jönsson, Umeå University; Speaker: Kathryn Robinson, Umeå University

UR Samtiden 2017 - Fascinerande växter

In March 2017, eight researchers from UPSC gave public lectures about their research. They were recorded for UR Samtiden by Utbildningsradion. You can watch all lectures here or at UR Play. The lectures were also broadcasted at Kunskapskanalen.

Public lectures

Stefan Jansson - UR Samtiden 2017

Hur vet egentligen trädet att det är höst?

In autumn, the trees get their autumn colors and finally shed their leaves but how do the trees know that the autumn is coming? Professor Stefan Jansson, Umeå University, explains how the tree's calendar works and why the leaves change their color in autumn. The lecture is held in Swedish.

Sacha Escamez - UR Samtiden 2017

How do plants make plumbing pipes from cells?

Sacha Escamez, postdoctoral researcher at UPSC, Umeå University, describes how plants utilize some of their cells to build pipe-like structures. These structures allow them to draw water and nutrients from the soil in order to distribute it throughout their bodies. The lecture is held in English with Swedish subtitles.

Per Gardeström - UR Samtiden 2017

Fotosyntesen – ett samarbete mellan cellens energifabriker

Per Gardeström, Professor at Umeå University, explains how carbon dioxide is fixed during photosynthesis with the help of sun light. He focusses on the collaboration between chloroplasts and mitochondria. Both are plant cell compartments that are important for the energy supply of the cell. The lecture is held in Swedish.

Anirban Baral - UR Samtiden 2017

Traffic in plant cells – sending cargo the right way

How is information and material exchanged between different compartments within a plant cell? Anirban Baral, postdoctoral researcher at UPSC, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, explains how the traffic in plant cells is organised. The lecture is held in English with Swedish subtitles.

Siamsa Doyle - UR Samtiden 2017

Chemicals as tools to dissect plants

Siamsa Doyle, researcher at UPSC, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, describes why and how they use chemicals to block proteins that control plant functions. She explains that the effects of such chemicals tell a lot about the blocked proteins and their roles in plant growth and development. Like this, they can use chemicals to virtually “dissect” plants. The lecture is held in English with Swedish subtitles.

Judith Felten - UR Samtiden 2017

Getting together: The fungus-root symbiosis in forest tree

Judith Felten, group leader at UPSC and Assistant Professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, talks about the knowns and unknowns of the fascinating mechanism that allows roots and fungi to form a beneficial relationship (symbiosis). The fungus provides soil-nutrients to the tree and receives photosynthetic sugars from the tree. Like this both partners benefit from each other and stimulate each other’s growth. The lecture is held in English with Swedish subtitles.

Benedicte Albrectsen - UR Samtiden 2017

Därför är världen grön – om växter och deras försvar

Benedicte Albrectsen, researcher UPSC, Umeå University, speaks about how plants defend themselves with the help of chemical substances. She focusses on a special class of substances, the so called phenols, and explains how her research group analyses them. The lecture is held in Swedish.

Anders Fries - UR Samtiden 2017

Framtidens skogsgenetik med gamla fältförsök

How can old field trials be of use in modern forest genetics? Anders Fries, researcher in forest genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, describes what old field trials have taught them e.g. about wood properties and what they learned from molecular genetic studies in these old trials. The lecture is held in Swedish.

Vetenskapslunch February 2017: Stefan Jansson

GMO - går det att förbjuda något som inte går att definiera?

Umeå University organises every Thursday the "Vetenskapslunch" at Kafé Station in Umeå. On the 23rd of February 2017, Stefan Jansson gave a public talk with the title "GMO - går det att förbjuda något som inte går att definiera?". The talk is held in Swedish.

You can watch the video here: https://play.umu.se/media/t/1_d2z4f0og

Videos created 2013 or earlier

Höstförsöket 2013

Hur vet trädet att det är höst?
Forskare vid Umeå Plant Science Centret har varit involverade i höstförsöket och Forskarfredag 2013. Stefan Jansson och hans kollegor jobbar nu för fullt med att analysera prover som elever och lärare sände till de under hösten.
Höstförsöket 2013 gick ut på att engagera barn och lärare i hela landet i en viktig fråga: "Hur vet trädet att det är höst"? Forskare vid SLU och Umeå universitet söker gener som styr höstfärgningen. Hur kan ett träd från norra Sverige veta att hösten kommer tidigare där så att dess höstfärger kommer tidigare än i ett träd i södra Sverige? Påverkas höstfärgningen av den pågående klimatförändringen? Ungefär 12.000 höstlövsrapporter och 4000 bilder laddades upp på projektets hemsida, och skolorna sände också in blad från aspar i sin närhet. Dessa blad analyseras nu vid UPSC.
Men vad händer på labbet? Hur går forskarna vidare på frågan? I början av februari fick Stefan Jansson besök av klass 6 från Castorskolan i Bjurholm. Eleverna visade honom sina projektarbeten och bilder och hälsade på växthuset. Stefan Jansson berättade för barnen och deras lärare om hur forskarna går vidare. Föreläsningen spelades in vid Umeå universitet och nedan kan du se filmen.
Mer om höstförsöket:

Vetenskap och Allmänhets information om försöket
Pressmeddelandet från Umeå Universitet

"Träden och Tiden" (Swedish)

Video "Träden och Tiden" (Swedish)

This video is the result of a project directed by Sol Morén (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). It was carried out in 2005 with the support of Västerbotten County Council and the EU.