Cluster of Excellence GreenRobust

Plants are the foundations of life on earth. To ensure their survival, they have evolved strategies to cope with changes in their environment through a remarkable robustness, i.e. the ability to maintain their functions in the face of disturbances. With the human impact on the environment of our planet growing day by day, understanding the mechanisms and limits of plant robustness is crucial for developing effective, knowledge-based strategies that help preserve plant ecosystems and ensure agricultural productivity.

The GreenRobust Cluster of Excellence – Understanding Robustness in Plants from Molecules to Ecosystems – combines the expertise of the universities of Tübingen, Heidelberg, and Hohenheim to understand the principles of how plants achieve robustness. The cluster comprises three research fields. The scientists examine the effects of different climatic and biotic disturbances as well as the influence of these disturbances across different levels of biological organization, from molecules to populations. In addition, they study related diversity within a selected group of species from environmentally and agriculturally important plant families. To this end, using network theory and artificial intelligence, the GreenRobust researchers develop and test novel computational models describing the mechanisms of plant robustness. 

Spokespersons

• Prof. Dr Rosa Lozano-Durán (University of Tübingen)
• Prof. Dr Karl Schmid (University of Hohenheim)
• Prof. Dr Thomas Greb (Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University)