Desert alga reveals how fast growth and resistance to extreme conditions can coexist

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Researchers are studying Chlorella ohadii, a green alga from Israel's Negev Desert that combines rapid growth with tolerance of extreme conditions. The findings may help explain plant resilience and inform efforts to develop crops better able to withstand heat, drought, and climate change.

A single-celled green alga from the sand dunes of the Negev Desert has, within just a few years, become a key model organism in modern photosynthesis research. Chlorella ohadii helps researchers better understand plants' adaptability to extreme environmental conditions. These findings could help make crops more resilient to heat, drought, and other consequences of climate change in the future. Haim Treves, a professor of plant metabolism at RPTU, has been studying the desert alga since its discovery. His findings have now been published in the journal New Phytologist.