Nitric oxide is a molecule involved in many physiological processes in plants. Perhaps its best-known function is that of activating responses to stress, but there are many more. Researchers from the Group of Physiology and Hormone Signaling in Plants of the Instituto Hispanoluso de Investigaciones Agrarias (CIALE) of the University of Salamanca have spent several years studying the role of nitric oxide in seed germination, a key process for plant regeneration.
In this new video of Ciencia en la Calle, we interview María Inmaculada Sánchez Vicente, a researcher of this group, and we talk about her day-to-day life as a scientist, what she is most excited about about her work and also about the importance of biodiversity for protect the planet and ourselves.
Caring for biodiversity to take care of ourselves
“ We are not a single organism, we are a network, and like any other this network is maintained thanks to the existence of different connection nodes. In the case of biodiversity, this is essential because an ecosystem made up of a very small group of organisms is short-lived. The more diversity, the more resilience ”, he explains.
The researcher also shares the thesis that the deterioration of biodiversity is one of the factors that has led to the explosion of the pandemic. “ This virus passed from animals to humans. The invasion of spaces by wild fauna facilitates zoonoses and the loss of biodiversity ”.
Taken to the field of seeds and crops, the expert reminds us that when the cultivation of a single species without genetic variability is promoted, the vulnerability to pests is greater. “If, on the other hand, we have plots with different species and we encourage part of the wild plants to stay there, we will have more resilient ecosystems that will allow better control of pests .”
In addition, we can consider seeds as capsules of biodiversity. “The seed takes up less space, can be kept for longer and requires fewer resources when it comes to being preserved.”
The importance of broadening the focus on science
“One of the things I like the most about research is that you never do the same thing, but there are many techniques, many different activities, and as you take small steps and have information about very specific processes, that opens new windows for you. to other processes that may be related… ”, the researcher explains. ” For example, nitric oxide does not regulate a single protein, it regulates many, and the analysis of its specific function in a protein can lead you to question yourself and investigate how other processes work, if they work in the same way, if the regulation is antagonistic… it is a basic science that would not come out if we looked for an immediate application ”, he reflects.
“Many times we focus on finding an immediate application, an economic benefit, we always think about how it will affect us, but really science is much more than that, it is trying to know how all the processes work, to fit all the pieces. If you try to restrict it to a single process that interests you for a specific application, in the end you lose everything around you ”.
Science on the Street is a project carried out in collaboration with the Scientific Culture Unit of the University of Salamanca. Our goal is to get scientists out of the lab and into the outside world so they can tell us what they do. We will be with them in the bar, in the gym, in the pool … even in an airport!
