PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND GROWTH IN MICROGRAVITY

Abstract

This paper will examine the response to the Arabidopsis thaliana that was grown under a microgravity environment on the International Space Station (ISS) at both the cellular, molecular and physiological level.  We employed mixed-methods experimental design and involved high-resolution imaging, phenotypic attribute measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence, gas exchange, and transcript profiling.  Growth modelling indicated that microgravity affected the process in the growth of things significantly, which is a reduced gravitropic root curvature, alterations in the expansion of leaves, and variations in the photosynthetic efficiency.  The analysis of the gene expression revealed that the pathways able to respond to the stressful conditions, arrange the cytoskeleton and remodel the cell wall were changed differently.  Statistical testing indicated that the changes were noteworthy such that p<0.05p < 0.05p<0.05, thus supporting the fact that microgravity induces a coordinated response in the physiology and genetics domains.  The findings depict how plants have the abilities to grow and transform in extraordinary manners in the absence of gravity. They also provide us with good data to design closed-loop bio-regenerative life-support systems to explore space.  This research teaches us more about the way plants adjust to the conditions of existence in space and precondition further space agriculture programs.