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Daan Weits is an Assistant Professor in the Plant Ecophysiology group at Utrecht University. His research interests focus on molecular oxygen sensing mechanisms in plants and the impact of cellular oxygen concentration on plant development and low oxygen stress tolerance. Plants produce molecular oxygen through photosynthesis, but the availability of oxygen also presents challenges as it is essential for ATP production in mitochondrial respiration while also competing with carbon dioxide for the enzyme Rubisco. Weits studies the internal oxygen concentrations in plants, particularly how they cope with hypoxia and the physiological adaptations that arise in response to low oxygen levels. His work incorporates molecular biology techniques and advanced fluorescence microscopy to visualize internal oxygen concentrations within plant stem cell niches, which are vital for the continued growth and production of new plant organs. This research aims to improve understanding of how plants can adapt to environmental conditions with limited oxygen and to guide strategies for enhancing hypoxia tolerance in plant development.
Department of Psychology