2024-06-13 by Bakul Piplani
IndiaAsksWhy meets Dr. Vinita Gowda
Trees are nature’s skyscrapers, growing tall despite all odds! Ever wondered how trees grow so tall? Well, that’s because trees have ‘Meristematic cells’, special cells that grow and divide to add more cells at the tree top and increase the tree’s height. In this episode of IndiaAsksWhy, Utsuka and Jigyasa unravel the secrets behind the growth of trees.
We know that you must be having so many questions! All trees have meristematic cells and yet, they all don’t grow equally tall! Do these meristematic cells grow forever? If not, how do they know when to stop growing and dividing? To answer all these questions, Utsuka and Jigyasa speak with Dr. Vinita Gowda, a plant biologist at IISER Bhopal. Dr. Gowda explains that an interplay of genes, environmental factors and competition for resources such as sunlight, water and soil nutrients decide the height of a tree and when it stops growing. So, trees must balance the costs and competitive advantages associated with growing tall, contributing to the height variations amongst different tree species.
Dr. Gowda and her team of young scientists use a variety of tools to answer questions about tropical and temperate plants. They study the ecology and evolution of plants, and the interactions between plants and animals in forests and herbariums. They also capture and study the chemicals responsible for flower fragrances.
Curious to know what made Dr. Vinita Gowda interested in plants? Dr. Gowda explains that she finds plants fascinating particularly because unlike animals, plants are very fluid and adaptable. Plants can choose to change their genders, they can propagate vegetatively as well as sexually, they can adapt to their environmental conditions, co-evolve with their interacting animals and even respond to physical and chemical signals. These fascinating features make plants particularly challenging to study, but it is these very challenges that excite Dr. Gowda.
Dr. Gowda’s journey through science has been particularly fascinating! She shares that she has always defied conventions, and hence, chose to study basic sciences at a time when applied subjects like biotechnology, biochemistry, molecular biology and microbiology were gaining popularity. She chose botany, chemistry and zoology for her undergraduate studies where her amazing botany teachers inspired her to pursue a career in botany. Consequently, she pursued a masters in botany, and eventually chose plant evolution and ecology as her research area during her doctoral and postdoctoral studies. After two postdoctoral stints, she returned to India to establish her TREE (TRopical Ecology and Evolution) lab where she now applies her knowledge and skills to do cutting-edge research in the areas of plant ecology and evolution.
For budding scientists, Dr. Gowda has an important message! She says that there is no easy road to do good science; it needs hard work, honesty and sincerity. However, young scientists can make their jobs easier by identifying and working in their areas of interest. She also highlights the importance of a healthy competitive spirit in driving cutting-edge research. Lastly, she explains that every scientist has a different journey that is unique in its own way, and that young scientists should enjoy the journey as they work to achieve their goals and dreams in the scientific world!
That’s all for this episode. So, keep learning, stay curious and listen to Utsuka and Jigyasa as they chat with Dr. Vinita Gowda about the seemingly never-ending growth of trees, and about her exciting journey as a plant scientist!
References:
- Jim P. Fouracre and Richard Scott Poethig. (2020) Lonely at the Top? Regulation of Shoot Apical Meristem Activity by Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 58:17–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2020.08.008
- Shakunthala Natarajan. (2023) Why Do Trees Not Stop Growing? IndiaAsksWhy. https://www.indiaaskswhy.org/blog/2024-06-12-why-do-trees-not-stop-growing/
- Tropical Ecology & Evolution Lab. Available at https://treelab.wixsite.com/tree/
- Dr. Vinita Gowda, Department of Biological Science, IISER Bhopal. Available at https://bio.iiserb.ac.in/faculty_profile.php?id=MTQ=&lname=Z293ZGF2
