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

What happened

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.

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.