A role for ecophysiology in the 'omics' era.

Area of Science:

• Plant ecophysiology
• Omics technologies (genomics, metabolomics)

Background:

• Plant ecophysiology studies environmental impacts on plant physiology.
• Omics technologies have advanced significantly but remain largely separate from ecophysiology.
• A 20-year literature analysis confirms the independent development of these fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the integration of ecophysiology and omics research.
• To illustrate the benefits of combining ecophysiology and omics through case studies.
• To explore the potential of studying diverse plant species, including extremophiles ('sherplants'), beyond model organisms like Arabidopsis.

Main Methods:

• Literature analysis of the past 20 years.
• Review of studies integrating ecophysiology and omics.
• Discussion of research on 'sherplants' from extreme environments.

Main Results:

• Confirmed the historical independence of ecophysiology and omics research.
• Highlighted successful examples of integrated ecophysiology and omics studies.
• Showcased the potential of studying diverse plant species in extreme environments.

Conclusions:

• Integration of ecophysiology and omics offers significant benefits for understanding plant mechanisms.
• A call for a multidisciplinary approach, termed 'ecophysiolomics', is proposed.
• Future research should focus on bridging these disciplines for a holistic understanding of plant biology.