Transposons make up an important fraction of complex genomes and, as it is becoming increasingly clear, they support important functions for genome structure and regulation. In addition, transposon movement is an important source of variability that complex genomes have used to adapt to new situations and that is therefore crucial for plant domestication and breeding.

The main interest of our group is the study of lignin metabolism in maize. This research is carried out through molecular, biochemical and physiological approaches.

Research in the San Segundo’s lab focuses on topics related to the plant defense response to pathogen infection. During the last years, different aspects have been investigated, including: analysis of sensing systems, initiation and maintenance of the host response, signal transduction pathways and effector elements in the plant defense response, and crosstalk events in biotic and abiotic stress responses.

Our research focuses on two aspects of bacterial-plant interactions: 1. The genetic determinants that cause disease or disease resistance We use the wide-host range pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum as a model. R solanacearum is a soil-borne pathogen whose major virulence determinant is the type III secretion system (T3SS). This secretion machinery delivers bacterial effector proteins into host cells, in an engaging example of information transfer between evolutionary distant organisms.

The main objective of SAB is to improve our scientific knowledge and, on this basis, promote the sustainability of agricultural systems in a context of climate change. Our research lies at the interface of soil biogeochemistry, soil microbial ecology, ecosystem science and agronomy, and combines experimental work in long-term field trials, urban agroecosystems and greenhouses with modeling and global observational datasets. SAB is one of the founding and core groups of the Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform SOILBIO.

We use an interdisciplinary approach to study the impact of diffuse pollution on continental water resources and aquatic ecosystems in the context of global change. We are working on identifying and modelling any possible resulting stresses and impacts by nitrogen and phosphorous compounds on surface water and groundwater bodies and the biological communities that inhabit them.

The research activity of this group aims, on the one hand, to achieve a better understanding of the factors affecting the spatial and temporal development of the major crop pests. To accomplish this, monitoring tools and technologies are used to obtain and process spatial information, such as proximate and remote sensors, GIS and specific software for the analysis of geospatial data. In addition, the joint application of these technologies and Decision Support Systems is proposed to transfer the information to intelligent pest control.

IVPP group focuses its research in the field of pathogen-vector-plant interactions, biology, behavior and control of insects transmitting plant pathogens, their epidemiology and integrated pest management.

The Group’s research mainly focuses on the study of the Rhizobium-legume and the ectomycorrhizal symbioses. The physiological, biochemical and molecular aspects that regulate biological nitrogen fixation in legumes are investigated, taking into account the structure-function of the nodule and the interaction between symbionts. We analyse the mechanisms of response to drought, salinity and heavy metals, and work on the production of legumes and microorganisms with improved tolerance to abiotic stresses.

The Theory and Simulation Group focuses on the theoretical study of the atomic and electronic structure of nanoscale systems, including the dynamics in response to external excitations.