The NCCR Plant Survival at the University of Neuchâtel# - The Role of Chemistry in an Interdisciplinary Swiss Research Network

Abstract

The survival of plants is of fundamental importance to guarantee the biodiversity in natural areas and a sustainable agriculture. The National Centre of Competence in Research 'Plant Survival in Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems' devotes its research efforts to the understanding of mechanisms of plant survival. The mechanisms that plants employ to adapt to their biotic and abiotic environment and to cope with important stress factors are investigated. This is achieved by interdisciplinary interaction of disciplines within the NCCR. The particular role played by natural products and analytical chemistry in seven different projects is summarized.