How Do Plants in the Atacama Desert Adapt to Drought?

At first glance, the conditions in the Atacama Desert seem quite unfavorable for plant growth: high levels of solar radiation, significant daily temperature fluctuations, nutrient-poor soils, and scarce precipitation. 

However, a research team, led by Rodrigo Gutiérrez, a professor at the Faculty of Biological Sciences and researcher at the Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation, has spent over a decade studying over thirty plant species in the Atacama Desert. 

• What strategies enable their survival?

This is the question the team addresses in a study published in The Journal of Experimental Botany. Their research reveals the metabolic adaptations- chemical processes critical for their growth and survival- that equip these plants to endure extreme conditions like drought and nutrient scarcity. 

• What did the scientists do?

Using genetic material and bioinformatic tools, the team successfully reconstructed the main metabolic pathways of 32 plant species from the Atacama Desert. To assess their specific adaptations to the environment, these species were compared with familiar species living in other ecosystems. They also evaluated the specific adaptations of these pathways in different areas of the desert. 

As Professor Gutiérrez mentioned in a news article published by the Faculty of Biological Sciences, “there is a diversity of microbial, plant, and animal life in the Atacama Desert that is truly surprising.” 

The Plants’ Superpowers 

The researchers found that at least 50% of the species in the Atacama Desert share certain enriched metabolic reactions, granting them special advantages for facing drought and nitrogen scarcity which allow them to survive in these adverse conditions. In simple terms, it's as if they have their own “superpowers.” One example is their improved ability to conserve water and nutrients. 

Although these metabolic pathways are not exclusive to plants in the Atacama Desert—species in other regions, including valuable agricultural crops, also exhibit them—the plants in the Atacama seem to have optimized these processes. 

• Why is This Important? 

Understanding these mechanisms helps us better understand how plants survive in harsh conditions, and by identifying commonalities with commercial species, this could open the door to new strategies for improving crops’ resistance to environmental stress. 

This study is part of ongoing research in collaboration with Professor Claudio Latorre from the Faculty of Biological Sciences and Professor Aurora Gaxiola from the same faculty, who recently joined the team. “The three of us are working to better understand the mechanisms that plants in the Atacama Desert use to survive these adverse climatic conditions,” explains Rodrigo Gutiérrez. 

The relevance of this research lies, in part, in understanding biology: “the mechanisms that living beings use to survive in quite hostile conditions. These species have been studied very little and thrive in likely one of the most extreme environments on Earth, so the insights gained from these studies could have broader implications for biology.” 

Additionally, since many of these species have “relatives”—or as Professor Gutiérrez explains, “are phylogenetically related to other cultivated plants, such as tomatoes—what we learn from the Atacama plants could be applied to commercially valuable crops. Therefore, this research holds both fundamental and biotechnological significance, as it could enable the creation of new technologies to enhance crops, which, among other benefits, would help us address climate change.” 

This study offers valuable insight into how nature faces extreme challenges and how we can learn from it to ensure our food future.