Maria Alexou, PhD
Tree Physiologist
I
I am a highly motivated researcher in Tree Physiology. I concluded my Ph.D. in Freiburg, Germany and won two postdoctoral fellowships for further research on abiotic stress in Greece. I have run innovative experiments and accomplished successful results. I am familiar with a wide range of methods, protocols and sensitive scientific equipment. I also introduced new scientific concepts and new protocols which were published in international scientific journals. My additional experience in air pollution, edaphology and climatology make me an expert in climate change. My linguistic skills include English, German and French. I have recently published a book in Plant Physiology for students and researchers:
Research
Interests
I am very interested in the tree “source-to-sink” relationship and the C - N interaction in Plant Stress Physiology. I have focused on how the antioxidative capacity of drought-tolerant species is mirrored in the mobilization of soluble metabolites, and how the stress duration affects the severity of the stress. In Alexou (2013) I presented the concept of “the mature metabolic sink” and introduced a new protocol on quantifying Reactive Oxygen Species. Later I used a crown fire simulation to examine the response of trees to acute heat stress events (Alexou and Dimitrakopoulos 2014). My findings show metabolic sink control over the source and an advanced role of phloem transport in defence processes. I am very interested in linking physiological markers of stress to epigenetic and morphological adaptations to climatic change. In my book I present a selection of very important scientific milestones and the next steps in plant physiology research that could change how we see the plants today.
Selected
Publications
Alexou M and Peuke AD 2012. Methods for xylem sap collection. In: Maathuis F.J. (ed.) Methods in Molecular Biology 953, Plant Mineral Nutrients, Methods and Protocols, Humana Press, Springer Science + Business Media, New York, USA, 195-207.
Alexou M 2013. Development-specific responses to drought stress in Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis, Mill.) seedlings. Tree Physiology 33(10): 1030-1042.
Alexou M and Dimitrakopoulos AP 2014. Early physiological consequences of fire as abiotic stressor in metabolic source and sink of young brutian pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) Tree Physiology 34(12): 1388-1398.
Alexou Maria 2024. Plant Stress Physiology and Climate Change: How Plants Struggle In Our New World”. Pages 505. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN: 1-0364-0906-6.
