Maria Alexou, PhD
Tree Physiologist
I am a highly motivated researcher in tree physiology. I completed my PhD in Freiburg, Germany and won two postdoctoral fellowships for further research on abiotic stress in Greece. I am familiar with a wide range of methods, biochemical protocols and sensitive scientific equipment. I also introduced a new biochemical protocol, which was published in international scientific journals. I recently published a book in plant physiology for students and researchers, where I present a selection of scientific milestones, and research areas that could change how we see plants today. My additional experience in air pollution, edaphology and climatology makes me an expert in climate change. My linguistic skills include English, German and French
Research
Interests
I am very interested in the tree “source-to-sink” relationship and the C-N interaction in plant stress physiology. I have been focusing 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. I am particularly interested in innovation and interdisciplinary research. In Alexou (2013) I presented the concept of “the mature metabolic sink” and introduced a new protocol for quantifying Reactive Oxygen Species. In Alexou and Dimitrakopoulos (2014) I used a crown fire simulation to examine the response of young trees to acute heat stress events. My findings support metabolic sink control over the source and an expanded role of phloem transport in defense processes. This raises the question: Can organs traditionally viewed as passive sinks actively regulate whole-plant responses to stress? How is physiological control distributed within the plant during stress, and which mechanisms coordinate the whole-plant response?
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.
