Department of Biological Sciences

Biology at Lancaster

Teaching Staff

Lancaster University

Professor Bill Davies

Email: w.davies@lancaster.ac.uk

Room B50, Lancaster Environment Centre

Department of Biological Sciences,
I.E.N.S.,
Lancaster University,
Lancaster, LA1 4YQ,

Tel: (44)1524 510203
Fax: (44)1524 593192

 Photo of Bill Davies

Degrees

  • 1970 B.Sc., Horticultural Science, University of Reading
  • 1974 Ph.D. Botany and Forestry, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Academic Posts

  • 1974-75 Post-doctoral Fellow Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
  • 1975-85 Lecturer in Biology, Lancaster University
  • 1985-89 Senior Lecturer in Biology, Lancaster University
  • 1989-91 Reader in Biology, Lancaster University
  • 1991-present Professor of Environmental Physiology, Lancaster University
  • 1993-94 Leverhulme, Royal Society Research Fellow
  • 1996-97 Provost of Sciences and Engineering, Lancaster University
  • 1999-present Director of Environment Lancaster
  • 1999-present Academic Director North American Programmes

Bill Davies is also Editor in Chief of the Journal of Experimental Botany (LINK to HOME PAGE of Journal) and serves on the PMC of the Horticulture LINK programme. He is also a member of the Governing Body of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER) at Aberystwyth, the Terrestrial Sciences PRC of the NERC, the TFSTB of the NERC and the HDC Protected Crops Panel.

Research Interests

The Environmental Physiology research group is concerned with the regulation of growth and functioning of plants subjected to environmental perturbation. In the recent past we have given much attention to relative importance of hydraulic and chemical influences on the behaviour of stomata. Our work, along with that of of several other groups around the world, has suggested a role for chemical influences in the regulation of gas exchange. This may particularly be the case under drought but recent work in the lab suggests that ABA in the transpiration stream will also influence stomatal behaviour of plants that are well supplied with water. Our feeling is that the plant may use ABA delivery to the hormone binding sites on the guard cell as a way of regulating water loss as a function of the edaphic and atmospheric water balance. We have a very specialised root pressure vessel combined with a sophisticated gas exchange system to enable us to sample xylem sap on line while monitoring and manipulating gas exchange. Current, NERC-funded, work in the lab is concerned to further understand these responses. In addition, we are developing a parsimonious model of leaf gas exchange which will describe the response of stomatal conductance to both transpiration and photosynthesis. The BBSRC has also supported work in the lab on the chemical regulation of gas exchange. Here we have made good progress in the elucidation of a role for a pH signal and have shown that drought-induced changes in xylem pH can explain stomatal responses to soil drying, even in the absence of variation in xylem ABA concentration. We have identified a pH sensitive ABA carrier in the leaves which seems to have an important regulating effect on apoplastic ABA balance. In this work we are collaborating with Prof Wolfram Hartung from the University of Wurzburg.  We are also concerned with the effects of high CO2 in the growth and functioning of greenhouse crops HDC has funded work on the cucumber crop, where high CO2 may result in damage to leaves and consequent restrictions in yield.

The group is also collaborating with Professor Peter Young’s CRESS group in ES (LINK to CRESS HOME PAGE) in a BBSRC funded project to investigate the importance of data-based statistical modelling in plant physiology. In this project we are concerned to try to model growth of leaves and fruits in droughted plants, the behaviour of stomata and variation in ion fluxes in the xylem. In this work we are collaborating with Dr Uli Schurr at the University of Heidleberg.

We have three projects underway which are concerned with the mechanistic basis of growth control in leaves and fruits subjected to environmental perturbation. In a MAFF-funded project we are collaborating with HRI Wellesbourne (Dr Steve Adams and John Andrews) in an investigation of the regulation of tomato fruit growth. Here we have concentrated on a role for enzymes in the cell walls of the epidermis. In addition, we are using the micropressure probe to investigate variations in the water relations of the pericarp of growing fruit. Collaboration with Dr Jane Taylor (funded by BBSRC) has enabled us to investigate the molecular basis of growth regulation. In other growth work we have investigated spatial variation in cell wall properties in the growing zones of several species of pasture grass. Our interest here is in the effects of drought and nitrogen availability on wall properties and water relations of expanding cells. This work has been funded by EU and by NERC. In the latter project we have collaborated with Dr John Rodwell in the Lancaster Unit of Vegetation Science (LINK to HOME PAGE?). SOAFED has also funded further collaboration between our two groups .Here we have investigated the influence of management practice on the species composition of upland calcicolous grassland. One of our interests is in the link between the vascular plant community and the below groud microbial community.

Most recently, the EU has funded work on the development of novel irrigation systems for sustainable water use in the Mediterranean region and the HDC has funded work on methods for saving water in the production of hardy ornamental nursery stock.

Recent publications

  • McDonald, A.J.C. and Davies, W.J. (1996). Keeping in touch: responses of the whole plant to deficits in water and nitrogen supply. Advances in Botanical Research 22, 228-300.
  • Palmer, S.J., Berridge, D.M., McDonald, A.J.S. and Davies, W.J. (1996). Control of leaf expansion in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) by nitrogen nutrition. Journal of Experimental Botany 47, 339-348.
  • Palmer, S.J. and Davies, W.J. (1996). An analysis of relative elemental growth rate, epidermal cell size and xyloglucan endoglycosylase activity through the growing zone of ageing maize leaves. Journal of Experimental Botany 47, 339-348.
  • Puliga, S., Vazzana, C. and Davies, W.J. (1996). Control of leaf growth of Mediterranean forages by chemical and hydraulic influences. Journal of Experimental Botany 47, 529-538
  • Dodd, I.C. and Davies, W.J. (1996) The relationship between leaf growth and ABA accumulation in the grass leaf elongation zone. Plant Cell and Environment 19, 1047-1056.
  • Dodd, I.C., Stikic, R. and Davies, W.J. (1996) Chemical regulation of gas exchange and growth of plants in drying soil in the field. Journal of Experimental Botany 47, 1475-1490.
  • Else, M.A., Tiekstra, A.E., Croker, S.J., Davies, W.J. and Jackson, M.B. (1996) Stomatal closure in flooded tomato plants involves abscisic acid and a chemically unidentifies anttitranspirant in xylem sap. Plant Physiology 112, 239-247.
  • Jarvis, A.J. and Davies, W.J. (1997) Whole plant water flux and the regulation of water loss by plants. Plant Cell and Environment 20, 521-527.
  • Wilkinson, S. and Davies, W.J. (1997) Xylem sap pH increase: A drought signal received at the apoplastic face of the guard cell which involves saturable ABA uptake by the epidermal symplast. Plant Physiology 113, 559-573.
  • Thompson, D.S., Wilkinson, S., Bacon, M.A. and Davies, W.J. (1997) Multiple signals and mechanisms that regulate leaf growth and stomatal behaviour during water deficit. Physiologia Plantarum 100, 303-313.
  • Bacon, M.A., Thompson, D.S. and Davies, W.J. (1997) Can cell wall peroxidase activity explain the leaf growth response of Lolium temulentum L. during drought? Journal of Experimental Botany 48, 2075-2086.
  • Ismail, M.R. and Davies, W.J. (1997) Water relations of capsicum genotypes under water stress. Biologia Plantarum, 39, 293-297.
  • Bacon, M., Dobson, C., Ledda, L. and Davies, W.J. (1997) Cell wall peroxidase activity, abscisic acid and the regulation of leaf growth. In, Improving forage crops for semi-arid areas. Ed H. Medrano, Univ. Mallorca 75-92.
  • Milnes, K.J., Gilliam, M., Rodwell, J.S. and Davies, W.J. (1997) Productivity and survival of calcicolous grassland species under drought. In, Improving forage crops for semi-arid areas. Ed H. Medrano, Univ. Mallorca 93-108.
  • Jarvis, A.J. and Davies, W.J. (1998) The coupled response of stomatal conductance to photosynthesis and transpiration. Journal of Experimental Botany 49, 399-406.
  • Ismail, M.R. and Davies, W.J. (1998) Root restriction affects leaf growth and stomatal response: the role of xylem sap ABA. Scientia Horticulturae 74, 257-268.
  • Hartung, W., Wilkinson, S. and Davies, W.J. (1998) Factors that regulate abscisic acid concentrations at the primary site of action at the guard cell. Journal of Experimental Botany 49, 361-368.
  • Milnes, K., Rodwell, J.S., Francis, B. and Davies, W.J. (1998) Responses of Briza media and Koheleria macrantha to soil drying. Functional Ecology 12, 665-672.
  • Davies, W.J., Thompson, D.S. and Taylor, J.E. (1998) Manipulation of growth of horticultural crops under environmental stress. In, Genetic and Environmental Manipulation of Horticultural Crops, Ed, K. Cockshull. CAB Wallingford 157-174.
  • Hartung, W., Peuke, A.D. and Davies, W.J. (1998) Abscisic acid - a hormonal long distance signal in plants under drought and salt stress. In, Handbook of Plant and Crop Stress. M. Pessarakli, Ed. Marcel Dekker New York (in the press).
  • Thompson, D.S., Davies, W.J. and Ho, L.C. (1998) Regulation of tomato fruit growth by epidermal cell wall enzymes. Plant Cell and Environment 21, 589-599..
  • Wilkinson, S., Corlett, J.E., Oger, L. and Davies, W.J. (1998) Effects of xylem pH on transpiration from wild-type and flacca tomato leaves. A vital role for abscisic acid in preventing excessive water loss even from well watered plants. Plant Physiology 117, 703-710.
  • Hetherington, S.E., Smillie, R.M. and Davies, W.J. (1998) Photosynthetic activities of vegetative and fruiting tissues of tomato. Journal of Experimental Botany 49, 1173-1182.
  • Bacon, M.A., Wilkinson, S. and Davies, W.J. (1998) pH regulated leaf cell expansion in droughted plants is ABA-dependent. Plant Physiology 118, 1507-1515.
  • Jarvis, A.J., Mansfield, T.A. and Davies, W.J. (1999) Stomatal behaviour, photosynthesis and transpiration under rising CO2. Plant, Cell and Environment 22, 639-648.
  • Bardgett, R.D., Mawdsley, J.L., Edwards, S., Hobbs, P.J. and Davies, W.J. (1999) Plant species and nitrogen effects on soil biological properties of temperate upland grasslands. Functional Ecology 13, 650-660.
  • Davies, W.J., Wilkinson, S. and Thompson, D.S. (1999) Using the plant’s stress signalling system to increase water use efficiency in irrigation. Proc. 14th Dalhlia Greidinger Conference 251-266.
  • Davies, W.J. and Gowing, D.J.G. (1999) Plant responses to small perturbations in soil water status. In, Physiological Plant Ecology. Eds. M.C. Press et al. Blackwell, Oxford.pp 67-90.
  • Jarvis, A.J., Young, P.J., Taylor, C.J. and Davies, W.J. (1999) An analysis of the dynamic response of stomatal conductance to a reduction in humidity over leaves of Cedrella odorata. Plant Cell and Environment 22, 913-924.
  • Wilkinson, S. and Davies, W.J. (1999) A mechanism for low temperature-induced stomatal closure. In, Crop Development for Cool and Wet Climate of Europe. COST 814. Pp298-310.
  • Smillie, R.M., Hetherington, S.E. and Davies, W.J. (1999) Photosynthetic activity of the calyx, green shoulder, pericarp and locular parenchyma of tomato fruit. Journal of Experimental Botany 50, 707- 718.
  • Davies, W.J., Bacon, M.A., Thompson, D.S., Sobeih, W. and Gonzales-Rodriguez, L. (2000) Regulation of leaf and fruit growth in plants growing in drying soil: exploitation of the plants chemical signalling system and hydraulic architecture to increase the efficiency of water use in agriculture. Journal of Experimental Botany 51, 1617-1626.
  • Stikic, R. and Davies, W.J. (2000) Stomatal reactions of two maize lines to osmotically induced drought stress. Biologia Plantarum 43, 399-405.
  • Davies, W.J. and Santamaria, J.M. (2000) Physiological markers for microplant shoot and root quality. Acta Horticulurae 530, 363-376.
  • Mingo, D. and Davies, W.J. (2001) New irrigation methods to increase water and nutrient use efficiency.  Proceedings International Fertiliser Society 468, 271-284.
  • Davies, W.J., Dobson, C. and Rados-Blanusa, T. (2001) Plant factors and opportunities for the improvement of root functioning. Proceedings International Fertiliser Society 468, 387-402.
  • Sauter, A., Davies, W.J. and Hartung, W. (2001) The long-distance ABA signal: the fate of the hormone on its way from the root to the shoot. Journal of Experimental Botany 52, 1991-1998.
  • Liu, L., McDonald, A.J.S., Stadenberg, I. and Davies, W.J. (2001) Abscisic acid in leaves and roots of willow: significance for stomatal conductance. Tree Physiology 21, 759-764.
  • Liu, L., McDonald, A.J.S., Stadenberg, I. and Davies, W.J. (2001) Stomatal and leaf growth responses to partial drying of root tips in willow. Tree Physiology 21, 765-770.
  • Wilkinson, S., Clephan, A. and Davies, W.J. (2001) Rapid low temperature induced stomatal closure occurs in cold tolerant Commelina communis leaves but not in cold sensitive Nicotiana rutica leaves via a mechanism that involves apoplastic calcium but not abscisic acid. Plant Physiology 126, 1566-1578.
  • Wilkinson, S. and Davies, W.J. (2002) ABA-based chemical signalling: the co-ordination of responses to stress in plants. Plant Cell and Environment 25, 195-210.
  • Davies, W.J., Wilkinson, S. and Loveys B. (2002) Stomatal control by chemical signalling and the exploitation of this mechanism to increase water use efficiency in agriculture. New Phytologist 153, 449-460.
  • Bacon, M.A., Davies, W.J., Mingo, D. and Wilkinson, S. (2002) Root Signals. In, The Hidden Half, 3rd Edition. Eds. Y. Waisel et al. Springer Verlag 461-470.
  • Cameron R.W.F., Wilkinson S., Davies W.J., Harrison-Murray R.S., Dunstan D. and Burgess C. (2003). Regulation of Plant Growth in Container-Grown Ornamentals through the use of Controlled Irrigation. Acta Horticulturae. 630, 305-312.
  • Davies, W.J. and Bacon, M.A. (2003) Adaptation of Roots to Drought. In, Root Ecology. Eds. H. de Kroon and E.J.W. Visser. Springer Verlag Ecological Studies 168, 173-192
  • Mingo, D., Bacon, M.A. and Davies, W.J. (2003) Non-hydraulic regulation of fruit growth of tomato plants rooted in drying soil. Journal of Experimental Botany 54, 1205-1212.
  • Kang, S., Davies, W.J., Shan, L. and Cai, H. (Eds.) (2003) Water-Saving Agriculture and Sustainable Use of Water and Land Resources. Vol. 1. Shaanxi Science and Technology Press.pp 1-578.
  • Kang, S., Davies, W.J., Shan, L. and Cai, H. (Eds.) (2003) Water-Saving Agriculture and Sustainable Use of Water and Land Resources. Vol. 2. Shaanxi Science and Technology Press. pp 581-1034.