GreenRobust is a high-impact research initiative led by the universities of Tübingen, Heidelberg, and Hohenheim, dedicated to decoding the robust nature of plant life—an essential feature that underpins the stability of terrestrial ecosystems.
Plants have evolved intricate strategies to maintain function under environmental and biotic perturbations. As anthropogenic pressures intensify, a mechanistic understanding of plant robustness—resistance and resilience across time and scale—has become critical for sustaining biodiversity and agricultural productivity.
GreenRobust combines leading expertise in experimental and theoretical plant science to investigate robustness along three interconnected research axes:
- Responses to climatic and biotic perturbations
- Across molecular, cellular, organismal, and population levels
- Within key plant families (Brassicaceae, Solanaceae, Poaceae) of ecological and agricultural relevance
This systems-level approach is supported by two core platforms: the Plant Perturbation Atlas (PPA), generating integrative multi-scale datasets, and the Central Data Hub (CDH), ensuring data quality and interoperability. Together, they form the basis for data-driven, quantitative modeling using causal inference, network theory, and AI, enabling predictions of robustness mechanisms and potential trade-offs.
GreenRobust aspires to be a global center of excellence in plant systems biology—advancing fundamental knowledge, supporting sustainable ecosystem management, and fostering the next generation of systems-oriented plant scientists.