# Faster vegetative growth in Arabidopsis thaliana in heat and drought

## TL;DR

This study explores how heat and drought together affect the growth of Arabidopsis thaliana and finds consistent responses across different populations.

## Contribution

The study reveals consistent growth responses to heat and drought in Arabidopsis thaliana across locally adapted populations.

## Key findings

- Leaf area growth differs in response to heat and drought.
- The response to heat and drought is consistent between locally adapted populations of Arabidopsis thaliana.

## Abstract

Climate change is increasing average temperature and decreasing water availability, both stressors that affect plant growth. High heat consistently decreases growth rate but plants may grow rapidly to escape drought or grow more slowly and avoid water loss. We use
Arabidopsis thaliana
to investigate how heat and drought together shape plant growth and if their impact differs between plants that escape or avoid drought. Our results show that leaf area growth differs but the response to heat and drought is consistent between locally adapted populations in widespread plants like
A. thaliana.