Forskar Grand Prix is a competition in presenting science in the most catching way, in few minutes. The audience in Lund will be hundreds of students at Polhemsskolan in Lund, on October 7th.There will also be an expert jury of three people.

Ylva will present her research on BVOC: the communication of plants and its impact on climate. Here is her description in english, as presented in swedish on the Researcher Grand Prix website for the Lund competition:

Communication between trees can make or break global warming

Did you know that trees can communicate? And that this communication not only support the survival of the tree, but also influences our climate?

My research is about BVOC - a term that includes thousands of different substances that are released from all plants. It is these substances that give each plant its characteristic scent, that we know from mowing the lawn or peeling an orange. Trees use these substances to attract pollinators, to prevent insect attacks, or for protection from high temperatures.

But, as the substances are released into the air there are numerous chemical reactions going on, that either adds to the heat or helps cooling the climate depending on what substance the different tree species releases, where they are located and how much pollution there is. So, how much does the trees really influence our climate, and how are their emissions dependent on where they stand? That´s what I want to find out.