Seal, Charlotte
Job TitleResearch Biochemist
DepartmentSeed Conservation
SectionResearch
Science Teams:
Joined Kew: 2006
Qualifications & Appointments
D.Phil (Plant biology), University of Sussex (2003)
BSc (Hons) Biology, University of Sussex (1999)
Member of the Society for Experimental Biology
Role
Biochemical characterisation of seeds to assess for functional traits and research into the effect of abiotic stress factors on seed germination.
To biochemically characterise seeds and assess for functional and nutritional traits, with particular emphasis on lipids, antioxidants (e.g. glutathione, tocochromanols) and the ability of seeds to tolerate abiotic stress factors such as salt. This work focuses on indigenous species which have the potential to be new crops and is supported by the development of biochemical methods using techniques such as supercritical fluid extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography. In addition, research is also conducted into the role of oxidative damage in seed ageing and storability, and the development of biochemical markers of seed viability.
Other research is to comprehend the kinetics of germination in changing environments associated with climate change and to develop threshold models as predictive tools, with interest in Cactaceae and halophytes. Research into Cactaceae germination is a major part of an international research collaboration with 11 institutes from Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru and USA on Cactus Seed Biology (a database of this was published by Seal et al., in 2009). Other roles are the training and supervision of national and international visitors and students (over 25 people to date, ranging from volunteers to researchers at undergraduate, masters and post-doctoral level), regular reviewer of scientific articles for peer-review journals (e.g. Planta, Plant and Soil, Applied Vegetation Science, The Open Plant Science Journal, Tree Physiology) and editorial duties for sectional and departmental publications.
Grants: COST Action FA0901 ‘Putting halophytes to work – from genes to ecosystems’, 2009-2013. Member of the UK team and deputy UK Management Committee member.
Main research interests: Plant stress physiology; halophytes; oxidative stress and antioxidants; seed ageing and storability; germination threshold models; Cactaceae; indigenous species, oilseeds.
Projects
- Climate Change, Species Vulnerability and Germination Thresholds
- Cactus Seed Biology Database
- Reactive Oxygen Species as Markers of Seed Quality
- Ex situ Conservation, Propagation and Re-introduction of Endemic, Endangered and Vulnerable Plant Species from the Arid Lands of Chile
- Ex situ Conservation of Plant Germplasm from Arid and Semi-Arid Zones of Mexico
- Understanding “Stress” and How To Measure It
- Non-Invasive Techniques for Diagnosing Seed Viability
- Identifying New Oilseed Crops
- Sustained Plant Conservation in the Insular Caribbean
- Light and Seed Germination in Diverse Taxa
- Conservation of native plant species from Sardinia (Italy)
- Role of Glutathione and Low-Molecular-Weight Thiols in Seed Survival
- Oxidative Stress and Death Phenomena
- Seed Thermal Fingerprint and Oilseed Storage Risk
- Taxonomy of Vitamin E Distribution Across the Plant Kingdom
Selected Recent Publications
Flores, J., Jurado, E., Chapa-Vargas, L., Ceroni Stuva, A., Dávila Aranda, P., Galíndez, G., Gurvich, D., León-Lobos, P., Ordoñez, C., Ortega-Baes, P., Ramírez Bullón, N., Sandoval, A., Seal, C.E., Ulian, T. & Pritchard, H.W. (2011). Seeds photoblastism and its relationship with some plant traits in 136 cacti taxa. Environmental and Experimental Botany 71: 79-88 (IF 2.699).
Kranner, I., Minibayeva, F.V., Beckett, R.P. & Seal, C.E. (2010). What is stress? Concepts, definitions and applications in seed science. New Phytologist 188: 655-673. (IF 6.516; times cited = 10).
Seal, C.E., Zammit, R., Scott, P., Nyamongo, D.O., Daws, M.I.& Kranner, I. (2010). Glutathione half-cell reduction potential as a seed viability marker of the potential oilseed crop Vernonia galamensis. Industrial Crops and Products 32: 687–691 (IF 2.507).
Seal, C.E., Zammit, R., Scott, P., Flowers, T.J. & Kranner, I. (2010). Glutathione half-cell reduction potential and α-tocopherol as viability markers during the prolonged storage of Suaeda maritima seeds. Seed Science Research 20: 47-53 (IF 1.250).
Seal, C.E., Kranner, I. & Pritchard, H.W. (2008). Quantification of seed oil from species with varying oil content using supercritical fluid extraction. Phytochemical Analysis 19: 493-498 (IF 1.848; times cited = 4).
