Agu Laisk

Agu Laisk
Laisk in his laboratory (2010)
Born (1938-05-03) 3 May 1938
Tartu, Estonia
CitizenshipEstonian
Alma materUniversity of Tartu
Known forThe Laisk method (a gas-exchange approach used to estimate leaf respiration in the light and related CO2-exchange parameters)[4][5][6]
AwardsOrder of the White Star, 4th Class (2001)[1]
Estonian national research award (1999, with Vello Oja)[2]
Estonian national research award (2018, lifetime achievement)[3]
Scientific career
FieldsPlant physiology, biophysics, photosynthesis research
InstitutionsUniversity of Tartu

Agu Laisk (born 3 May 1938) is an Estonian plant physiologist and physicist. He is a professor emeritus at the University of Tartu and a member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences (elected 1994).[7][8]

His research has focused on the physiology and biophysics of photosynthesis and photorespiration, including gas-exchange measurement approaches and mathematical modelling of leaf CO2 exchange.[8][9]

Education and early career

Laisk studied physics at the University of Tartu, graduating in 1961.[7] He earned a Soviet-era Candidate of Sciences degree (physics and mathematics) in 1965 and a Doctor of Sciences degree in biology in 1975, with research on the kinetics of leaf photosynthesis and photorespiration.[7][1]

Academic career

From the 1960s to the early 1990s, Laisk worked in research institutes of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, where he led work linking plant-canopy radiation physics with physiological interpretation of photosynthesis.[8][1] From 1992 he worked at the University of Tartu (Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology), becoming professor and heading plant physiology, and later serving as senior researcher and professor emeritus.[8][7][1]

He has held visiting research positions at several universities and research institutes, including the Australian National University and other European and U.S. institutions, as documented in institutional CV material.[1]

Research

Laisk’s work addresses quantitative limitations and regulation of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in C3 plants, including the interaction between photosynthesis and photorespiration and the interpretation of gas-exchange signals under varying light and CO2 conditions.[8][9]

Laisk method

In plant ecophysiology, the term Laisk method commonly refers to a gas-exchange procedure based on measuring net CO2 assimilation at low intercellular CO2 (A/Ci) across multiple irradiances and using the intersection properties of these relationships to estimate respiration in the light (and related CO2-exchange parameters used in modelling).[4][5][6] The method is widely discussed and compared with alternative approaches in the peer-reviewed literature, including assessments of assumptions and applicability across conditions.[10]

Awards and honours

Selected works

  • Laisk, Agu; Nedbal, Ladislav; Govindjee, eds. (2009). Photosynthesis in silico: Understanding Complexity from Molecules to Ecosystems. Springer. ISBN 978-1-4020-9236-7.[13][14]
  • Laisk, Agu (2023). Elu energia. Tartu Ülikooli Kirjastus. ISBN 978-9916-271-44-5.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "NIMI Agu Laisk – curriculum vitae (PDF)" (PDF). Estonian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Riigi teaduspreemiate määramine (1999) (PDF)" (PDF). Riigi Teataja. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Riigi teaduspreemiate määramine (2018)". Riigi Teataja. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  4. ^ a b Villar, R.; et al. (1994). "Comparison of Methods to Estimate Dark Respiration in the Light in Leaves of Two Woody Species". Plant Physiology. 105 (1): 167–172. doi:10.1104/pp.104.3.971. PMC 159342. PMID 12232141.
  5. ^ a b Yin, X.; et al. (2011). "Evaluating a new method to estimate the rate of leaf respiration in the light in C3 species". Journal of Experimental Botany. 62 (10): 3489–3499. doi:10.1093/jxb/err038. PMC 3130174. PMID 21382918.
  6. ^ a b Schmiege, S. C.; et al. (2023). "Laisk measurements in the nonsteady state: Tests in plants exposed to warming and variable CO2 concentrations". New Phytologist. 458. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131996. PMC 10517191. PMID 37423135.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Agu Laisk". Estonian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  8. ^ a b c d e Yearbook 2008 (PDF). Estonian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  9. ^ a b c "University of Tartu scientists won four national research awards". University of Tartu. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  10. ^ Yin, X.; et al. (2024). "Estimating leaf day respiration from conventional gas exchange measurements". Trends in Plant Science. 241 (1): 52–58. Bibcode:2024NewPh.241...52Y. doi:10.1111/nph.19330. PMID 37858976.
  11. ^ "Eesti Teaduste Akadeemia medali saajad (PDF)" (PDF). Estonian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  12. ^ "Tartu Ülikooli suur medal – varasemad kavalerid". University of Tartu. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  13. ^ Shevela, D.; et al. (2010). "Agu Laisk, Ladislav Nedbal, and Govindjee (eds): Photosynthesis in silico. Understanding complexity from molecules to ecosystems". Photosynthesis Research. 103 (2): 139–140. doi:10.1007/s11120-009-9514-3.
  14. ^ Lawlor, D. W. (2010). "Photosynthesis in silico. Understanding complexity from molecules to ecosystems". Annals of Botany. 105 (4): 659–660. doi:10.1210/me.2009-0387. PMC 2850806. PMID 20150185.
  15. ^ "Ülevaade akadeemikute olulisimatest publikatsioonidest 2023 (PDF)" (PDF). Estonian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
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