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Plant Ecophysiology
Plant ecophysiology is an experimental science that attempts to understand the physiological mechanisms that describe the interaction of plants and plant communities with their physical, chemical and biological environment. Our group seeks to address these issues in both natural and managed terrestrial ecosystems globally, to assess sustainability, biodiversity and the resilience and adaptive capacity of these systems to environmental change. The research themes of the Plant ecophysiology research group focus on:
- Biogeochemical cycling including carbon, water, nitrogen and greenhouse gas dynamics.
- Climate smart land use options for agricultural and natural systems, including bioenergy crops, grasslands, legumes, tillage, peatland restoration and the sustainable management of tropical wetlands.
- Novel cropping systems to reduce N pollution, enhance biodiversity and improve dietary protein.
- Mitigation options to achieve carbon neutrality.
- Modelling the impacts of land management and climate on plant productivity and soil carbon stocks.
Research Lead
My background is in Environmental Science, where from my undergraduate days I have had a strong interest in the fields of climate change, sustainable development and role that plants play in the mitigation and adaptation to climate change. I have worked on the tolerance of commercial crop cultivars to salt stress, the impacts of land use, management intensity and land use change on food, fuel and fibre production, in addition to investigating the role of terrestrial ecosystems in atmospheric warming and/or cooling by assessing the carbon and greenhouse gas dynamics of these systems.