How do plants cope with temporal variability in water and nutrients?

We have recently been awarded an ARC Discovery project to investigate the ecology and physiology of temporal variation in water and nutrient supply. The fundamental premise of this work is that plants must tolerate long periods of low water and nutrient availability and also respond to brief periods of high water and nutrient availability. This is best illustrated by rainfall in arid and semi-arid ecosystems, which is characterised by long rain-free periods that are interrupted by short periods of rainfall. Temporal variability in water and nutrient availability is the “norm” in many ecosystems, yet the ecology and physiology of plants under temporally variable regimes has received much less attention than steady state conditions.

Research is focussing on species from 3 ecosystems — arid/semi-arid, alpine and sclerophyll forest — since these are at least partially “pulse-driven”. A combination of glasshouse and field experiments are examining the implications of temporal variability for a variety of native species. In many cases we are contrasting species from temporally variable habitats with related species from less variable habitats.

Funding: ARC Discovery grant & QEII fellowship



Location: Field and glasshouse studies in Australia

This site is © Copyright Charles Warren 2008, All Rights Reserved