Professor Colin Osborne
School of Biosciences
Professor of Plant Biology
c.p.osborne@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 0146
+44 114 222 0146
C214, Alfred Denny Building
Full contact details
Professor Colin Osborne
School of Biosciences
C214
Alfred Denny Building
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
School of Biosciences
C214
Alfred Denny Building
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
- Profile
-
Head of Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil (2021-present)
Departmental Director for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (2018-2021)
Associate Director, Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures (2014-2018)
- Research interests
-
Our research aims to understand the environmental and evolutionary causes of physiological diversity in wild plants and crops. We study how these physiological characteristics influence plant behaviour in wild ecosystems and cultivated fields.
Following a long tradition in plant environmental physiology, our work spans scales ranging from genes to the globe, and utilizes a broad spectrum of approaches. Right now, we have a particular emphasis on comparative experiments in controlled environments.
Current projects look at the evolution and physiological ecology of C4 plants, the domestication and diversification of crops, the impacts of rising atmospheric CO2 on savanna trees and grasses, and the optimisation of strategies for combining photovoltaics with agriculture.
- Publications
-
Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- Stomatal dynamics in Alloteropsis semialata arise from the evolving interplay between photosynthetic physiology, stomatal size and biochemistry. Plant, Cell & Environment. View this article in WRRO
- Identifying genomic regions associated with C4 photosynthetic activity and leaf anatomy in Alloteropsis semialata. New Phytologist. View this article in WRRO
- FTIR spectra from grass pollen: A quest for species-level resolution of Poaceae and Cerealia-type pollen grains. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 321, 105039-105039.
- Diversification of quantitative morphological traits in wheat. Annals of Botany, 133(3), 413-426. View this article in WRRO
- Allometries of cell and tissue anatomy and photosynthetic rate across leaves of C3 and C4 grasses. Plant, Cell & Environment. View this article in WRRO
- Impacts of ground-level ozone on sugarcane production. Science of The Total Environment, 904. View this article in WRRO
- Alloteropsis semialata as a study system for C4 evolution in grasses. Annals of Botany. View this article in WRRO
- Leaf anatomy explains the strength of C4 activity within the grass species Alloteropsis semialata. Plant, Cell and Environment.
- Osmotic adjustment and metabolic changes under drought stress conditions in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 55(3).
- Defining the scope for altering rice leaf anatomy to improve photosynthesis: a modelling approach. New Phytologist. View this article in WRRO
- Astronomically controlled aridity in the Sahara since at least 11 million years ago. Nature Geoscience, 15(8), 671-676.
- Hydroclimate variability was the main control on fire activity in northern Africa over the last 50,000 years. Quaternary Science Reviews, 288.
- Savanna fire regimes depend on grass trait diversity. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 37(9), 749-758.
- Upregulation of C4 characteristics does not consistently improve photosynthetic performance in intraspecific hybrids of a grass. Plant, Cell & Environment, 45(5), 1398-1411. View this article in WRRO
- Drought exposure leads to rapid acquisition and inheritance of herbicide resistance in the weed Alopecurus myosuroides. Ecology and Evolution, 12(2). View this article in WRRO
- Disparities among crop species in the evolution of growth rates: the role of distinct origins and domestication histories. New Phytologist, 233(2), 995-1010. View this article in WRRO
- AusTraits, a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora. Scientific Data, 8(1).
- Land degradation in South Africa: Justice and climate change in tension. People and Nature, 3(5), 978-989.
- Large seeds provide an intrinsic growth advantage that depends on leaf traits and root allocation. Functional Ecology.
- Crop origins explain variation in global agricultural relevance. Nature Plants, 7(5), 598-607.
- Developmental and biophysical determinants of grass leaf size worldwide. Nature, 592(7853), 242-247.
- Low dispersal and ploidy differences in a grass maintain photosynthetic diversity despite gene flow and habitat overlap. Molecular Ecology.
- Fertile Crescent crop progenitors gained a competitive advantage from large seedlings. Functional Ecology, 11(7), 3300-3312. View this article in WRRO
- A reporting format for leaf-level gas exchange data and metadata. Ecological Informatics, 61.
- Traits explain sorting of C4 grasses along a global precipitation gradient. Ecology and Evolution.
- The origins of agriculture: Intentions and consequences. Journal of Archaeological Science, 125. View this article in WRRO
- Resprouting grasses are associated with less frequent fire than seeders. New Phytologist. View this article in WRRO
- C4 anatomy can evolve via a single developmental change. Ecology Letters, 22(2), 302-312. View this article in WRRO
- Phylogenetic patterns and phenotypic profiles of the species of plants and mammals farmed for food.. Nat Ecol Evol, 2(11), 1808-1817. View this article in WRRO
- Human impacts in African savannas are mediated by plant functional traits. New Phytologist, 220(1), 10-24. View this article in WRRO
- C
4 photosynthesis evolved in warm climates but promoted migration to cooler ones. Ecology Letters, 21(3), 376-383. View this article in WRRO
- Cereal progenitors differ in stand harvest characteristics from related wild grasses. Journal of Ecology, 106(3), 1286-1297. View this article in WRRO
- Unconscious selection drove seed enlargement in vegetable crops. Evolution Letters, 1(2), 64-72. View this article in WRRO
- How did the domestication of Fertile Crescent grain crops increase their yields?. Functional Ecology, 31(2), 387-397. View this article in WRRO
- Yield responses of wild C3 and C4 crop progenitors to subambient CO2: a test for the role of CO2 limitation in the origin of agriculture. Global Change Biology, 23(1), 380-393. View this article in WRRO
- Evolutionary implications of C 3 -C 4 intermediates in the grass Alloteropsis semialata. Plant, Cell & Environment, 39(9), 1874-1885. View this article in WRRO
- C4 photosynthesis boosts growth by altering physiology, allocation and size. Nature Plants, 2(5). View this article in WRRO
- How can we make plants grow faster? A source–sink perspective on growth rate. Journal of Experimental Botany, 67(1), 31-45.
- Determinants of flammability in savanna grass species. Journal of Ecology, 104(1), 138-148. View this article in WRRO
- Photosynthetic innovation broadens the niche within a single species. Ecology Letters, 18(10), 1021-1029. View this article in WRRO
- Were Fertile Crescent crop progenitors higher yielding than other wild species that were never domesticated?. New Phytologist, 207(3), 905-913. View this article in WRRO
- Plant domestication through an ecological lens. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 30(8), 463-469.
- Estimating Uncertainty: a Bayesian Approach to Modelling Photosynthesis in
C3
Leaves. Plant, Cell & Environment.
Preprints
- Upregulation of C4 characteristics does not consistently improve photosynthetic performance in intraspecific hybrids of a grass, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
All publications
Journal articles
- Stomatal dynamics in Alloteropsis semialata arise from the evolving interplay between photosynthetic physiology, stomatal size and biochemistry. Plant, Cell & Environment. View this article in WRRO
- Identifying genomic regions associated with C4 photosynthetic activity and leaf anatomy in Alloteropsis semialata. New Phytologist. View this article in WRRO
- FTIR spectra from grass pollen: A quest for species-level resolution of Poaceae and Cerealia-type pollen grains. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 321, 105039-105039.
- Diversification of quantitative morphological traits in wheat. Annals of Botany, 133(3), 413-426. View this article in WRRO
- Allometries of cell and tissue anatomy and photosynthetic rate across leaves of C3 and C4 grasses. Plant, Cell & Environment. View this article in WRRO
- Impacts of ground-level ozone on sugarcane production. Science of The Total Environment, 904. View this article in WRRO
- Alloteropsis semialata as a study system for C4 evolution in grasses. Annals of Botany. View this article in WRRO
- Leaf anatomy explains the strength of C4 activity within the grass species Alloteropsis semialata. Plant, Cell and Environment.
- Osmotic adjustment and metabolic changes under drought stress conditions in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 55(3).
- Defining the scope for altering rice leaf anatomy to improve photosynthesis: a modelling approach. New Phytologist. View this article in WRRO
- Astronomically controlled aridity in the Sahara since at least 11 million years ago. Nature Geoscience, 15(8), 671-676.
- Hydroclimate variability was the main control on fire activity in northern Africa over the last 50,000 years. Quaternary Science Reviews, 288.
- Savanna fire regimes depend on grass trait diversity. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 37(9), 749-758.
- Upregulation of C4 characteristics does not consistently improve photosynthetic performance in intraspecific hybrids of a grass. Plant, Cell & Environment, 45(5), 1398-1411. View this article in WRRO
- Drought exposure leads to rapid acquisition and inheritance of herbicide resistance in the weed Alopecurus myosuroides. Ecology and Evolution, 12(2). View this article in WRRO
- Disparities among crop species in the evolution of growth rates: the role of distinct origins and domestication histories. New Phytologist, 233(2), 995-1010. View this article in WRRO
- AusTraits, a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora. Scientific Data, 8(1).
- Land degradation in South Africa: Justice and climate change in tension. People and Nature, 3(5), 978-989.
- Large seeds provide an intrinsic growth advantage that depends on leaf traits and root allocation. Functional Ecology.
- Crop origins explain variation in global agricultural relevance. Nature Plants, 7(5), 598-607.
- Developmental and biophysical determinants of grass leaf size worldwide. Nature, 592(7853), 242-247.
- Low dispersal and ploidy differences in a grass maintain photosynthetic diversity despite gene flow and habitat overlap. Molecular Ecology.
- Fertile Crescent crop progenitors gained a competitive advantage from large seedlings. Functional Ecology, 11(7), 3300-3312. View this article in WRRO
- A reporting format for leaf-level gas exchange data and metadata. Ecological Informatics, 61.
- Traits explain sorting of C4 grasses along a global precipitation gradient. Ecology and Evolution.
- The origins of agriculture: Intentions and consequences. Journal of Archaeological Science, 125. View this article in WRRO
- Resprouting grasses are associated with less frequent fire than seeders. New Phytologist. View this article in WRRO
- Contrasted histories of organelle and nuclear genomes underlying physiological diversification in a grass species. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1938). View this article in WRRO
- The morphogenesis of fast growth in plants. New Phytologist, 228(4), 1306-1315. View this article in WRRO
- High silicon concentrations in grasses are linked to environmental conditions and not associated with C4 photosynthesis.. Global Change Biology, 26(12), 7128-7143. View this article in WRRO
- Forest regeneration on European sheep pasture is an economically viable climate change mitigation strategy. Environmental Research Letters, 15(10). View this article in WRRO
- Lineage‐based functional types: characterising functional diversity to enhance the representation of ecological behaviour in Land Surface Models. New Phytologist, 228(1), 15-23. View this article in WRRO
- C4 photosynthesis and the economic spectra of leaf and root traits independently influence growth rates in grasses. Journal of Ecology, 108(5), 1899-1909. View this article in WRRO
- Phylogenomics indicates the “living fossil” Isoetes diversified in the Cenozoic. PLOS ONE, 15(6). View this article in WRRO
- The global distribution of grass functional traits within grassy biomes. Journal of Biogeography, 47(3), 553-565. View this article in WRRO
- Population-Specific Selection on Standing Variation Generated by Lateral Gene Transfers in a Grass. Current Biology, 29(22), 3921-3927.e5. View this article in WRRO
- Comment on “The global tree restoration potential”. Science, 366(6463).
- Continued adaptation of C4 photosynthesis after an initial burst of changes in the andropogoneae grasses. Systematic Biology. View this article in WRRO
- Phylogeny and ecological processes influence grass coexistence at different spatial scales within the steppe biome. Oecologia, 191(1), 25-38. View this article in WRRO
- Frequent fires prime plant developmental responses to burning. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 286(1909). View this article in WRRO
- Mesophyll porosity is modulated by the presence of functional stomata. Nature Communications, 10(1), ---. View this article in WRRO
- A theoretical analysis of how plant growth is limited by carbon allocation strategies and respiration. in silico Plants (isP), 1(1). View this article in WRRO
- Key changes in gene expression identified for different stages of C4 evolution in Alloteropsis semialata. Journal of Experimental Botany, 70(12), 3255-3268. View this article in WRRO
- Editorial: Revisiting the biome concept with a functional lens. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7. View this article in WRRO
- Lateral transfers of large DNA fragments spread functional genes among grasses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(10), 4416-4425. View this article in WRRO
- C4 anatomy can evolve via a single developmental change. Ecology Letters, 22(2), 302-312. View this article in WRRO
- C4 savanna grasses fail to maintain assimilation in drying soil under low CO2 compared with C3 trees despite lower leaf water demand. Functional Ecology. View this article in WRRO
- Re-analysis of archaeobotanical remains from pre- and early agricultural sites provides no evidence for a narrowing of the wild plant food spectrum during the origins of agriculture in southwest Asia. Journal of Archaeological Science, 28(4), 449-463. View this article in WRRO
- Nutrient sink limitation constrains growth in two barley species with contrasting growth strategies. Plant Direct, 2(11), e00094-e00094. View this article in WRRO
- Bundle sheath chloroplast volume can house sufficient Rubisco to avoid limiting C4 photosynthesis during chilling.. Journal of Experimental Botany. View this article in WRRO
- Phylogenetic patterns and phenotypic profiles of the species of plants and mammals farmed for food.. Nat Ecol Evol, 2(11), 1808-1817. View this article in WRRO
- Human impacts in African savannas are mediated by plant functional traits. New Phytologist, 220(1), 10-24. View this article in WRRO
- Climatic controls on C
4 grassland distributions during the Neogene: A model-data comparison. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 6. View this article in WRRO
- Biological and geophysical feedbacks with fire in the Earth system. Environmental Research Letters, 13(3), 033003-033003. View this article in WRRO
- C
4 photosynthesis evolved in warm climates but promoted migration to cooler ones. Ecology Letters, 21(3), 376-383. View this article in WRRO
- Gene duplication and dosage effects during the early emergence of C4 photosynthesis in the grass genus Alloteropsis. Journal of Experimental Botany, 69(8), 1967-1980. View this article in WRRO
- Highly Expressed Genes Are Preferentially Co-Opted for C4 Photosynthesis. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 35(1), 94-106. View this article in WRRO
- Global grass (Poaceae) success underpinned by traits facilitating colonization, persistence and habitat transformation. Biological Reviews, 93(2), 1125-1144. View this article in WRRO
- Cereal progenitors differ in stand harvest characteristics from related wild grasses. Journal of Ecology, 106(3), 1286-1297. View this article in WRRO
- Cell density and airspace patterning in the leaf can be manipulated to increase leaf photosynthetic capacity. The Plant Journal, 92(6), 981-994. View this article in WRRO
- Comment on “The extent of forest in dryland biomes”. Science, 358(6365), eaao1309-eaao1309.
- Still armed after domestication? Impacts of domestication and agronomic selection on silicon defences in cereals. Functional Ecology, 31(11), 2108-2117. View this article in WRRO
- Unconscious selection drove seed enlargement in vegetable crops. Evolution Letters, 1(2), 64-72. View this article in WRRO
- Introgression and repeated co-option facilitated the recurrent emergence of C₄ photosynthesis among close relatives. Evolution. View this article in WRRO
- How did the domestication of Fertile Crescent grain crops increase their yields?. Functional Ecology, 31(2), 387-397. View this article in WRRO
- Genome biogeography reveals the intraspecific spread of adaptive mutations for a complex trait. Molecular Ecology, 25(24), 6107-6123. View this article in WRRO
- Yield responses of wild C3 and C4 crop progenitors to subambient CO2: a test for the role of CO2 limitation in the origin of agriculture. Global Change Biology, 23(1), 380-393. View this article in WRRO
- Crop yields: CO₂ fertilization dries up. Nature Plants, 2.
- Evolutionary implications of C 3 -C 4 intermediates in the grass Alloteropsis semialata. Plant, Cell & Environment, 39(9), 1874-1885. View this article in WRRO
- Reduced plant water status under sub-ambient pCO2 limits plant productivity in the wild progenitors of C3 and C4 cereals.. Ann Bot. View this article in WRRO
- Carbon source-sink limitations differ between two Species with Contrasting Growth Strategies.. Plant, Cell and Environment. View this article in WRRO
- Preference for C 4 shade grasses increases hatchling performance in the butterfly, Bicyclus safitza. Ecology and Evolution, 6(15), 5246-5255. View this article in WRRO
- The stable isotope ecology of mycalesine butterflies: implications for plant-insect co-evolution. Functional Ecology. View this article in WRRO
- C4 photosynthesis boosts growth by altering physiology, allocation and size. Nature Plants, 2(5). View this article in WRRO
- How can we make plants grow faster? A source–sink perspective on growth rate. Journal of Experimental Botany, 67(1), 31-45.
- Determinants of flammability in savanna grass species. Journal of Ecology, 104(1), 138-148. View this article in WRRO
- Fire ecology of C3and C4grasses depends on evolutionary history and frequency of burning but not photosynthetic type. Ecology, 96(10), 2679-2691.
- Photosynthetic innovation broadens the niche within a single species. Ecology Letters, 18(10), 1021-1029. View this article in WRRO
- Were Fertile Crescent crop progenitors higher yielding than other wild species that were never domesticated?. New Phytologist, 207(3), 905-913. View this article in WRRO
- Plant domestication through an ecological lens. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 30(8), 463-469.
- Genetic Enablers Underlying the Clustered Evolutionary Origins of C4 Photosynthesis in Angiosperms. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 32(4), 846-858. View this article in WRRO
- Water relations traits of C4 grasses depend on phylogenetic lineage, photosynthetic pathway, and habitat water availability. Journal of Experimental Botany, 66(3), 761-773. View this article in WRRO
- Biogeographically distinct controls on C3and C4grass distributions: merging community and physiological ecology. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 24(3), 304-313.
- The evolutionary ecology of C4plants. New Phytologist, 204(4), 765-781. View this article in WRRO
- Towards an integrative model of C4 photosynthetic subtypes: insights from comparative transcriptome analysis of NAD-ME, NADP-ME, and PEP-CK C4 species.. J Exp Bot, 65(13), 3579-3593. View this article in WRRO
- Physiological advantages of C4 grasses in the field: a comparative experiment demonstrating the importance of drought.. Glob Chang Biol, 20(6), 1992-2003. View this article in WRRO
- Deconstructing Kranz anatomy to understand C4 evolution.. J Exp Bot, 65(13), 3357-3369.
- The dynamics of recovery and growth: how defoliation affects stored resources.. Proc Biol Sci, 281(1783), 20133355. View this article in WRRO
- Shared origins of a key enzyme during the evolution of C4 and CAM metabolism.. J Exp Bot, 65(13), 3609-3621. View this article in WRRO
- Molecular dating, evolutionary rates, and the age of the grasses.. Syst Biol, 63(2), 153-165. View this article in WRRO
- Functional traits differ between cereal crop progenitors and other wild grasses gathered in the Neolithic fertile crescent.. PLoS One, 9(1), e87586. View this article in WRRO
- Origins of C4 Grasslands: Integrating Modeling and Paleo Data to Shed Light on Neogene Vegetation Change. The Paleontological Society Special Publications, 13, 135-136.
- A global database of C4photosynthesis in grasses. New Phytologist, 204(3), 441-446.
- Increased leaf mesophyll porosity following transient retinoblastoma-related protein silencing is revealed by microcomputed tomography imaging and leads to a system-level physiological response to the altered cell division pattern. The Plant Journal, 76(6), 914-929. View this article in WRRO
- Parallel recruitment of multiple genes into c4 photosynthesis.. Genome Biol Evol, 5(11), 2174-2187. View this article in WRRO
- Evolution of physiological processes. Journal of Experimental Botany, 64(13), 4021.
- Did greater burial depth increase the seed size of domesticated legumes?. J Exp Bot, 64(13), 4101-4108.
- The recurrent assembly of C4 photosynthesis, an evolutionary tale.. Photosynth Res, 117(1-3), 163-175.
- Taxonome: a software package for linking biological species data.. Ecol Evol, 3(5), 1262-1265. View this article in WRRO
- Differential freezing resistance and photoprotection in C-3 and C-4 eudicots and grasses. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY, 64(8), 2183-2191. View this article in WRRO
- Chicken Farming in Grassland Increases Environmental Sustainability and Economic Efficiency. PLoS ONE, 8(1). View this article in WRRO
- Mechanisms driving an unusual latitudinal diversity gradient for grasses. Global Ecology and Biogeography.
- Seeing space: Visualization and quantification of plant leaf structure using X-ray micro-computed tomography. Journal of Experimental Botany, 64(2), 385-390.
- Photosynthetic acclimation and resource use by the C and C subspecies of Alloteropsis semialata in low CO atmospheres. Global Change Biology.
- Anatomical enablers and the evolution of C4 photosynthesis in grasses.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 110(4), 1381-1386.
- A non-targeted metabolomics approach to quantifying differences in root storage between fast- and slow-growing plants.. New Phytol, 196(1), 200-211.
- Fire and fire-adapted vegetation promoted C4 expansion in the late Miocene.. New Phytol, 195(3), 653-666.
- Phylogenetic niche conservatism in C4 grasses.. Oecologia, 170(3), 835-845.
- Photosynthetic and anatomical acclimation by the C-3 and C-4 subspecies of Alloteropsis semialata in low CO2 atmospheres. SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY, 79, 208-208.
- Evolution of C4 plants: a new hypothesis for an interaction of CO2 and water relations mediated by plant hydraulics.. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 367(1588), 583-600.
- Environmental factors determining the phylogenetic structure of C4 grass communities. JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, 39(2), 232-246.
- Plant growth rates and seed size: A re-evaluation. Ecology, 93(6), 1283-1289.
- Fire and fire-adapted vegetation promoted C
4 expansion in the late Miocene. New Phytologist, 195(3), 653-666.
- Adaptive evolution of C
4 photosynthesis through recurrent lateral gene transfer. Current Biology, 22(5), 445-449.
- New grass phylogeny resolves deep evolutionary relationships and discovers C
4 origins. New Phytologist, 193(2), 304-312.
- Photosynthetic pathway and ecological adaptation explain stomatal trait diversity amongst grasses. New Phytologist, 193(2), 387-396.
- Photosynthetic pathway and ecological adaptation explain stomatal trait diversity amongst grasses.. New Phytol, 193(2), 387-396.
- C-4 eudicots are not younger than C-4 monocots. J EXP BOT, 62(9), 3171-3181.
- Understanding geographical patterns of grass species richness - The global and local context. S AFR J BOT, 77(2), 565-566.
- GrassPortal: An online ecological and evolutionary data facility for the grasses. S AFR J BOT, 77(2), 566-566.
- The response of grasses to future climates of elevated CO2 and temperature: What research questions are important for southern Africa?. S AFR J BOT, 77(2), 555-555.
- New grass phylogeny resolves deep evolutionary relationships and discovers C4 origins. New Phytologist.
- Molecular phylogenies disprove a hypothesized C
4 reversion in Eragrostis walteri (Poaceae). Annals of Botany, 107(2), 321-325.
- Drought limitation of photosynthesis differs between C₃and C₄grass species in a comparative experiment.. Plant Cell Environ, 34(1), 65-75.
- Partitioning the components of relative growth rate: how important is plant size variation?. Am Nat, 176(6), E152-E161.
- Experimental investigation of fire ecology in the C-3 and C-4 subspecies of Alloteropsis semialata. J ECOL, 98(5), 1196-1203.
- Can phylogenetics identify C(4) origins and reversals?. Trends Ecol Evol, 25(7), 403-409.
- The Origins of C-4 Grasslands: Integrating Evolutionary and Ecosystem Science. SCIENCE, 328(5978), 587-591.
- Ecophysiological traits in C3 and C4 grasses: a phylogenetically controlled screening experiment.. New Phytol, 185(3), 780-791.
- Was low atmospheric CO
2 a limiting factor in the origin of agriculture?. Environmental Archaeology, 15(2), 113-123.
- Water-use responses of 'living fossil' conifers to CO2 enrichment in a simulated Cretaceous polar environment.. Ann Bot, 104(1), 179-188.
- Ecological selection pressures for C4 photosynthesis in the grasses.. Proc Biol Sci, 276(1663), 1753-1760. View this article in WRRO
- A molecular phylogeny of the genus Alloteropsis (Panicoideae, Poaceae) suggests an evolutionary reversion from C4 to C3 photosynthesis.. Ann Bot, 103(1), 127-136. View this article in WRRO
- Leaf cold acclimation and freezing injury in C-3 and C-4 grasses of the Mongolian Plateau. J EXP BOT, 59(15), 4161-4170. View this article in WRRO
- Seasonal differences in photosynthesis between the C3 and C4 subspecies of Alloteropsis semialata are offset by frost and drought.. Plant Cell Environ, 31(7), 1038-1050.
- Ecological significance of C-4 photosynthesis: A comparison of C-3 and C-4 subspecies of Alloteropsis semialata and other NADP-ME panicoid grasses. S AFR J BOT, 74(2), 377-377.
- Response of wild C-4 crop progenitors to subambient CO2 highlights a possible role in the origin of agriculture. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOL, 14(3), 576-587.
- Low temperature effects on leaf physiology and survivorship in the C3 and C4 subspecies of Alloteropsis semialata.. J Exp Bot, 59(7), 1743-1754.
- Atmosphere, ecology and evolution: what drove the Miocene expansion of C(4) grasslands?. J Ecol, 96(1), 35-45. View this article in WRRO
- Drought constraints on C-4 photosynthesis: stomatal and metabolic limitations in C-3 and C-4 subspecies of Alloteropsis semialata. J EXP BOT, 58(6), 1351-1363.
- The origin of the savanna biome. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOL, 12(11), 2023-2031.
- Interactive effects of elevated carbon dioxide and drought on wheat. AGRON J, 98(2), 354-381.
- Nature's green revolution: the remarkable evolutionary rise of C4 plants.. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 361(1465), 173-194.
- Climatic and ecological determinants of leaf lifespan in polar forests of the high CO2 Cretaceous 'greenhouse' world. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOL, 11(12), 2177-2195.
- Contrasting seasonal patterns of carbon gain in evergreen and deciduous trees of ancient polar forests. PALEOBIOLOGY, 31(1), 141-150.
- Biophysical constraints on the origin of leaves inferred from the fossil record.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 101(28), 10360-10362.
- Adaptive role of leaf habit in extinct polar forests. INT FOREST REV, 6(2), 181-186.
- Falling atmospheric CO
2 -the key to megaphyll leaf origins, 197-215.
- The penalty of a long, hot summer. Photosynthetic acclimation to high CO2 and continuous light in "living fossil" conifers.. Plant Physiol, 133(2), 803-812. View this article in WRRO
- Carbon loss by deciduous trees in a CO2-rich ancient polar environment.. Nature, 424(6944), 60-62. View this article in WRRO
- Is stimulation of leaf photosynthesis by elevated carbon dioxide concentration maintained in the long term? A test with Lolium perenne grown for 10 years at two nitrogen fertilization levels under Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE). PLANT CELL ENVIRON, 26(5), 705-714. View this article in WRRO
- High CO2 increases the freezing sensitivity of plants: Implications for paleoclimatic reconstructions from fossil floras. GEOLOGY, 30(11), 963-966.
- A process-based model of conifer forest structure and function with special emphasis on leaf lifespan. GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEM CY, 16(4). View this article in WRRO
- Physiological ecology of Mesozoic polar forests in a high CO2 environment.. Ann Bot, 89(3), 329-339.
- Taking a world view. Journal of Biogeography, 29(2), 295-295.
- Do drought-hardened plants suffer from fever? Response. TRENDS PLANT SCI, 6(11), 507-508.
- Biological mechanisms underlying recent increases in the NDVI of Mediterranean shrublands. INT J REMOTE SENS, 22(10), 1895-1907.
- Evolution of leaf-form in land plants linked to atmospheric CO2 decline in the Late Palaeozoic era.. Nature, 410(6826), 352-354. View this article in WRRO
- Olive phenology as a sensitive indicator of future climatic warming in the Mediterranean. PLANT CELL ENVIRON, 23(7), 701-710. View this article in WRRO
- The representation of root processes in models addressing the responses of vegetation to global change. NEW PHYTOL, 147(1), 223-232. View this article in WRRO
- Modelling the recent historical impacts of atmospheric CO2 and climate change on Mediterranean vegetation. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOL, 6(4), 445-458. View this article in WRRO
- Stomatal responses of the 'living fossil' Ginkgo biloba L. to changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations. J EXP BOT, 49(326), 1603-1607.
- Does leaf position within a canopy affect acclimation of photosynthesis to elevated CO
2 ? Analysis of a wheat crop under free-air CO2 enrichment. Plant Physiology, 117(3), 1037-1045. View this article in WRRO
- Does long-term elevation of CO
2 concentration increase photosynthesis in forest floor vegetation?: Indiana strawberry in a Maryland forest. Plant Physiology, 114(1), 337-344. View this article in WRRO
- Estimating Uncertainty: a Bayesian Approach to Modelling Photosynthesis in
C3
Leaves. Plant, Cell & Environment.
- Ecophysiological traits of grasses: resolving the effects of photosynthetic pathway and phylogeny. Nature Precedings.
Chapters
- The Geologic History of C-4 Plants, C4 PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND RELATED CO2 CONCENTRATING MECHANISMS (pp. 339-357).
- Chapter 17 The Geologic History of C4 Plants, C4 Photosynthesis and Related CO2 Concentrating Mechanisms (pp. 339-357). Springer Netherlands
- Falling atmospheric CO2—the key to megaphyll leaf origins, The Evolution of Plant Physiology (pp. 197-215). Elsevier
Conference proceedings papers
- Consequences of C-4 photosynthesis for the partitioning of growth: a test using C-3 and C-4 subspecies of Alloteropsis semialata under nitrogen-limitation. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY, Vol. 59(7) (pp 1705-1714)
- Feeling the cold: atmospheric CO2 enrichment and the frost sensitivity of terrestrial plant foliage. PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY, Vol. 182(1-2) (pp 3-13)
- Sensitivity of tree growth to a high CO2 environment: consequences for interpreting the characteristics of fossil woods from ancient 'greenhouse' worlds. PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY, Vol. 182(1-2) (pp 15-29)
Preprints
- Identifying leaf anatomy and metabolic regulators that underpin C4photosynthesis inAlloteropsis semialata, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Implementing a framework of carbon and nitrogen feedback responses into a plant resource allocation model, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Upregulation of C4 characteristics does not consistently improve photosynthetic performance in intraspecific hybrids of a grass, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- AusTraits – a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Low dispersal and recurrent polyploidization in a grass maintain photosynthetic diversity despite gene flow and habitat overlap, Authorea, Inc..
- Physiological diversity enhanced by recurrent divergence and secondary gene flow within a grass species, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Lineage Functional Types (LFTs): Characterizing functional diversity to enhance the representation of ecological behavior in Earth System Models, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Phylogenomics supports a Cenozoic rediversification of the “living fossil” Isoetes, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Functional diversification enabled grassy biomes to fill global climate space, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Biochemical mechanisms driving rapid fluxes in C4 photosynthesis, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Stomatal dynamics in Alloteropsis semialata arise from the evolving interplay between photosynthetic physiology, stomatal size and biochemistry. Plant, Cell & Environment. View this article in WRRO
- Research group
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Research Group
Postdocs- Dr Kim Simpson (postdoc, 2019-present) 'How do global change and functional traits influence savanna woody plant encroachment?' NERC
- Dr A.N. Other (postdoc, 2023-) 'AgriPV system with climate, water and light spectrum control for safe, healthier and improved crop production' Horizon Europe.
PhD students
- Mohammed Lashram (2021-present) 'Drought adaptation of C4 savanna grasses' Saudi government scholarship
- Yanmin Zhou (2020-present) 'Dynamic behaviour of stomata under fluctuating light'. Chinese Scholarship Council.
- Yixiang Shan (2019-present) 'Domestication effects on wheat morphology and production'. Chinese Scholarship Council.
- Kanyanat Kasetsuntorn (2019-present) 'Cold adaptation of C4 grasses'. Thai government scholarship.
- Bong Salazar (2019-present) ‘Rising temperature impacts on apple crop productivity’. Philippines government scholarship.
- Suma Mani (2018-present) ‘Impacts of planting trees and rewilding on carbon sequestration and livelihoods in the Peak District’. Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures.
- Teaching activities
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I lead the Climate Change and Sustainability theme in our undergraduate teaching. My lectures in the APS 11008 Climate Change and Sustainability module at level 1 provide an introduction and grounding to the key concepts in these areas. At level 2, my lectures in BIS 222 focus on the interactions and feedbacks between ecosystems, atmosphere and climate.
At level 3 in APS 31006, the emphasis turns to social, political and cultural dimensions of sustainability, looking at the historical development of the food system, natural resource exploitation and human impacts on climate. The module considers how to achieve social justice and a good life for all, while sustainably exploiting natural resources and achieving net zero. Masters teaching in APS 61017 Global Sustainability develops these themes in greater depth.
My teaching aims to place scientific work within its social, political and cultural contexts, and draws on a diversity of scientific perspectives. I am co-author of a guide that discusses why this is important and outlines aspects to consider within ecology and evolution.
Level three and four undergraduate research projects in my lab look at functional aspects of plant biology, and typically take a comparative approach to investigate the mechanisms underpinning diversity in plant form and function.
- Professional activities and memberships
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- External Examiner, BSc Plant Sciences, Trinity College, Dublin (2018-2022)
- External Examiner, BSc Ecological Sciences, University of Edinburgh (2012-2016)
- Convenor of the Plant Environmental Physiology group of the SEB and BES (2012-2016)
- Editorial Board, Proceedings of The Royal Society, Series B (2012-2017)
- Origins of Grasslands Working Group Coordinator, National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent), USA (2011-2012)
- Advisory Group Member, Royal Society Global Science Report (2010-2011)
- Grass Phylogeny Working Group Member, NESCent, USA (2010-2011)
- Plants Committee Member, Society for Experimental Biology, UK (2010-2013)
- Catalysis Meeting Coordinator, NESCent, USA (2009)
- Co-Chair, British-German Frontiers of Science Symposium, Potsdam (2008)
- Selection Panel Member, Royal Society Summer Studentships (2005)
- Co-organizer, Departmental Seminar Programme (2004-2014)