Current projects include the effects of elevated ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) associated with ozone depletion and the effects of global warming on vascular plants and terrestrial ecosystems in Antarctica. In the past 50+ y annual air temperatures have increased >2.9 degrees C along the Antarctic Peninsula. This, along with glacial retreat and changing precipitation patterns, allows a unique opportunity to examine plant responses to climate change. I use novel techniques to explain plant responses to environmental change in a physiological context. My research has a strong field component and is often complimented with laboratory and greenhouse studies to elucidate underlying mechanisms.
Our field team has been studying terrestrial ecosystems around the Antarctic Peninsula since 1995. The National Science Foundation (Office of Polar Programs) has funded this work. The major focus of our research is examining how rapid climate change influences plant production, carbon and nitrogen cycling and predicting long terms effects on carbon storage.
Another area of my research examines UV-B-absorbing compounds in plant foliage. These sunscreen molecules primarily consist of a group of secondary metabolites called phenylpropanoids and it appears that plants vary widely in their ability to synthesize these compounds. Ongoing research focuses upon identifying and quantifying these compounds, as well as determining their spatial location inside of leaves. The overall aim of this research is to identify what role these "sun screen" compounds have in protecting plants against potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation.
