Plant Functional Biology and Climate Change Research Cluster
The Plant Functional Biology and Climate Change Research Cluster (C3) brings together a core group of expert plant physiologists, ecologists, biological and physical modellers and specialist remote sensing researchers, with the aim of improving and enhancing predictions about climate change.
Working on a regional scale, for example with forest, coastal and estuarine ecosystems, this unique group's targeted research approach builds on their internationally recognised work into areas including:
- climate change and tree physiology
- measuring and modelling water fluxes
- coral bleaching
- Antarctic sea - ice algal communities
- biodiversity
- invasive species
Whether terrestrial, or aquatic, plants are at the bottom of the food chain and by integrating the biological feedback from plants into climate change models C3 will improve their accuracy and usefulness for future resource planning.
As well as giving decision makers greater confidence in scientists' predictions about climate change the outcomes from this vital research also provides an opportunity for the university, and wider community, to connect on issues and solutions relating to climate change.
