ABSTRACT

Prof Adrienne Nicotra's talk will present current work she and colleagues are conducting that builds on the fundamental plant reproductive and thermal ecology and the evolutionary ecology of phenotypic plasticity.  In particular she will present work from the "Save Our Snow Gum" project which examines the drivers and consequences of forest dieback in the high elevation sub alpine tree species, and the ATLS ("Assessing Thermal Load Sensitivity") project which takes a whole of life demographic perspective to understanding mechanisms underlying thermal tolerance in plants. The project focuses on the heat load or dosage response (effects of intensity * duration) to heat in a range of tissues and ontogenetic stages. These projects bring evolutionary theory to bear on conservation and management in the face of rapid climate change.

BIOGRAPHY

Prof Adrienne Nicotra is a plant evolutionary ecologist with interest in the capacity of plants to respond to environment and environmental change – what we call phenotypic plasticity. Her work focusses on native species from a wide range of environments, though she is particularly fond of mountain flora. Adrienne joined ANU as a postdoctoral fellow in 1998 and has been there ever since, now as a Professor in the Division of Ecology and Evolution in the Research School of Biology. In addition to her research work, Adrienne teaches, supervises honours and postgraduate students and is the director of the Australian Mountain Research Facility.