First results from the P fertilisation of the EucFACE experiment are out - and they are pretty intriguing! Congrats to PhD student Min Zhao for leading this effort @newphyt.bsky.social @westsyduhie.bsky.social nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Phosphorus addition shifts elevated <fc>CO₂</fc> effects on soil respiration from rhizosphere to root pathways in a mature eucalypt woodland

Summary diagram of the utilization of additional carbohydrates fixed under elevated CO2 belowground in natural low-phosphorus (P) (a) and P-fertilized (b) conditions. Soil respiration consists of het...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Post-doc positions in vegetation modelling closing soon! Closing date 19th July.

Belinda Medlyn@bmedlyn.bsky.social · last mo.

I am hiring! My former postdocs have all gone on to great ongoing roles, so I am now looking for 2 new postdocs in dynamic vegetation modelling: Modelling vegetation-fire interactions in Australia Modelling Australian vegetation distributions Details linked below - please share!

PhD position available: Predicting impacts of extreme heat on Australian forests The world is heating up and forests are starting to show the effects. Like maths? Love trees? Apply your skills to help understand and adapt vegetation to heat extremes! www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/...

I am hiring! My former postdocs have all gone on to great ongoing roles, so I am now looking for 2 new postdocs in dynamic vegetation modelling: Modelling vegetation-fire interactions in Australia Modelling Australian vegetation distributions Details linked below - please share!

Our latest work in @pnas.org shows something surprising: the latest generation of P-enabled vegetation models do not predict a higher CO2 response with P fertilisation www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Phosphorus enrichment does not enlarge the predicted CO2 fertilization effect on forest carbon sequestration | PNAS

The capacity of nutrient-limited forests to enhance carbon (C) sequestration under elevated CO2 (eCO2) remains a critical uncertainty in C cycle mo...

pnas.org

Check out our new paper in @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social with a stellar crew of collaborators! We suggest a need for a systems modelling approach to predict the effects of extreme heat and propose a path forward on how we can do it! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Two PhD opportunities at the Australian National University and the University of Technology Sydney, working on thermal responses and thermal acclimation of C4 photosynthesis. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Extreme heat is fast becoming one of the biggest threats to global food systems. Our new piece in The Conversation looks at how intense heatwaves put crops and native species at risk — and what we can actually do about it. 🔗 theconversation.com/intense-heat...

Intense heatwaves directly threaten crops and native species. Here’s what we can do

Sustained extreme heat can damage, weaken and kill all living things, from wheat crops to koalas and fruit bats.

theconversation.com

So proud! Our brilliant PhD student Camille Sicangco's new paper just out in @newphyt.bsky.social : Testing stomatal optimisation models at high temperatures nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Weighing the options: a test of alternative stomatal optimisation models at high temperatures

Stomatal optimisation models centre upon a fundamental tradeoff for plants: opening stomata promotes carbon uptake, but closing stomata prevents water loss. However, stomatal opening can occur at hi...

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

HISTORIC HEAT IN AUSTRALIA Climatic history is set to be rewritten with an absolutely deadly week: Today 48.5C in South Australia,47.2 New South Wales, 45.3 Queensland,45.0 Victoria ‼️We might expect 7 CONSECUTIVE DAYS >46C in New South Wales and we can't rule out 50C. A HELL

New research from our group: A pervasive increase in tree mortality across the Australian continent - driven by rising temperatures rdcu.be/eXSa7

Pervasive increase in tree mortality across the Australian continent

Nature Plants - Eight decades of forest plot monitoring show a pervasive increase in tree mortality across Australia’s forest biomes driven by climate change, jeopardizing their role as...

rdcu.be

Time for #oneforjournalclub paper of the year! Drum roll please ..

Save the date! 47th New Phytologist Symposium on 'Extreme Heat: extending the thermal limits of life'. Explore how extreme heat affects plants that underpin ecosystem productivity. 2-5 June 2026, Cordoba, Spain. @newphyt.bsky.social www.newphytologist.org/events/47-nps

Extreme Heat: extending the thermal limits of life

newphytologist.org

Check out our latest updates! 🌱 New Phytologist #TansleyMedal application deadline 🌱 Upcoming New Phytologist Now webinar 🌱 An exciting announcement from Plants, People, Planet 🌱 Details of next year's New Phytologist Symposium on extreme heat ...and more: 📨 www.newphytologist.org/news/latest-...

Exciting PhD opportunity advertised by superstar colleague Prof. Rachael Gallagher "Genomic and trait-based indicators of restoration success" (collaboration with Botanic Gardens of Sydney). See attached image. Contact Rachael directly for more information (email in advert). Closes 30th Nov.

Yesterday we were treated to an inspirational seminar from Dr Laura Williams from @westsyduhie.bsky.social all about the importance of tree diversity, novel ways to quantify it and its consequences for how forests function. Good luck with the richly-deserved DECRA Laura!!! Ping @bmedlyn.bsky.social

Our global meta-analysis is finally out - we explore the most important influencer on C4 photosynthetic capacity using ~1700 C4 Aci curves! Data are freely available for the community.

New Phytologist@newphyt.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Environmental conditions drive variation in C4 photosynthetic capacity more than species traits Fan, et al. 📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #PlantScience @yuzhenfan.bsky.social

One more! Here the stellar Laura Williams leads a review of detection + attribution of change in Australian vegetation. The upshot: with current monitoring, it's remarkably difficult to attribute effects of climate - which has important consequences for management

Cate Macinnis-Ng@loraxcate.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Fascinating paper by Laura Williams, @bmedlyn.bsky.social and colleagues - nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Drought sensitivity in eucalypts is climate‐adapted and consistently influenced by wood density - great work by PhD student Victoria Perez-Martinez at @deannicolle1.bsky.social Currency Creek Arboretum during the Tinderbox drought besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Drought sensitivity is climate‐adapted and consistently influenced by wood density and maximum height in eucalypts

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Analysis of eddy-covariance C and water fluxes during the Australian Tinderbox drought of 2017-2019 showed remarkable resilience and recovery in most Australian forest types. Great work from @clares-hydro.bsky.social and OzFlux community onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

The Response and Recovery of Carbon and Water Fluxes in Australian Ecosystems Exposed to Severe Drought

We examined flux data across a range of Australian ecosystems exposed to severe drought over two years (2018-19). The driest ecosystems experienced large productivity declines, but intermediate ecosy...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Postdoctoral position in Forest Monitoring available. Know your way around spatial datasets? Join us to help monitor changes in Australia's precious forest estate! @westsyduhie.bsky.social jobs.smartrecruiters.com/WesternSydne...

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Forest Monitoring

Company Description: Western Sydney University is a modern, forward-thinking, research-led institution at the heart of Australia’s fastest-growing and most economically significant region. With 11 cam...

jobs.smartrecruiters.com

📢🌿Available #traits #FunctionalTraits PhD position in my group @westsyduhie.bsky.social, closes 30th Oct. Topics: “Climate adaptations in Australian native grasses”; OR “Plant resource economics”. Apply via WSU Online Portal. Eligibility and other key info here: wrightlab.wordpress.com/news/

Fabulous #PhD project opportunity on #Eucalypt diversity - super interesting project plus you get to work with the truly amazing Laura Williams

Suz Everingham@suzeveringham.bsky.social · 12mo ago

PhD opportunity available at @westsyduhie.bsky.social with the brillant Dr Laura Williams - hyperspectral data and process-based modelling of tree diversity 🌳🌲 please share with your networks tinyurl.com/ms6mjz8y

🌿 Eucalypt Australia is offering research grants of up to $50K to advance knowledge of eucalypts. 1-year ($25K) or 2-year ($50K) projects supported. Open to Australia-based researchers with a strong track record. Apply by Tues 12 Aug eucalyptaustralia.org.au/grants/ #LoveAGum #ozplants

How can we save threatened forests from climate change? Refugia can be an answer, but we need to monitor their effectiveness - Our paper out now, on whether topography is effectively buffering the vulnerable Red Stringybark eucalypt 🟥🌳 from hot droughts in South Australia 👉🏻 doi.org/10.1111/csp2...

Using in situ microrefugia to safeguard stringybark eucalypts from hot droughts

Facilitating species persistence under climate change is a pressing issue. Refugia, places where the impacts of climate change may be less severe, can constitute the only option for in situ persisten...

doi.org

#ESAus2025 abstracts are due this Friday! If you research vegetation #dieback, consider submitting to the 'Beyond the Brink–Navigating vegetation dieback and climate-succession' symposium chaired by Cal Bryant and @bmedlyn.bsky.social. 🧪🌏 #WildOz #ecology #ClimateChange Symposium description:

Ecological Society of Australia@ecolsocaus.bsky.social · last yr.

Just over a week to go until the deadline for conference abstracts for ESA2025 🪶 Don't miss the chance to present your work in front of peers and experts in Adelaide this November. Submit your abstracts online now: esa2025.org.au #ESA2025 #ESAus2025 #ecology

"It isn't that the alarm bells are about to ring. They already have & if these last 2 fires are not enough to scare the pants off you, I don't know what is." VIC's mountain forests are on the brink of collapse due to frequent bushfires & lack of regeneration support. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...

Alpine forests face collapse without urgent reforestation, say scientists

Bushfires and a lack of seed have created a "ticking time bomb" in Victoria's alpine and mountain ash forests, scientists are warning.

abc.net.au

#oneforjournalclub

Tommaso Jucker@tommaso-jucker.bsky.social · last yr.

So excited to finally share our new paper charting the global spectrum of tree crown architecture, out today at @natcomms.nature.com ‬🧪🌐 Paper link 🔗: www.nature.com/articles/s41... A brief thread of what we found 🧵

#oneforjournalclub

Annals of Botany@annbot.bsky.social · last yr.

🔥ADVANCE ACCESS🔥: Effect of climate extremes and grazing on functional traits of a grassland community: insights from a 20-year experiment doi.org/10.1093/aob/...

The #EucFACE canopy has finally recovered from the 19-20 drought and the 21-22 floods. Beautiful time for new Lidar scans! @westsyduhie.bsky.social @kimcalders.bsky.social