International Research Fellow Awards: Comparative Ecophysiology of Savanna and Forest Trees as a Key to Understanding the Dynamics of the Savanna-Forest Boundary

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9803013 Hoffmann The International Research Fellow Awards Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty- four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad. This award will support a twenty-four-month postdoctoral research visit by Dr. William A. Hoffmann to work with Dr. Augusto C. Franco at the Universidade de Brasilia in Brazil. Their work will involve the comparison of the ecophysiology of savanna and forest trees as a key to understanding the dynamics of the savanna-forest boundary. The objectives of this research are: to measure differences in water relations, leaf-level physiology, and distribution patterns between savanna and forest species to show convergent evolution of traits within each of these two groups of species; to measure the importance of allocation patterns versus ecophysiological adaptations to the differences in the performance of savanna and forest species; and to determine what environmental factors limit the growth of savanna and forest trees across the savanna- forest boundary. They will conduct this research within the cerrado, a savanna vegetation that occupies 2 million kilometers of Brazil. Dr. Franco's area of expertise is in the area of the physiological basis of woody plant ecology in the cerrado. In addition to working with the facilities of the University of Brasilia, Dr. Hoffmann will have access to a national park, three ecological reserves and two research stations, all of which are accessible for this type of research. ***