Is physiological flexibility of forest trees constrained by home climate in a rapidly warming world?

预计到2070年，澳大利亚气候平均变暖3摄氏度，这一气候变化相当于从悉尼移动900公里到布里斯班。由于森林树木无法足够快地迁移以避免这些前所未有的温度上升，澳大利亚森林对气候变暖的恢复能力将取决于它们对更高温度的生理调节能力。但是，森林树木能成功地适应当前位置的新气候吗？该项目计划确定热适应如何影响树叶和树木的碳交换，以及这是否取决于树木的“家园”气候。这些知识差距限制了我们预测森林未来以及全球变暖对碳循环影响的能力。

The projected average Australian climate warming of 3 degrees celsius by 2070 represents a shift in climate equivalent to moving 900 km from Sydney to Brisbane. As forest trees cannot migrate fast enough to avoid these unprecedented increases in temperature, the resiliency of Australian forests to climate warming will depend on their capacity to physiologically adjust to higher temperatures. But, can forest trees successfully adjust to new climates in their current locations? This project plans to determine how thermal acclimation influences leaf and tree carbon exchange, and whether this depends upon a tree’s “home” climate. These knowledge gaps limit our ability to predict the future of our forests and consequences for carbon cycling in a warmer world.