Climate dependence of plant respiration in warmer, drier world

Plant respiration plays a vital role in regulating the Earth s climate and ecosystem functioning. Although we know that drought can substantially alter rates of plant respiration, we are not yet able to predict drought-mediated changes in respiration. We also lack an understanding of how drought impacts on the temperature dependence of respiration. I will combine laboratory and field experiments to establish process-based understanding that will enable respiratory responses to drought and global warming scenarios to be predicted in global and ecosystem-level models. The importance of respiration in determining the carbon balance of agricultural systems and natural ecosystems experiencing drought will also be determined.