Do tropical conifers differ fundamentally from angiosperms in CO2 response?

This project aims to investigate the physiological basis for a previously observed difference in how tropical conifers and their angiosperm counterparts respond to elevated carbon dioxide. In addition, it aims to determine the relevance of the differential responsiveness under field conditions in north Queensland. This project expects to fundamentally advance understanding of how tropical trees will respond to steadily increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. The expected outcome is an enhanced capacity to predict which tropical tree species will increase their growth rates and which will not. This should provide significant benefits to the tropical forestry sector, and to conservation and effective management of Australian tropical forests.