Quantitative wood anatomy across spatial and temporal scales

The proposed project investigates the interactions between genotypes, phenotypes, and environment on tree health and acclimation; particularly the role of phenotypic plasticity in xylem anatomical traits and how they respond to climate on an inter- and intra-species scale. This research spans a unique range of scales, from individual variation to broad temporal and geographic scales; from the level of a cell to that of a biome. Additionally, the proposed project involves various methods to address the research questions, including fieldwork, lab work, and work with large climate datasets. This project will help to identify how trees are responding to the changing climate. This will be important for developing future vegetation and land surface models, determining how resilient different populations will be to climate change, predicting wood quality changes in future climates, determining what regions will suit these species, and what additional management may be necessary.