The Environmental Plant Physiology lab consists of postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduates led by Carl Bernacchi, a scientist with the USDA-ARS. We address physiological responses of plants and ecosystems to global changes. Specifically, our research addresses the role of natural and managed ecosystems to rising carbon dioxide, warming temperatures, land use change, and climate extremes.  

Our research scales from the level of individual plant organs, whole plants, canopies, the ecosystem, and the region. We utilize a number of approaches, including biochemical, physiological, biophysical, micrometeorological, and ecological tools to understand the responses of plants to global changes. Our techniques rely on field experiments, including artificial manipulation of growth conditions, and experiments under controlled environments, including laboratory, greenhouse, and growth chambers. We apply our understanding of plant physiology to mechanistic models ranging from the leaf to the region.

Research in the laboratory is conducted at a number of facilities, including: