Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Improved predictions of climate changes effects on Canadian ecosystems are critical for mitigating the negative impacts of warming, and exploiting potential benefits. Recent research has identified the most observed biological impact of climate changeearlier plant leafing and flowering (phenology)as a major driver of community and ecosystem change. My research program builds from first principles of how climate drives phenology to test a series of relationships with climate, traits and performance. Results will be critical for accurate predictions of future species distributions, communities and ecosystems with climate change, and could transform our fundamental understanding of phenology and functional traits.