The research in the Tree Physiology Lab aims to improve our understanding of the effects of the abiotic environment on tree growth and physiology. This work generally utilizes a whole-plant approach to physiology, and is focused on trees native to Tennessee forests, particularly hardwood species. Environmental chemistry and soil physical properties are mearsured or manipulated to determine their relative effects on tree physiological systems, such as water relations or carbohydrate allocation. While most of this work is done at the level of the whole tree and tissue, and we welcome collaboration with researchers in molecular biology, biochemistry, and ecology in order to gain a more complete picture of the complex physiological responses of trees.

Location: The lab is located in room 127 of the Plant Biotechnology Building, on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. Much of the research performed in the tree physiology lab utilizes greenhouse and controlled environment facilities located nearby. Field investigations may be carried out in State or National Parks in Tennessee, and on the University of Tennessee Forestry Experiment Station land. Whithin Tennessee we have a wide variety of forest environments in which to study, ranging from bottomland hardwood forests in the Western portion of the state to relict spruce/fir ecosystems at higher elevations in the nearby Smoky Mountains.