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Dr Adrienne Nicotra
Senior Lecturer
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Main Research Interest
Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology
Background
I became fascinated by plant ecology as an undergraduate. Supervised by a very patient ornithologist, I did a research project on intra-specific competition in a weedy herb. I followed this up by working as a research assistant with Fakhri Bazzaz at Harvard University, where I narrowed my focus and developed my interest in taking an evolutionary approach to studies of plant physiological ecology. This led me to my Ph.D. research on the ecological implications of breeding systems. I worked with Robin Chazdon at the University of Connecticut, but I was lucky to be able to do all my research in Costa Rica. When I finished my Ph.D. I moved to Australia and supported myself with part-time tutoring at Macquarie University and the University of Wollongong before beginning post-doctoral work with Mark Westoby at Macquarie University. I came to the ANU in mid-1998 to take up a position as a post-doctoral fellow working with Marilyn Ball in the Research School of Biological Sciences. Shortly after beginning my post-doc, I applied for a lectureship in BoZo. I got the job, the post-doc became a collaborative project, and I joined BoZo in early 1999.
Research Interests
I am interested in how architecture, morphology, and physiology interact to determine the ecological attributes of plant species; and in how these characteristics vary both within and between species. My research examines relationships between leaf-level and whole-plant responses to variation in resource availability - whole-plant physiology, or ecophysiology. An extensive and very important body of work has been built up over the latter half of this century that tells us a tremendous amount about how leaf level processes respond to environmental factors. But, the interface between this body of information and whole-plant function is not fully resolved. We have yet to determine what the relative importance of leaf level (directly associated with assimilation) versus plant level (allocation and architectural parameters) traits is in determining whole-plant function. Given pressures to understand and predict species responses to global change, it is also important that we be able to examine the role of physiology at population and community levels. Though this is a tall order, I am interested in developing approaches that enable us to do this - going beyond current logistical and technological limitations.
Selected and Recent Publications
Bourne, M., Nicotra, A.B., Colloff, M.J., Cunningham, S.A. 2008. Effect of soil biota on growth and allocation by Eucalyptus microcarpa. Plant and Soil 305: 145-156.
Alcorn, P.J.A., Pyttel, P., Bauhus, J., Smith, R.G.B., Thomas, D., James, R., Nicotra, A. 2007. Effects of initial planting density on branch development in 4-year-old plantation grown Eucalyptus pilularis and Eucalyptus cloeziana trees. Forest Ecology and Management 252: 41-51.
Dwyer, S.A., Ghannoum, O., Nicotra, A., von Caemmerer, S. 2007. High temperature acclimation of C4 photosynthesis is linked to changes in photosynthetic biochemistry. Plant, Cell and Environment 30: 53-66.
Nicotra, A.B., Hermes, J.P., Jones, C.S., Schlichting, C.D. 2007. Geographic variation and plasticity to water and nutrients in Pelargonium australe. New Phytologist 176: 136-149.
Leigh A, Close J, Ball MC, Siebke K, Nicotra AB (2006) Leaf cooling curves: measuring leaf temperature in sunlight. Functional Plant Biology 33:515-519
Leigh A, Cosgrove MJ, Nicotra AB (2006) Reproductive allocation in a gender dimorphic shrub: anomalous female investment in Gynatrix pulchella ? Journal of Ecology 94: 1261-1271.
Powles, J.E, T.N. Buckley, A.B. Nicotra & G.D. Farquhar. (2006) Dynamics of stomatal water relations following leaf excision. Plant Cell and Environment 29, 281-992.
Pohlman, C., Nicotra, A.B., & Murray, B.R. (2005) Geographic range size, seedling ecophysiology and phenotypic plasticity in Australian Acacia species. Journal of Biogeography , 32 , 341-351.
Bauhus, J; van Winden, AP; Nicotra, AB. 2004. Above ground interactions and productivity in mixed-species plantations of Acacia mearnsii and Eucalyptus globulus. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 34: 686-694
Duncan, DH; Nicotra, AB; Cunningham, SA. 2004. High self-pollen transfer and low fruit set in buzz-pollinated Dianella revoluta (Phormiaceae). Australian Journal of Botany, 52: 185-193
Duncan, D.H., Nicotra, A.B., Wood, J.T., & Cunningham, S.A. (2004) Plant isolation reduces outcross pollen receipt in a partially self-compatible herb. Journal of Ecology, 92, 977-985.
Thomson, V.P., Nicotra, A.B., & Cunningham, S.A. (2004) Herbivory differentially affects male and female reproductive traits of Cucumis sativus. Plant Biology, 6, 621-628.
Nicotra, A.B., Hofmann, M., Siebke, K., & Ball, M.C. (2003) Spatial patterning of pigmentation in evergreen leaves in response to freezing stress. Plant Cell and Environment , 26 , 1893-1904.
Leigh, A; Nicotra, AB. 2003. Sexual dimorphism in reproductive allocation and water use efficiency in Maireana pyramidata (Chenopodiaceae), a dioecious, semi-arid shrub. Australian Journal of Botany, 51: 509-514 2003
Nicotra, AB; Chazdon, RL; Montgomery, RA. 2003. Sexes show contrasting patterns of leaf and crown carbon gain in a dioecious rainforest shrub. American Journal of Botany, 90: 347-355 MAR 2003
Thomson, V.P., Cunningham, S.A., Ball, M.C., & Nicotra, A.B. (2003) Compensation for herbivory by Cucumis sativus through increased photosynthetic capacity and efficiency. Oecologia , 134 , 167-175.
Ball, M.C., Wolfe, J., Canny, M., Hofmann, M., Nicotra, A.B., & Hughes, D. (2002) Space and time dependence of temperature and freezing in leaves of snow gum seedlings ( Eucalyptus pauciflora ). Functional Plant Biology , 29 , 1259-1272.
Murray, B.R., Thrall, P.H., Gill, A.M., & Nicotra, A.B. (2002) How plant life-history and ecological traits relate to species rarity and commonness at varying spatial scales. Austral Ecology , 27 , 291-310.
Nicotra, AB; Babicka, N; Westoby, M. 2002. Seedling root anatomy and morphology: an examination of ecological differentiation with rainfall using phylogenetically independent contrasts. Oecologia, 130: 136-145
Nicotra, AB; Chazdon, RL; Iriarte, SVB. 1999. Spatial heterogeneity of light and woody seedling regeneration in tropical wet forests. Ecology, 80: 1908-1926
Nicotra, AB. 1999. Reproductive allocation and the long-term costs of reproduction in Siparuna grandiflora , a dioecious neotropical shrub. Journal of Ecology, 87: 138-149
Current Research Group (information for students on how the lab works)
Visiting fellow
PhD students
Honours students
Past Students & Visitors
- Anja Steinwendler (2006) Hons, co-supervised by Marilyn Ball and Beth Loveys, RSBS
- Felicia Pereoglou (2006)ARC New Zealand Network for Vegetation Function visiting on a Research Exploration Opportunity program
- Mark Bourne, (2005) Hons, co-supervised by Saul Cunningham CSIRO Entomology.
- Simon Dwyer (2005) Honours, co-supervised by Susanne von Caemmerer. Simon is currently working on a manuscript based on his honours work and will begin a PhD in early 2006 (see above).
- David Duncan, PhD, 2000-2004. Submitted February 2004. Jointly supervised with Saul Cunningham, CSIRO Entomology David now works as a scientist at ARI
- Julia Powles (2004) Honours, co-supervised by Tom Buckley and Graham Farquhar, RSBS. Julia is completing her law degree at UWA
- Danielle Medek (2003, RSBS) Honours, co-supervised by Marcus Schortenmeyer. Danielle completed honours in November 2003 and began a PhD at RSBS in 2004.
- Alison Skinner (2003) Honours, co- supervised Julian Ash. Alison worked for a while at CSIRO before beginning a PhD at Charles Sturt Uni.
- Jacob Hermes (2003) Jacob completed honours in November 2003. He has a manuscript in review and now works at ComCare
- Aaron van Winden (2001, SRES) Honours, co-supervised by Juergen Bauhus. Aaron's work has resulted a publication in Canadian Journal of Forest Research. He is now employed at NSW State Forests.
- Andrea Leigh. (2001) Honours. Andrea has one published paper and one paper in review from her honours work. She is currently a PhD student in my lab (see above).
- Vivien Thomson. (2001) honours. Viv's honours work resulted in two publications. She went on to a research assistant position at Macquarie Uni. She is currently employed at AFFA.
- Catherine Pohlman, (2000) honours. Cathe is now a PhD student at JCU and has a publication from her honours work.
Possible Honours Projects
Honours projects in my lab could involve many aspects of plant functional or physiological ecology. Potential projects include studies of ecological implications of breeding systems in plants, evolution of architectural patterns and allocation patterns in plants, evolution of leaf shape and size (especially in the genus Pelargonium), general questions in physiological ecology.
Courses Taught
I convene and teach a portion of Plant Structure and Function (Biol2121), and Functional Ecology (Biol3125).
Other affiliations
I am a member of the Ecological Societies of Australia and America and the Australian Society of Plant Scientists. I also am a participant in the ARC New Zealand Network for Vegetation Function (http://www.bio.mq.edu.au/ecology/vegfunction/) and a member of the network's Scientific Advisory Board.
