Awardee: Nidhi Vinod
Bio: Nidhi is a 2nd year PhD student in Dr. Lawren Sack and Dr. Elsa Ordway’s labs researching how ecosystems across the US respond to changes in climate by connecting field based physiological functions and traits to ecosystem level processes such as carbon and water cycles. Her project at Stunt Ranch Reserve investigates mechanisms that shape species’ ability to survive through prolonged periods of drought in dry chapparal and riparian areas by understanding how three common yet understudied mechanisms—leaf water uptake, minimum conductance, and stomatal safety-efficiency optimization—aid drought survival of plants. This project uses novel plant physiological techniques to 1) identify species that exhibit these mechanisms and understand how species’ association with climatic aridity relate to drought survival; and 2) examine how anatomy influences these processes. This knowledge will improve prediction of the impacts of climate change on vulnerable species, thereby informing plans to maintain southern California’s biodiversity in a changing climate.
Project: Southern California’s biodiverse ecosystems are being impacted by the increasing severity and frequency of prolonged drought, placing at risk the survival of native species. My research will investigate how three common yet understudied mechanisms—leaf water uptake, minimum conductance, and stomatal safety-efficiency optimization—aid drought survival of plants in Stunt Ranch Reserve. I will identify which species exhibit these mechanisms and how they vary across functional groups. This research will improve prediction of the impacts of climate change on vulnerable species in these critical ecosystems.