Melissa Barrett
Ph.D. University of Adelaide (2002 - present)
B.Sc. Honours (1st class) University of Adelaide (1999)
B.Sc. University of Adelaide (1995-1997)
PhD Project Supervised by:
- Assoc. Prof. Keith Walker
- Assoc. Prof George Ganf
- Dr Jennifer Watling
- Prof Howard Griffiths
Research Interests
July 2002 - current
PhD Project: Adaptability of carbon acquisition in highly variable environments: riverine and floodplain plants of the Lower River Murray, Australia.
This project focuses on whether plants may have adopted similar strategies for dealing with water availability problems on the floodplain to those that aquatic plants employ to contend with available carbon problems.
How have photosynthetic mechanisms adapted to environments where the supplies of resources are unpredictable? One such adaptation involving the uptake of carbon concerns the distinction between C3 and C4/CAM plants. In terrestrial species the distinction between C3, C4 and CAM photosynthesis is clear. In the aquatic environment however species are shown to have a high degree of flexibility in their mechanisms of carbon uptake. In systems where either water or carbon is limiting the presence of these mechanisms can provide an advantage in growth, competition and ultimately survival. Each of these mechanisms involves actively concentrating carbon from the environment for photosynthesis.
The problems of variable resources are greatly compounded for plants associated with floodplain rivers in arid and semi-arid regions. Arid and semi arid zone rivers go through highly variable and unpredictable flow regimes, going through “boom and bust” cycles. One example is the semi-arid Murray-Darling river system in South Eastern Australia.
This project broadly concerns the nature of plants associated with the River Murray in South Australia, and specifically the adaptability of photosynthetic mechanisms in aquatic and terrestrial plants. To what extent are the C3 and C4/CAM pathways employed by plants native to these environments, and what are the implications of changes in the variability of supply of resources, associated with regulation, global warming and other anthropogenic changes?
Selected Publications
Reid, K. Jessopp, M. J. Barrett, M. S. Kawaguchi, S. Siegel, V. Goebel, M. E. (2004) Widening the net: spatio-temporal variability in the krill population structure across the Scotia Sea. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 51 (12-13) 1275-1287.
Barrett, M.S., Sinclair, R. and Preiss, K (in press). The influence of newly imposed salinity and waterlogging on Eucalyptus gracilis in South Australia. Tree Physiology
Conferences
2004 Societas Internationalis Limnologiae, Lahti, Finland
Melissa Barrett, Keith Walker, George Ganf, Jennifer Watling, Howard Griffiths
CARBON ACQUISITION BY PLANTS IN HIGHLY VARIABLE ENVIRONMENTS: THE LOWER RIVER MURRAY, AUSTRALIA
2004 Robson Meeting 2003
Melissa Barrett, Keith Walker, George Ganf, Jennifer Watling, Howard Griffiths
ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS FOR AQUATIC PLANTS
IN THE MURRAY DARLING RIVER SYSTEM, AUSTRALIA
Reports
Playfair, R. M. and Barrett, M. S (2000) Yorke Peninsula Roadside Vegetation Management Plan. Yorke Peninsula Council, Adelaide.
Playfair, R. M., Obst, C. and Barrett, M. S (2000) Onkaparinga Roadside Vegetation Management Plan. Onkaparinga Council, Adelaide.
Playfair, R. M. and Barrett, M. S (2000) Barossa Council Roadside Vegetation Management Plan. The Barossa Council, Adelaide.
Associations / Funding bodies
Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology (http://enterprise.canberra.edu.au)
Environmental Biology, School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide (http://www.ees.adelaide.edu.au)
Physiological Ecology, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge (http://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk)
Relevant Links
River Lab, Earth and Environmental Science, University of Adelaide, Australia (http://www.ees.adelaide.edu.au)
Contact Details
Physiological Ecology
Department of Plant Science
University of Cambridge
Downing Street
Cambridge CB2 3EA
T + 44 (0)1223 333900
F + 44 (0)1223 333953
E mb373@cam.ac.uk