Alexandra Barry

About Alexandra Barry

I have a background in plant ecophysiology and climate-growth relationships. My current research focuses on the effects of warming and other environmental changes on the productivity of plant communities in the Scandinavian Arctic. As this biome warms faster than any other on the planet, it is still unclear what the impacts will be on the seasonal growth and life stages of vascular plants of the Arctic tundra. How might the ability of these ecosystems to capture and store carbon change as plants respond to warmer temperatures? Are there certain plant traits that predict success and a more productive growing season under elevated temperatures, and how might these traits and subsequent responses vary among populations from the high Arctic to the Scandinavian boreal forest? I plan to use laboratory and growth chamber experiments and observational studies of plant communities in the Swedish Arctic to contribute to answering these questions. Find me in the EDGE Ecology group at GU!