Our eclectic adventures in the slower eras of photosynthesis: from New England Down Under to biosphere 2 and beyond.
This is a tale of a career in plant physiological ecology that enjoyed the freedom to address photosynthetic physiology and biochemistry in leaves of plants from diverse environments. It was supported by block funding (now sadly a thing of the past) for research at the Australian National University, by grants during appointments in the United States and in Germany, and by Columbia University. It became a "career experiment" in which long-term, high-trust support for curiosity-driven plant biology in Australia, and at times in the United States, led to surprisingly innovative results. Although the rich diversity of short-term competitive grant opportunities in the United States sustained ongoing research, it proved difficult to mobilize support for more risky long-term projects. A decade after the closure of the Biosphere 2 Laboratory, this article highlights the achievements of colleagues in experimental climate change research from 1998 to 2003.
Institute for Conservation Biology and Environmental Management, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2522, Australia; email: osmond@grapevine.net.au.
Barry
B
Osmond
D001315:Australia; D001901:Botany / Q000266:history* / Q000639:trends; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D009511:New England; D010788:Photosynthesis; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism