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Doctor Mike Aspinwall
Dr Mike Aspinwall joined Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment as a postdoctoral research fellow in September 2012, coming to UWS from the University of Texas at Austin. Mike is a plant physiological ecologist broadly interested in: (1) the determinants and implications of physiological variation among and within plant species; (2) environmental, particularly climate change, effects on physiological processes; and (3) the combined effects of genetic variability and environmental change on physiological processes ranging from the gene to ecosystem level.
Mike received his PhD in 2010 from North Carolina State University under the supervision of Drs John King and Steve McKeand. His PhD research examined genetic effects on leaf-level and whole-tree physiology, hydraulic traits, and foliar biochemistry, as well as the effect of genetic homogeneity on physiological and ecosystem-level production uniformity in Pinus taeda L. At the University of Texas at Austin, his research aimed to understand the evolution of physiological traits which underlie local adaptation in the C4 tallgrass prairie species, Panicum virgatum L. This research incorporated the use rainout shelters to study the response of differentially adapted genotypes to altered precipitation, and examined linkages between gene expression and physiology under variable soil moisture conditions. Mike was also a part of a team of researchers at the USDA studying the structure and function of grassland ecosystems as affected by variable atmospheric CO2. At UWS, Mike is involved in several projects aimed at understanding the effects of elevated CO2, temperature, and altered precipitation on Australian forests.
Areas of research
Leaf-level carbon dynamics, biochemistry, and water relations; biomass partitioning; photochemistry; stem hydraulics; sapflow; forest genetics; gene expression – physiology linkages
Teaching expertise
- Research leader/mentor at USDA-ARS Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory, Temple, TX (2011 & 2012)
- Research mentor for “Biology of Biofuels” Research Experience for Undergrads (REU), University of Texas at Austin
- Graduate teaching assistant in tree physiology and silviculture, North Carolina State University
Awards and recognition
- “Carbon sequestration from 40 years of planting genetically improved loblolly pine across the southeast United States” publication featured in North Carolina State University press release entitled ‘Land of the Pine’.
- North Carolina State University Charles B. Davey Graduate Fellowship for Excellence in Biological Sciences.
- North Carolina State University Donald Moreland Endowed Fellowship in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry.
Aspinwall MJ, King JS, McKeand SE, (2013) 'Productivity differences among loblolly pine genotypes are independent of individual-tree biomass partitioning and growth efficiency', Trees, vol.27 pp 533-545
Aspinwall MJ, McKeand SE, King JS, (2012) 'Carbon sequestration from 40 years of planting genetically improved loblolly pine across the southeast United States', Forest Science, vol.58, no.5, pp 446-456
Fay PA, Polley HW, Jin VL, Aspinwall MJ, (2012) 'Productivity of well-watered Panicum virgatum does not increase with CO2 enrichment', Journal of Plant Ecology, vol.5, no.4, pp 366-375
Aspinwall MJ, King JS, Booker FL, McKeand SE, (2011) 'Genetic effects on total phenolics, condensed tannins and non-structural carbohydrates in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) needles', Tree Physiology, vol.31, pp 831-842
Aspinwall MJ, King JS, McKeand SE, Bullock BP, (2011) 'Genetic effects on stand-level uniformity, and above- and belowground biomass production in juvenile loblolly pine', Forest Ecology and Management, vol.262, pp 609-619
Aspinwall MJ, King JS, Domec J-C, McKeand SE, Isik F, (2011) 'Genetic effects on transpiration, canopy conductance, stomatal sensitivity to vapor pressure deficit, and cavitation resistance in loblolly pine', Ecohydrology, vol.4, pp 168-182
Aspinwall MJ, King JS, McKeand SE, Domec J-C, (2011) 'Leaf-level gas-exchange uniformity and photosynthetic capacity among loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) genotypes of contrasting inherent genetic variation', Tree Physiology, vol.31, pp 78-91
Aspinwall MJ, Li B, McKeand SE, Isik F, Gumpertz ML, (2010) 'Prediction of whole-stem α-cellulose yield, lignin content, and wood density in juvenile and mature loblolly pine', Southern Journal of Applied Forestry, vol.34, no.2, pp 84-90
