Overview
Dr. Palmroth's research focuses on the effects of resource availability and climatic variability on carbon uptake and allocation of individual shoots, trees and forest ecosystems. She studies ecophysiological processes in trees from leaf to stand scales, with special emphasis on conifers. In particular, Dr. Palmroth is interested in the radiative transfer in forest canopies, how the radiation regime is affected by conifer shoot structure, and what the feedbacks are between availability of solar energy and allocation on carbon and nitrogen within canopies. She is also interested in how the carbon fixed in photosynthesis is allocated between above and belowground pools and what are the possible interaction effects on the allocation of the availabilities of nutrients and water and the level of atmospheric [CO2].
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Research Professor of Environmental Natural Sciences
·
2024 - Present
Environmental Natural Science,
Nicholas School of the Environment
Recent Publications
Similar response of canopy conductance to increasing vapor pressure deficit and decreasing soil conductivity with drought among five morphologically contrasting but co-occurring pine species
Journal Article Agricultural and Forest Meteorology · May 1, 2025 Knowledge of plant hydraulics facilitates our understanding of the capabilities of forests to withstand droughts. This common-garden study quantified the hydraulic response to variation in sandy soil conductivity and atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD ... Full text CiteExtramatrical mycelial biomass is mediated by fine root mass and ectomycorrhizal fungal community composition across tree species.
Journal Article The Science of the total environment · November 2024 In many ecosystems, a large fraction of gross primary production is invested in mycorrhiza. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) mycelium is involved in regulating soil carbon and nutrient cycling. However, little is known about how mycelial biomass, production and turno ... Full text CiteOverlooked branch turnover creates a widespread bias in forest carbon accounting.
Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · October 2024 Most measurements and models of forest carbon cycling neglect the carbon flux associated with the turnover of branch biomass, a physiological process quantified for other organs (fine roots, leaves, and stems). Synthesizing data from boreal, temperate, and ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Human and Natural Forcings of Critical Zone Dynamics and Evolution at the Calhoun Critical Zone Observatory
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2013 - 2018Constraining the Simultaneous Effects of Elevated CO2, Temperature, and Shifts in Rainfall Patterns on Ecosystem Carbon Fluxes Using Multi-Scale Resource Optimization Theories
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by Department of Energy · 2011 - 2016Duke Forest FACE Experiment: Forest-Atmosphere Carbon Transfer and Storage
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by Department of Energy · 2001 - 2015View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
University of Helsinki (Finland) ·
2000
Ph.D.