Adrienne Nicotra

Adrienne Nicotra is a fellow at The Australian National University, affiliated with the Research School of Biology in the Department of BIO. Her research applies novel approaches in plant comparative ecology to the study of evolutionary ecology and ecophysiology, focusing on phenotypic plasticity and its evolutionary significance. She is particularly interested in how plants respond to environmental change and has conducted research on native species, with a focus on mountain flora. Nicotra teaches and supervises students, and she is the director of the Australian Mountain Research Facility. Her work includes projects on plant resilience to temperature stress and the impact of climate change on alpine ecosystems.

Adrienne Nicotra's research focuses on ecology, plant science, and evolution, with an emphasis on understanding how plants adapt to environmental changes. Her work explores plant phenotypic plasticity, particularly in response to climate change, and investigates the role of traits such as leaf shape, size, and thermal tolerance in plant survival and adaptation. She also examines the impact of invasive species, seed traits, and microbial associations on plant resilience. Her studies contribute to ecological forecasting, conservation strategies, and the development of functional trait databases like AusTraits. Nicotra's research integrates experimental and theoretical approaches to address the ecological and evolutionary implications of climate trends and extreme events.