Extreme heat is reshaping the environmental and biological systems that underpin agriculture and food production worldwide.

Following participation in the 47th New Phytologist Symposium, Extreme Heat: Extending the Thermal Limits of Life, held in Córdoba, Spain, Australian researchers will share global scientific insights into the impacts of rising temperatures on plants, ecosystems, agriculture, and food security.

This webinar will explore emerging research, key themes and future directions discussed at the international symposium, with a particular focus on what these developments mean for Australian agrifood and natural systems.

The session will bring together researchers working across plant science, climate science, and ecology to reflect on:

• the growing impacts of extreme heat on natural and agricultural systems 
• emerging scientific insights and research directions
• opportunities for collaboration, innovation and adaptation
• future implications for Australian research, policy and industry.

Designed for those working across climate and agrifood systems, the webinar aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and strengthen connections between research, policy and practice.

Speakers

Professor Owen Atkin - Director, Agrifood Innovation Institute, The Australian National University

Professor Owen Atkin is Director of the Agrifood Innovation Institute at ANU and a Professor of Plant Ecophysiology in the Research School of Biology. His research focuses on how plants respond to changing environmental conditions, particularly heat stress, respiration and photosynthesis across natural and agricultural systems. He is internationally recognised for his work on plant thermal responses and climate adaptation in ecosystems and crops.

Symposium focus

Professor Atkin will chair the 47th New Phytologist Symposium and provide the opening address.

Dr Danny Cowan Turner - Postdoctoral Fellow, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University

Dr Danny Cowan Turner is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Division of Plant Sciences at ANU. His research examines how plants regulate and adapt to environmental stress, with a focus on temperature responses, thermomorphogenesis and plant resilience under changing climatic conditions. His work combines molecular and physiological approaches to better understand plant adaptation to heat stress. 

Symposium focus

Danny is presenting how plants from different climates respond to prolonged exposure to extreme heat. The study found that while plants can tolerate short bursts of high temperatures, extended heat exposure can significantly disrupt respiration and energy production, particularly in species from cooler environments. The findings highlight how the duration of heat events may shape the future resilience of ecosystems and agricultural systems under climate change. 

John MacKenzie- PhD Candidate, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University

John MacKenzie is a PhD candidate in the Division of Plant Sciences at ANU, working within the Atkin Group. His research focuses on plant physiological responses to environmental change, including how plants respond and adapt to increasing temperature extremes. 

Symposium focus

John is presenting a poster - Maintaining rubisco concentration linked to better photosynthetic performance in wheat following a simulated heatwave.

Professor Dani Way- Professor of Plant Ecophysiology, The Australian National University

Professor Dani Way is a plant ecophysiologist whose research focuses on how climate change affects plant function, forest ecosystems and carbon cycling. Her work examines plant responses to elevated temperatures, drought and changing atmospheric conditions, with a strong focus on the implications for ecosystem productivity and resilience. 

Symposium focus

Professor Dani Way’s will present research on how rising temperatures are affecting forests and plant growth, with a particular focus on the role of “atmospheric drought” — where hot, dry air pulls moisture from plants even when water is still available in the soil. Drawing on glasshouse experiments, large-scale field trials and continent-wide forest data from North America, her research found that hotter and drier air can significantly reduce plant growth and resilience. The findings suggest atmospheric dryness may play a larger role in future forest and crop decline than previously understood, with important implications for climate modelling, agriculture and ecosystem adaptation under climate change.

Professor Adrienne Nicotra- Professor of Evolution and Ecology, The Australian National University

Professor Adrienne Nicotra is an internationally recognised plant evolutionary ecologist whose research examines plant adaptation, phenotypic plasticity and resilience under environmental change. Her work explores how plants respond to climate variability and extreme conditions across diverse ecosystems. 

Symposium focus

Adrienne is chairing a session, Ecosystem responses to a future, hotter world, which will explore how rising temperatures and heat stress are reshaping the functioning and resilience of forests and ecosystems around the world. Presentations examined how temperature, water availability and atmospheric heat stress influence plant growth, carbon exchange and ecosystem productivity across tropical forests, Mediterranean shrublands and other key environments. Together, the talks highlighted the growing risks that extreme heat poses to forest health and ecosystem stability, and the importance of understanding how climate factors interact to shape future environmental resilience.

Associate Professor Daniel Noble ARC Future Fellow, Division of Ecology and Evolution, The Australian National University

Associate Professor Daniel Noble is an evolutionary ecologist and ecophysiologist whose research explores how organisms respond and adapt to changing environmental conditions, particularly temperature stress. His work combines experimental ecology, physiology and large scale data analysis to better understand resilience, plasticity and survival under climate change.