Doctor Craig Barton

Doctor Craig Barton

TECHNICAL MANAGER - FIELD BASED RESEARCH FACILITIES,
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment

Biography

Dr Craig Barton is the Technical Manager - Field Based Research Facilities and leads a team of specialised technical staff and has responsibility for the smooth operation of the Institute’s field-based climate change facilities located on the Hawkesbury campus of UWS. These facilities include CO2 /climate controlled whole tree chambers (WTC) and associated eucalypt plantation (Hawkesbury Forest Experiment, HFE), a Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) experiment in native woodland, Rain-out Shelters and an Eddy Covariance Flux site.

Craig took up this position in UWS in 2012 but has been working collaboratively with staff at the Hawkesbury campus since 2005. He formerly held a role as Senior research Scientist with NSW DPI (State Forests) and was instrumental in the establishment and running of the Whole Tree Chamber facility at UWS. He obtained his PhD from Edinburgh University in 1997 where he studied the Effects of elevated CO2 on growth and physiology of Sitka spruce using a range of facilities including controlled glasshouses, open top chambers and branch bags. He held a NERC Research Fellowship at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology in Edinburgh where he worked as a modeller investigating the ability of remote sensing to detect pollution stress in vegetation. He moved to Australia to take up a position with State Forests NSW in 2000 where he carried out research into carbon sequestration and carbon accounting for forests, tree water use and dryland salinity, and climate change impacts on eucalypts.

This information has been contributed by Doctor Barton.

Qualifications

  • PhD University of Edinburgh

Organisational Unit (School / Division)

  • Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment

Contact

Email: C.Barton@westernsydney.edu.au
Phone: (02) 4570 1404
Mobile: 0417461698
Location: R2.1.43
Hawkesbury

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Publications

Journal Articles

  • Johnson, S., Barton, C., Biru, F., Islam, T., Mace, W., Rowe, R. and Cibils-Stewart, X. (2023), 'Elevated atmospheric CO2 suppresses silicon accumulation and exacerbates endophyte reductions in plant phosphorus', Functional Ecology, vol 37, no 6 , pp 1567 - 1579.
  • Yang, J., Medlyn, B., Barton, C., Churchill, A., De Kauwe, M., Jiang, M., Krishnananthaselvan, A., Tissue, D., Pendall, E. and Power, S. (2023), 'Green-up and brown-down : modelling grassland foliage phenology responses to soil moisture availability', Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, vol 328 .
  • Crous, K., Cheesman, A., Middleby, K., Rogers, E., Wujeska-Klause, A., Bouet, A., Ellsworth, D., Liddell, M., Cernusak, L. and Barton, C. (2023), 'Similar patterns of leaf temperatures and thermal acclimation to warming in temperate and tropical tree canopies', Tree Physiology, vol 43, no 8 , pp 1383 - 1399.
  • Gardner, A., Jiang, M., Ellsworth, D., MacKenzie, A., Pritchard, J., Bader, M., Barton, C., Bernacchi, C., Calfapietra, C., Crous, K., Dusenge, M., Gimeno, T., Hall, M., Lamba, S., Leuzinger, S., Uddling, J., Warren, J., Wallin, G. and Medlyn, B. (2023), 'Optimal stomatal theory predicts CO2 responses of stomatal conductance in both gymnosperm and angiosperm trees', New Phytologist, vol 237, no 4 , pp 1229 - 1241.
  • Griebel, A., Peters, J., Metzen, D., Maier, C., Barton, C., Speckman, H., Boer, M., Nolan, R., Choat, B. and Pendall, E. (2022), 'Tapping into the physiological responses to mistletoe infection during heat and drought stress', Tree Physiology, vol 42, no 3 , pp 523 - 536.
  • Churchill, A., Zhang, H., Fuller, K., Amiji, B., Anderson, I., Barton, C., Barton, C., Carrillo, Y., Catunda, K., Chandregowda, M., Igwenagu, C., Jacob, V., Kim, G., Macdonald, C., Medlyn, B., Moore, B., Pendall, E., Plett, J., Post, A., Powell, J., Tissue, D., Tjoelker, M. and Power, S. (2022), 'Pastures and climate extremes : impacts of cool season warming and drought on the productivity of key pasture species in a field experiment', Frontiers in Plant Science, vol 13 .
  • Jacob, V., Choat, B., Churchill, A., Zhang, H., Barton, C., Krishnananthaselvan, A., Post, A., Power, S., Medlyn, B. and Tissue, D. (2022), 'High safety margins to drought-induced hydraulic failure found in five pasture grasses', Plant, Cell and Environment, vol 45, no 6 , pp 1631 - 1646.
  • Nadal-Sala, D., Medlyn, B., Ruehr, N., Barton, C., Ellsworth, D., Gracia, C., Tissue, D., Tjoelker, M. and Sabate, S. (2021), 'Increasing aridity will not offset CO2 fertilization in fast-growing eucalypts with access to deep soil water', Global Change Biology, vol 27, no 12 , pp 2970 - 2990.
  • Macdonald, C., Anderson, I., Khachane, A., Singh, B., Barton, C., Duursma, R., Ellsworth, D. and Singh, B. (2021), 'Plant productivity is a key driver of soil respiration response to climate change in a nutrient-limited soil', Basic and Applied Ecology, vol 50 , pp 155 - 168.
  • Noh, N., Crous, K., Salomon, R., Li, J., Ellsworth, D., Barton, C., Pendall, E. and Tjoelker, M. (2021), 'Elevated CO2 alters the temperature sensitivity of stem CO2 efflux in a mature eucalypt woodland', Environmental and Experimental Botany, vol 188 .
  • Roy, J., Rineau, F., Boeck, H., Nijs, I., Putz, T., Abiven, S., Arnone, J., Barton, C., Beenaerts, N., Bruggemann, N., Dainese, M., Domisch, T., Eisenhauer, N., Garre, S., Gebler, A., Ghirardo, A., Jasoni, R., Kowalchuk, G., Landais, D., Larsen, S., Leemans, V., Le Galliard, J., Longdoz, B., Massol, F., Mikkelsen, T., Niedrist, G., Piel, C., Ravel, O., Sauze, J., Schmidt, A., Schnitzler, J., Teixeira, L., Tjoelker, M., Weisser, W., Winkler, B. and Milcu, A. (2021), 'Ecotrons : powerful and versatile ecosystem analysers for ecology, agronomy and environmental science', Global Change Biology, vol 27, no 7 , pp 1387 - 1407.
  • Griebel, A., Metzen, D., Boer, M., Barton, C., Renchon, A., Andrews, H. and Pendall, E. (2020), 'Using a paired tower approach and remote sensing to assess carbon sequestration and energy distribution in a heterogeneous sclerophyll forest', Science of the Total Environment, vol 699 .
  • Jiang, M., Medlyn, B., Drake, J., Duursma, R., Anderson, I., Barton, C., Boer, M., Carrillo, Y., Castaneda-Gomez, L., Collins, L., Crous, K., De Kauwe, M., Santos, B., Emerson, K., Facey, S., Gherlenda, A., Gimeno, T., Hasegawa, S., Johnson, S., Kannaste, A., Macdonald, C., Mahmud, K., Moore, B., Nazaries, L., Neilson, E., Nielsen, U., Niinemets, U., Noh, N., Ochoa-Hueso, R., Pathare, V., Pendall, E., Pihlblad, J., Pineiro, J., Powell, J., Power, S., Reich, P., Renchon, A., Riegler, M., Rinnan, R., Rymer, P., Salomon, R., Singh, B., Smith, B., Tjoelker, M., Walker, J., Wujeska-Klause, A., Yang, J., Zaehle, S. and Ellsworth, D. (2020), 'The fate of carbon in a mature forest under carbon dioxide enrichment', Nature, vol 580 , pp 227 - 231.
  • Noh, N., Crous, K., Li, J., Choury, Z., Barton, C., Arndt, S., Reich, P., Tjoelker, M. and Pendall, E. (2020), 'Does root respiration in Australian rainforest tree seedlings acclimate to experimental warming?', Tree Physiology, vol 40, no 9 , pp 1192 - 1204.
  • Drake, J., Harwood, R., Varhammar, A., Barbour, M., Reich, P., Barton, C. and Tjoelker, M. (2020), 'No evidence of homeostatic regulation of leaf temperature in Eucalyptus parramattensis trees : integration of CO2 flux and oxygen isotope methodologies', New Phytologist, vol 228, no 5 , pp 1511 - 1523.
  • Gimeno, T., Campany, C., Drake, J., Barton, C., Tjoelker, M., Ubierna, N. and Marshall, J. (2020), 'Whole-tree mesophyll conductance reconciles isotopic and gas-exchange estimates of water-use efficiency', New Phytologist, vol 229, no 5 , pp 2535 - 2547.
  • Johnson, S., Ryalls, J., Barton, C., Tjoelker, M., Wright, I., Wright, I. and Moore, B. (2019), 'Climate warming and plant biomechanical defences : silicon addition contributes to herbivore suppression in a pasture grass', Functional Ecology, vol 33, no 4 , pp 587 - 596.
  • Paul, K., Larmour, J., Specht, A., Zerihun, A., Ritson, P., Roxburgh, S., Sochacki, S., Lewis, T., Barton, C., England, J., Battaglia, M., O'Grady, A., Pinkard, E., Applegate, G., Jonson, J., Brooksbank, K., Sudmeyer, R., Wildy, D., Montagu, K., Bradford, M., Butler, D. and Hobbs, T. (2019), 'Testing the generality of below-ground biomass allometry across plant functional types', Forest Ecology and Management, vol 432 , pp 102 - 114.
  • Drake, J., Tjoelker, M., Aspinwall, M., Reich, P., Pfautsch, S. and Barton, C. (2019), 'The partitioning of gross primary production for young Eucalyptus tereticornis trees under experimental warming and altered water availability', New Phytologist, vol 222, no 3 , pp 1298 - 1312.
  • Drake, J., Furze, M., Tjoelker, M., Carrillo, Y., Barton, C. and Pendall, E. (2019), 'Climate warming and tree carbon use efficiency in a whole-tree 13 CO2 tracer study', New Phytologist, vol 222, no 3 , pp 1313 - 1324.
  • Drake, J., Tjoelker, M., Varhammar, A., Medlyn, B., Reich, P., Leigh, A., Pfautsch, S., Blackman, C., Lopez Rodriguez, R., Aspinwall, M., Crous, K., Duursma, R., Kumarathunge, D., De Kauwe, M., Jiang, M., Nicotra, A., Tissue, D., Choat, B., Atkin, O. and Barton, C. (2018), 'Trees tolerate an extreme heatwave via sustained transpirational cooling and increased leaf thermal tolerance', Global Change Biology, vol 24, no 6 , pp 2390 - 2402.
  • Ledo, A., Paul, K., Burslem, D., Ewel, J., Barton, C., Battaglia, M., Brooksbank, K., Carter, J., Eid, T., England, J., Fitzgerald, A., Jonson, J., Mencuccini, M., Montagu, K., Montero, G., Mugasha, W., Pinkard, E., Roxburgh, S., Ryan, C., Ruiz-Peinado, R., Sochacki, S., Specht, A., Wildy, D., Wirth, C., Zerihun, A. and Chave, J. (2018), 'Tree size and climatic water deficit control root to shoot ratio in individual trees globally', New Phytologist, vol 217, no 1 , pp 8 - 11.
  • Kremer, J., Nooten, S., Cook, J., Ryalls, J., Barton, C. and Johnson, S. (2018), 'Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations promote ant tending of aphids', Journal of Animal Ecology, vol 87, no 5 , pp 1475 - 1483.
  • Renchon, A., Griebel, A., Metzen, D., Williams, C., Medlyn, B., Duursma, R., Barton, C., Maier, C., Boer, M., Isaac, P., Tissue, D., Resco de Dios, V. and Pendall, E. (2018), 'Upside-down fluxes Down Under : CO2 net sink in winter and net source in summer in a temperate evergreen broadleaf forest', Biogeosciences, vol 15, no 12 , pp 3703 - 3716.
  • Paul, K., Roxburgh, S., Chave, J., England, J., Zerihun, A., Specht, A., Lewis, T., Montagu, K., Barton, C. and et al, .. (2016), 'Testing the generality of above-ground biomass allometry across plant functional types at the continent scale', Global Change Biology, vol 22, no 6 , pp 2106 - 2124.
  • Drake, J., Tjoelker, M., Aspinwall, M., Reich, P., Barton, C., Medlyn, B. and Duursma, R. (2016), 'Does physiological acclimation to climate warming stabilize the ratio of canopy respiration to photosynthesis?', New Phytologist, vol 211, no 3 , pp 850 - 863.
  • Quentin, A., Crous, K., Barton, C. and Ellsworth, D. (2015), 'Photosynthetic enhancement by elevated CO2 depends on seasonal temperatures for warmed and non-warmed Eucalyptus globulus trees', Tree Physiology, vol 35, no 11 , pp 1249 - 1263.
  • Lin, Y., Medlyn, B., Duursma, R., Ellsworth, D., Tissue, D., Gimeno Chocarro, T., Barton, C., Drake, J., Ghannoum, O. and et al, .. (2015), 'Optimal stomatal behaviour around the world', Nature Climate Change, vol 5, no 5 , pp 459 - 464.
  • Duursma, R., Barton, C., Lin, Y., Medlyn, B., Eamus, D., Tissue, D., Ellsworth, D. and McMurtrie, R. (2014), 'The peaked response of transpiration rate to vapour pressure deficit in field conditions can be explained by the temperature optimum of photosynthesis', Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, vol 189-190 , pp 2 - 10.
  • Paul, K., Roxburgh, S., England, J., Brooksbank, K., Larmour, J., Ritson, P., Wildy, D., Sudmeyer, R., Raison, R., Hobbs, T., Murphy, S., Sochacki, S., McArthur, G., Barton, C., Jonson, J., Theiveyanathan, S. and Carter, J. (2014), 'Root biomass of carbon plantings in agricultural landscapes of southern Australia : development and testing of allometrics', Forest Ecology and Management, vol 318 , pp 216 - 227.
  • Resco de Dios, V., Diaz-Sierra, R., Goulden, M., Barton, C., Boer, M., Gessler, A., Ferrio, J., Pfautsch, S. and Tissue, D. (2013), 'Woody clockworks : circadian regulation of night-time water use in Eucalyptus globulus', New Phytologist, vol 200, no 3 , pp 743 - 752.
  • Crous, K., Quentin, A., Lin, Y., Medlyn, B., Williams, D., Barton, C. and Ellsworth, D. (2013), 'Photosynthesis of temperate Eucalyptus globulus trees outside their native range has limited adjustment to elevated CO2 and climate warming', Global Change Biology, vol 19, no 12 , pp 3790 - 3807.
  • Medlyn, B., Duursma, R., Eamus, D., Ellsworth, D., Prentice, C., Barton, C., Crous, K., Paolo, D., Freeman, M. and Wingate, L. (2011), 'Reconciling the optimal and empirical approaches to modelling stomatal conductance', Global Change Biology, vol 17, no 6 , pp 2134 - 2144.
  • Barton, C., Ellsworth, D., Medlyn, B., Duursma, R., Tissue, D., Adams, M., Eamus, D., Conroy, J., McMurtri, R., Parsby, J. and Linder, S. (2010), 'Whole-tree chambers for elevated atmospheric CO2 experimentation and tree scale flux measurements in south-eastern Australia : the Hawkesbury Forest Experiment', Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, vol 150, no 40762 , pp 941 - 951.
  • Barton, C. and Montagu, K. (2006), 'Effect of spacing and water availability on root:shoot ratio in Eucalyptus camaldulensis.', Forest Ecology & Management, vol 221 , pp 52 - 62.

Craig has worked and published across a range of fields including Tree ecophysiology, remote sensing, tree water use, ground penetrating radar, allometrics, elevated CO2

Extensive experience with a range of instrumentation used in ecophysiological studies including data loggers, portable gas exchange systems, spectral radiometers, LAI measurement.Designed and built controlled growth facilities and gas exchange systems and written control software for complex systems such as branch bags, open top chambers and whole tree chambers.

This information has been contributed by Doctor Barton.

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