Plant Environmental Physiology
The Plant Environmental Physiology Group (PEPG) is a special interest group spanning both the Society for Experimental Biology (SEB) and the British Ecological Society (BES).
Plant environmental physiology is the study of short-term acclimation and long-term adaptation of plants to changing environmental conditions. Our traditional goal has been to integrate leaf and plant- level responses to biotic and abiotic stress under field and laboratory conditions. Increasingly, our focus has been either to set molecular physiology in an ecological context, or to provide a basis for scaling root and shoot level responses to canopy, ecosystem and region in the context of climate change, whether for crops or natural vegetation. Our remit is to:
- Advance and promote the science and practice of plant environmental physiology
- Integrate the plant environmental physiology community and research opportunities within and outside the BES and SEB
- Support, train and liaise with young plant environmental physiologists
The group holds its Annual General Meeting at the BES Annual Meeting in September, and has plans to begin an annual training course in field techniques aimed at postdocs and postgrads in plant environmental physiology. The PEPG is an excellent forum for meeting people working in similar fields, and for socialising as well as general networking. Members interested in holding conferences, meetings, workshops or field meetings can apply through the Group Secretary for BES financial assistance and support for student attendance.
Colin Osborne (University of Sheffield) is the convenor for the Plant Environmental Physiology Group. 
Colin is a plant scientist with research interests in ecology and evolution, particularly in how evolution has shaped plant-environment interactions. His B.Sc. in Plant Sciences is from University of Manchester (1992), and his Ph.D. in Plant Environmental Physiology is from the University of Essex (1996). Colin's research investigates how physiological processes interact with the environment, addressing two general questions: 1. How have plant physiological traits evolved on geological and archaeological timescales? 2. What roles do these traits play in the ecology of species and the structuring of ecosystems? Current work focuses on C4 photosynthesis in grasses, and on domestication traits in crops. Work scales from the gene to the globe, and takes a variety of approaches, including: sequence analysis using phylogenomic and phylogenetic approaches; manipulation experiments in controlled environments; common garden experiments under natural climatic conditions; comparative statistical analyses of large datasets; and simulation modelling based on mechanistic models of plant function.
Email: c.p.osborne@sheffield.ac.uk