A new study has shown collaboration between plant physiologists and water engineers is advantageous to research and helps inform policy.

The paper, co-authored by The University of Western Australia, University of Minnesota and the University of California, was published in Plants, Cell, and Environment.

Associate Professor Sally Thompson, from UWA’s School of Engineering, said integrating multiple environmental fields helped address global change.

“Hydrology and ecophysiology historically have different philosophical approaches to different schools of knowledge,” Associate Professor Thompson said.

“But you can’t disentangle plants and their environmental context, they are inextricably intertwined – and when we fail to fuse those perspectives, we miss important parts of the story.”

Image: Associate Professor Sally Thompson.

The study found linking what happens inside a tree to what is happening with water and recognising the environmental effects of atmosphere, soil and water on plants is essential to correctly attribute cause and effect.

“Collaboration allows us to share methodologies, work across multiple levels of complexity and leverage new technologies to create opportunities for better understanding,” Associate Professor Thompson said.

“By recognising and addressing knowledge gaps, we can make more robust evidence-based predictions and policy responses, which are critical to respond to global change.”

The paper recommends the creation and support of shared scientific spaces, such as the Centre for Water and Spatial Science at UWA which brings together researchers from multiple schools and disciplines across the University and beyond.

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