Kali Middleby

I am a plant ecophysiologist focused on understanding how climate change, particularly warming, impacts ecosystem functioning. My current research investigates the variation of plant functional traits to model how leaf energy balance and carbon uptake vary across elevation in tropical rainforest trees. In doing so, I explore how thermal safety margins are shaped by phenotypic plasticity and ecotypic variation, and the broader implications this has for ecosystem services. I integrate a range of approaches, including field-based trait measurements, warming experiments, and biophysical modelling. Ultimately, my work aims to provide data that will improve the accuracy of climate-vegetation models and guide rainforest management and restoration practices.