Current position
Associate Professor
Career outline
Reader 2007-2008; Dept of Biology, University of York
Senior Lecturer 2003-2007; Dept of Biology, University of York.
Lecturer 1999-2003; Dept of Biology, University of York.
ARC Post Doctoral Research Fellow 1996 - 1999; RSBS, ANU, Canberra, Australia.
Post Doctoral Fellow 1995 - 1996; RSBS, ANU, Canberra, Australia.
EU Post Doctoral Fellow 1993 - 1995; Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Ph.D. 1993; Dept of Botany, University of Toronto, Canada.
B.Sc. (Hons) 1987; Australian National University, Canberra.
Professional activities
Editor: New Phytologist
Editorial Board: Plant, Cell and Environment
Research interests
The importance of plant respiration in determining the scale and magnitude of future global environmental change is a major focus of my research. With others, I aim to quantify the climate dependence respiration, and determine the impact of variations in respiration on rates of net carbon uptake in a range of contrasting ecosystems over wide spatial and temporal scales. The impact of nutrient gradients and variations in water availability on plant respiration is being assessed. As part of this work, we are combining laboratory and field observations to establish if there are systematic patterns in how plant respiration responds to environmental gradients. We are also working with modellers to improve the representation of plant respiration in global climate-vegetation models. Finally, I am investigating the physiological and biochemical basis of thermal acclimation of respiration to long-term changes in temperature.
Potential research projects for undergraduate and postgraduate students click here
Current research projects:
• Title: Climate dependent variations in leaf respiration. Funding source: NERC UK [with J. Lloyd (Leeds/UK) and F. Valladares (Madrid/Spain)]
• Title: Modelling plant respiration: a novel approach using oxygen titration curves. Funding source: NERC UK [with S. Long and A. Leakey (University of Illinois, USA)]
• Title: Nutrient controls on the terrestrial carbon cycle. [with P. Meir (Edinburgh/UK), J. Lloyd (Leeds/UK) and M. Turnbull (Christchurch/NZ)]
• Title: Futile or adaptive? The role of the alternative oxidase in the acclimation of plant respiration to environmental change. Funding source: Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund (with M. Turnbull (Christchurch/NZ), K. Griffin (New York/USA), D. Yakir (Israel) and P Ineson (York, UK)]
• Title: Adaptations of plant respiration to Arctic environmental conditions: does prolonged darkness and extreme cold influence carbon balance during the growing balance during the growing season? Funding source: NSF USA (with K. Griffin and O Anderson (New York/USA), M. Turnbull (Christchurch/NZ)])
Selected Publications
Zaragoza-Castells, J., Valladares, F., Sánchez-Gómez, D., Hartley, I.P., J. Lloyd and Atkin, O.K. (2008). Climate-dependent variations in leaf respiration in a dry-land, low productivity Mediterranean forest: the importance of acclimation in both high-light and shaded habitats. Functional Ecology 22: 172-184.
Atkin, O.K., Scheurwater, I. and Pons, T.L. (2007). The ratio of respiration to photosynthesis in whole-plants is homeostatic across moderate growth temperatures, but not when plants experience unusually high mean daily temperatures. New Phytologist 174: 367-384.
Campbell, C.D., Atkinson, L.J., Zaragoza-Castells, J., Lundmark, M., Atkin, O. and Hurry, V. (2007). Acclimation of photosynthesis and respiration is asynchronous in response to changes in temperature regardless of plant functional group. New Phytologist 176: 375-389.
Atkin, O.K., Scheurwater, I. and Pons, T.L. (2006). High thermal acclimation potential of both photosynthesis and respiration in two lowland Plantago species in contrast to an alpine congeneric. Global Change Biology 12: 500-515.
Armstrong, A.F., Logan, D., Tobin, A.K., O’Toole, P. and Atkin, O.K. (2006). Heterogeneity of plant mitochondrial responses underpinning respiratory acclimation to the cold in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. Plant, Cell and Environment 29: 940-949.
Atkin, O.K. and Tjoelker, M.G. (2003). Thermal acclimation and the dynamic response of plant respiration to temperature. Trends in Plant Science 8: 343-351.
Loveys, B.R., Atkinson, L.J., Sherlock, D.J., Roberts, R.L., Fitter A.H. and Atkin, O.K. (2003). Thermal acclimation of leaf and root respiration: an investigation comparing inherently fast- and slow-growing plant species Global Change Biology 9: 895-910.
Atkin, O.K., Evans, J.R., Ball, M.C., Lambers, H. and Pons, T.L. (2000). Leaf respiration of snow gum in the light and dark. Interactions between temperature and irradiance. Plant Physiology 122: 915-923.
Atkin, O.K., Holly, C. and Ball, M.C. (2000). Acclimation of snow gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora) leaf respiration to seasonal and diurnal variations in temperature: the importance of changes in the capacity and temperature sensitivity of respiration. Plant, Cell and Environment 23: 15-26.
Atkin, O.K., Evans, J. and Siebke, K. (1998). Relationship between the inhibition of leaf respiration by light and enhancement of leaf dark respiration following light treatment. Australian Journal of Plant Physiology 25: 437-443.
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