Ensminger Lab
Molecular Plant Physiology,
Global Change Biology & Photosynthesis

Department of Biology
University of Toronto Mississauga

Research on the Biology of Trees, Global Change & Photosynthesis
Our goal: To better understand tree responses to environmental change for productive and resilient forests – From molecular to leaf, species and ecosystem levels.
We investigate the physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms that control photosynthesis, growth and resilience of trees to changing environmental conditions
We are located in the Department of Biology at the University of Toronto Mississauga.
Areas of Research

See the list of current projects and find more details about our ongoing research
Environmental stress physiology of plants

How do plants adapt and acclimate to environmental change?
Tomorrows forests

How will heat, drought and pests impact tree growth in the future? Will warming increase the forest carbon sink?
Response of photosynthesis and carbon metabolism to low temperature

Research in conifers to understand low temperature acclimation and freezing resistance
Lab News

Tree Anatomy Reveals Secrets
In this image, Bridget is meticulously preparing semi-thin sections of White Spruce using the parafilm method. She carefully produces cuts of 15 µm in thickness to closely examine the xylem anatomy. Her analysis of the growth rings will reveals potential differences in tree structure that depend on both environmental factors and genetic predisposition.
White Pine Under the Spectral Lens
Siyu is measuring leaf spectral reflectance in white pine. Leaf spectral reflectance refers to the amount of light reflected by a leaf at different wavelengths across the visible and infrared spectrum. This technique helps assess plant health, photosynthetic efficiency, and water status by detecting subtle changes in leaf properties. Siyu and Ivory are grinding white pine samples collected from the…
Our Drone Crew’s Cutting-Edge Flight Missions
Our Drone Crew, Emilie, Sylvain, Gregory, Siyu, and Luke, recently completed an exciting drone flight mission at both the Turkey Point and Pickering sites. Armed with a new technology, the team deployed a UAV equipped with a lidar and hyperspectral camera, capable of capturing unparalleled data from above.Before taking to the skies, the crew meticulously calibrated and tested the equipment…
SURF 2024!
Congratulations to Maria Proskurina and Samira Kamal Eddin who presented their ROP research at the Summer Undergraduate Research Fair on August 20th, 2024. Maria presented her in-depth study on drought tolerance in Picea glauca, utilizing both destructive and non-destructive methods. Meanwhile, Samira explored the impact of soil moisture on the turgor loss point across various Picea glauca genotypes.
Decoding Plant Resilience: Turgor Loss Point Insights from Pintendre, Quebec
At our Pintendre experimental site in Quebec, part of the Fastpheno project, Grace and Emilie embarked on a field mission to collect fresh plant samples. Their objective? To determine the turgor loss point (TLP), a key indicator of plant water stress. In simple terms, TLP is the water potential level at which plants begin to lose turgidity and start wilting….