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
Biology ROP Poster Day !
It’s an incredibly thrilling day for our two ROP undergraduate students as they present the results of their research projects that they started back in September 2023! Grace Cheng showcased her poster titled “Examining drought resistance in white spruce genotypes using leaf hydraulic and wood anatomy traits,” while Christina De Melo presented her poster titled “Employing intra- and interspecific variation…
Announcing Our first flight of the Season!
This week, we kicked off our field activities for the FastPheno project with our first flight of the year! This week, we conducted a drone flight and installed control points at the Turkey Point and Pickering sites. Remarkably, temperatures soared to 20 degrees Celsius, a surprising deviation from typical March weather in Canada compared to last year !
FastPheno Gathers in Quebec City for its first Meeting of the year !
The teams from both Toronto and Quebec convened in person at the University of Laval in Quebec City for a significant meeting. Together, the teams engaged in crucial project discussions and laid out plans for the upcoming year, fostering collaboration and progress.
Happy New Year from Ensminger Lab!
Hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful holiday season and is feeling refreshed as we kick off the new year together. Cheers to an excellent year ahead, filled with scientific discoveries and remarkable achievements! Let’s make every experiment count and push the boundaries of knowledge in our field !
Outreach event for Canadian Association for Girls In Science (CAGIS)
On Saturday, the Ensminger Lab was host to the Canadian Association for Girls in Science (CAGIS). It was exciting to show the girls around the lab and showcase what we do!
