CREAFTalk with Cade Kane - Evaluating the Impacts of Climate Change on Deciduous Leaf Life Span in Tasmania and Indiana

Genetically identical trees are planted all over the globe. These clones are planted at different latitudes, temperatures, and rainfalls as urban greenery on streets and in parks. We selected 6 globally grown urban forest species as 'uncommon' gardens, trees of the same genetic background grown in Tasmania, Australia and Indiana, USA to investigate the impact of climate change on phenology, leaf lifespan, and productivity of deciduous trees. We have found a large diversity in responses to a warmer environment in both phenology and productivity, indicating that some species will likely show very different responses to climate change. 

Who is Cade Kane?

Dr. Cade Kane is a plant ecophysiologist who specializes in stomatal responses to the environment, abscisic acid (ABA), leaf senescence and abscission. Cades earned his PhD from Purdue University (Indiana, USA) in 2023 and since then has been working as a postdoc at Harvard University (Massachusetts, USA). Cade is currently interested in the role of ABA in leaf expansion, diversity in stomatal responses across angiosperms, and shifts in stomatal sensitivity to drought across leaf lifespan.