Temperature’s control on the biome

Scientists at Oregon State University, US, are researching how much control temperature exerts on biological systems and processes at varied scales in time – enzymes, ecosystem biochemical reactions, and large-scale distributions of plant and animal species. Most often, when we think of climate, we think of temperature – air temperature, in particular. While this plays a significant role in biological systems and processes, the surface temperature of an organism can often produce as much, if not more, relevant information.

Previous research and measurements of organismal temperature using thermal images taken from long distances were less dependable, due to imaging and computational limitations. The research will use continuous thermal imaging for a variety of ecosystems, and develop scaling algorithms to relate sparse individual measurements at canopy sites to those observed at larger scales by sensors on aircraft and satellites.

Funded by the US National Science Foundation, the project will introduce new technology and computer infrastructure for long-term thermal data collection. Ultimately, this could have a large impact on the understanding of ecological functioning across multiple scales.

- Amber Harmon