Contact Information
505 S. Goodwin Ave
Urbana, IL 61801
Research Interests
Physiological ecology of vascular plants, photosynthesis, plant architecture, stress, climate change
Research Description
My laboratory is studying the physiological ecology of vascular plants with an emphasis on the environmental limitations to photosynthesis and resource allocation. I am particularly interested in developing integrated models of light utilization by plants in different habitats, with an emphasis on woody plants.
Other research projects include investigations of the effects of UV-B irradiation on growth and photosynthesis, and the impact of elevated CO2 on nutrient acquisition of trees. Currently we are using growth analysis, leaf and plant gas exchange, water relations, tissue chemistry, carbon isotope discrimination, and foliar optical properties, among other methods, in these studies. Research sites include grasslands, old fields, and deciduous forests in Illinois; subalpine and alpine habitats in Wyoming; and shrub steppe in Nevada.
Education
PhD, 1986, Duke University
M.S., 1982, Yale University
B.A., 1979, Bennington College
Additional Campus Affiliations
G. William Arends Professor Emeritus, Plant Biology
Professor Emeritus, Center for Global Studies
External Links
Recent Publications
Blanc-Betes, E., Welker, J. M., Gomez-Casanovas, N., DeLucia, E. H., Peñuelas, J., de Oliveira, E. D., & Gonzalez-Meler, M. A. (2025). Strong legacies of emerging trends in winter precipitation on the carbon-climate feedback from Arctic tundra. Science of the Total Environment, 962, Article 178246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178246
Boughton, E. H., Sonnier, G., Gomez-Casanovas, N., Bernacchi, C., DeLucia, E., Sparks, J., Swain, H., Anderson, E., Brinsko, K., Gough, A. M., Kuziel, L. W., Landau, L., Li, H., McMillan, N. A., Reyes, A. L., Rivero, A., Saha, A., Sorfleet, J., West, A., & Zambrano-Lee, M. (2025). Impact of Patch-Burn Grazing on Vegetation Composition and Structure in Subtropical Humid Grasslands. Rangeland Ecology and Management, 98, 588-599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2024.11.003
Stuchiner, E. R., Xu, J., Eddy, W. C., DeLucia, E. H., & Yang, W. H. (2025). Hot or Not? An Evaluation of Methods for Identifying Hot Moments of Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Soils. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 130(1), Article e2024JG008138. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JG008138
Beerling, D. J., Epihov, D. Z., Kantola, I. B., Masters, M. D., Reershemius, T., Planavsky, N. J., Reinhard, C. T., Jordan, J. S., Thorne, S. J., Weber, J., Martin, M. V., Freckleton, R. P., Hartley, S. E., James, R. H., Pearce, C. R., DeLucia, E. H., & Banwart, S. A. (2024). Enhanced weathering in the US Corn Belt delivers carbon removal with agronomic benefits. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(9), Article e2319436121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2319436121
Berardi, D. M., Hartman, M. D., Brzostek, E. R., Bernacchi, C. J., DeLucia, E. H., von Haden, A. C., Kantola, I., Moore, C. E., Yang, W., Hudiburg, T. W., & Parton, W. J. (2024). Microbial-explicit processes and refined perennial plant traits improve modeled ecosystem carbon dynamics. Geoderma, 443, Article 116851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116851