Jay Nicholson ‘Plant dieback and drought tolerance in Uluru-Kata Tjuta’

One of the world’s most stunning and unique places is one of the places most at-risk to the impacts of climate change. Jay, a Ph D student at ANU, will outline what has been discovered so far as he and Anangu people design and use field studes and nursery experiments to answer questions about how plants cope with heat and water stress.

Abstract
One of the most stunning and unique places in the world, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, is one of the most at-risk to the impacts of climate change. Mass plant death has recently occurred associated with extreme drought and heatwave events. Anangu (Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people, the Traditional Owners of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park) expressed concern about these events and a desire to understand how and why Country is changing. My PhD project investigates the vulnerability of culturally important plants to climate change. Jay and his colleagues are working with Anangu to design each study and learn together how these plants cope with heat and water stress. Jay will outline how they aim to answer the questions based on field studies and nursery experiments and discuss what has been discovered so far.

Biography 
Jay Nicholson is a PhD student at the Australian National University who is passionate about hot and dry plants. After working as a botanist in Kakadu National Park and Arnhem Land, he moved to Canberra to chase his scientific curiosities. He has always loved understanding how the world around him works – which has manifested in his studies trying to untangle the complex physiology of desert plants. He is looking forward to learning about plants with Anangu and sharing the awesome work with broader audiences.

Booking Link: https://www.trybooking.com/CQGMM

Booking
Lunchtime talks are held at 12.30 pm every Thursday from February to November. Talks last for 1 hour. We welcome donations by gold coins, notes, or electronically. The Friends use donations received at each talk to support Gardens’ programs and development and we thank all those who have donated. 

Unless otherwise indicated, talks are held in the ANBG Theatrette.

It is a good idea to reserve a seat at the talks that you wish to attend; talks may be booked out very quickly.  Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. 

Booking Link: https://www.trybooking.com/CQGMM

The Friends of the ANBG thank the speakers who volunteer their time and talents to further the knowledge of all attending events in the Gardens. Many summaries or PowerPoint presentations of Thursday talks are available to Friends at the ANBG library. Please direct queries about the talks to the Thursday Talks Team: email talks@friendsanbg.org.au.