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Meinzer, Frederick

Professor (Courtesy)

Office Location: 
314 FSL
Phone: 
541-758-7798
Fax: 
541-758-7760
Email Address: 
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Specialty: 

Tree physiology

Educational Background: 
  • B.S., 1972, University of California, Irvine
  • M.S., 1975, University of Washington, Seattle
  • Ph.D., 1981, University of Washington, Seattle
Research Interests: 

Environmental plant physiology, physiological plant ecology, stress physiology, plant-water relations, photosynthetic gas exchange, stomatal physiology, stable isotopes in ecological research, micrometeorology.

Research Support: 
  1. NSF: “The plant hydraulic continuum from root to leaf: avoidance of catastrophic xylem failure under dynamic conditions.” 2009-2012. Co-PI with Katherine McCulloh, Daniel Johnson, and Barbara Lachenbruch. $500,000
  2. NSF: “Collaborative Research: Testing Paleo to Present Tree Carbon Capture Across Ontogeny, Atmospheric CO2 and Productivity Gradients.” 2008-2012. Co-PI with Steve Voelker, Barbara Lachenbruch and Richard Guyette. $509,864
  3. NSF: “Collaborative research: Comparative hydraulic architecture; an analysis of transport efficiency and mechanical constraints.” 2006-2009. Co-P with John Sperry, Barbara Gartner, and Katherine McCulloh. $420,000
  4. USDA CSREES: "Dynamic variation in xylem conductivity: mechanisms and consequences for water movement through sapwood.” 2003-2006. Co-PI with B. Gartner. $140,000.
  5. NSF: "Functional Convergence and Constraints in Regulation of Transpiration and Carbon Assimilation in Tropical Forest Canopy Trees". 2000-2005. Co-PI with G. Goldstein. $275,000.
  6. NSF: "Water Economy of Neotropical Savanna Ecosystems: The Impact of Woody Plant Density, Hydraulic Lift and Changes in Land-use". 2000-2005. Co-PI with G. Goldstein. $489,322.
  7. NSF: "Environmental and Physiological Regulation of Water Flux Through a Tropical Forest Ecosystem". 1995-2000. Co-PI with G. Goldstein. $375,000.
Current/Recent Programs: 

Functional consequences of changes in tree hydraulic architecture during growth, coordination of leaf and stem water transport, leaf hydraulics, functional consequences of stem water storage, carbon partitioning in trees and physiological roles of nonstructural carbohydrates, how water utilization scales with tree size within species and among different species, hydraulic redistribution of soil water by tree roots, characterizing physiological convergence among co-occurring species. The preceding research has been carried out at sites in the Pacific Northwest, Panama, and Brazil.

Graduate Students: 
  • Danielle Marias
  • Brandy Saffell
Selected Publications: 

JOURNALS

  1. Woodruff, D.R. and F.C. Meinzer. 2011. Water stress, shoot growth and storage of nonstructural carbohydrates along a tree height gradient in a tall conifer. Plant Cell and Environment 34: 1920-1930.
  2. McCulloh, K.A., Meinzer, F.C., et al. 2011. Comparative hydraulic architecture of tropical tree species representing a range of successional stages and wood density. Oecologia 167: 27-37.
  3. Barnard, D.M., F.C. Meinzer, B. Lachenbruch, K.A. McCulloh, D.M. Johnson and D.R. Woodruff. 2011. Climate-related trends in sapwood biophysical properties in two conifers: avoidance of hydraulic dysfunction through coordinated adjustments in xylem efficiency, safety and capacitance. Plant Cell and Environment 34: 643-654.
  4. Meinzer, F.C., K.A. McCulloh, B. Lachenbruch, D.R. Woodruff and D.M. Johnson. 2010. The blind men and the elephant: the impact of context and scale in evaluating conflicts between plant hydraulic safety and efficiency. Oecologia 164: 287-296.
  5. Meinzer, F.C., D.M. Johnson, B. Lachenbruch, K.A. McCulloh and D.R. Woodruff. 2009. Xylem hydraulic safety margins in woody plants: coordination of stomatal control of xylem tension with hydraulic capacitance. Functional Ecology 23: 922-930.
  6. Johnson, D.M., F.C. Meinzer, D.R. Woodruff and K.A. McCulloh. 2009. Leaf xylem embolism, detected acoustically and by cryo-SEM, corresponds to decreases in leaf hydraulic conductance in four evergreen species. Plant, Cell and Environment 32: 828-836.
  7. Zhang, Y., F.C. Meinzer, G. Hao, F.G. Scholz, S.J. Bucci, F.S.C. Takahashi, R. Villalobos-Vega, J.P. Giraldo, K.F. Cao, W.A. Hoffmann and G. Goldstein. 2009. Size-dependent mortality in a Neotropical savanna tree: the role of height-related adjustments in hydraulic architecture and carbon allocation. Plant Cell and Environment 32: 1456-1466.
  8. Domec, J.-C., B. Lachenbruch, F.C. Meinzer, D.R. Woodruff, J.M. Warren and K.A. McCulloh. 2008. Maximum height in a conifer is associated with conflicting requirements for xylem design. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105: 12069-12074.
  9. Meinzer, F.C., D.R. Woodruff, J.-C. Domec, G. Goldstein, P.I. Campanello, M.G. Gatti and R. Villalobos-Vega. 2008. Coordination of leaf and stem water transport properties in tropical forest trees. Oecologia 156: 31-41.
  10. Warren, J.M., J.R. Brooks, F.C. Meinzer and J.L. Eberhart. 2008. Hydraulic redistribution of water from Pinus ponderosa trees to seedlings: evidence for an ectomycorrhizal pathway. New Phytologist 178: 382-394.
  11. Meinzer, F.C., J.R. Brooks, J.C. Domec, B.L. Gartner, J.M. Warren, D.R. Woodruff, K. Bible and D.C. Shaw. 2006. Dynamics of water transport and storage in conifers studied with deuterium and heat tracing techniques. Plant, Cell and Environment 29: 105-114.
  12. Domec, J.C., F.G. Scholz, S.J. Bucci, F.C. Meinzer, G. Goldstein and R. Villalobos-Vega. 2006. Diurnal and seasonal variation in root xylem embolism in neotropical savanna woody species: impact on stomatal control of plant water status. Plant, Cell and Environment 29: 26-35.

BOOKS AND BOOK CHAPTERS

  1. Size- and Age-Related Changes in Tree Structure and Function. F.C. Meinzer, B. Lachenbruch, T.E. Dawson (eds). 2011. Springer, Dordrecht.
  2. Hinckley, T.M., Lachenbruch, B., Meinzer, F.C., Dawson, T.E. (2011) A lifespan perspective on integrating structure and function in trees. In: Meinzer, F.C., Lachenbruch, B, Dawson, T.E. (eds), Size- and Age-Related Changes in Tree Structure and Function. Springer
  3. Scholz, F.G., Phillips, N.G, Bucci, S.J., Meinzer, F.C., Goldstein, G. (2011) Hydraulic capacitance: biophysics and functional significance of internal water sources in relation to tree size. In: Meinzer, F.C., Lachenbruch, B, Dawson, T.E. (eds), Size- and Age-Related Changes in Tree Structure and Function. Springer
  4. Woodruff, D.R., Meinzer, F.C. (2011) Size-dependent changes in biophysical control of tree growth: the role of turgor. In: Meinzer, F.C., Lachenbruch, B, Dawson, T.E. (eds), Size- and Age-Related Changes in Tree Structure and Function. Springer.
  5. Bond, B.J., F.C. Meinzer and J.R. Brooks. 2008. How trees influence the hydrological cycle in forest ecosystems. In: Hydroecology and Ecohydrology: Past, Present and Future. P.J. Wood, D.M. Hannah and J.P. Sadler, Editors. John Wiley & Sons pp. 7-35.
  6. Gartner, B.L. and F.C. Meinzer. 2005. Structure-function relationships in sapwood water transport and storage. In: Vascular Transport in Plants. N.M. Holbrook and M. Zwieniecki, Editors. Elsevier Academic Press, pp. 307-331.
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