Associate Professor Peter Franks
Peter Franks studies the interaction between plants and climate, with a special interest in how plants control photosynthesis and transpiration in response to environmental signals through the action of stomatal pores on the leaf surface. His current work broadly aims to integrate geological, molecular and plant physiological information to understand how Earth’s climate and vegetation have co-evolved through deep geological time, and with application in Earth System Models, to reveal how CO2 forcing will affect both in the future. Peter graduated with a BSc (Hons) and then PhD in plant sciences from the Australian National University in 1998. He was a Lecturer and then Senior Lecturer in plant environmental physiology at James Cook University before joining the University of Sydney as Australian Research Council Future Fellow and Associate Professor in biosphere–atmosphere interactions. Peter has been awarded distinguished research fellowships from Harvard University, the University of Cambridge, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (Boulder, USA).
Publications
Journals
- Franks, P., Herold, N., Bonan, G., Oleson, K., Dukes, J., Huber, M., Schroeder, J., Cox, P., Jones, S. (2024). Land surface conductance linked to precipitation: Co-evolution of vegetation and climate in Earth system models. Global Change Biology, 30(3), e17188. [More Information]
- Pankasem, N., Hsu, P., Lopez, B., Franks, P., Schroeder, J. (2024). Warming triggers stomatal opening by enhancement of photosynthesis and ensuing guard cell CO
2 sensing, whereas higher temperatures induce a photosynthesis-uncoupled response. New Phytologist. [More Information] - Hönisch, B., Kohn, M., Pearson, A., Phelps, S., Uno, K., Ridgwell, A., Anagnostou, E., Austermann, J., Badger, M., Barclay, R., Franks, P., et al (2023). Toward a Cenozoic history of atmospheric CO
2 . Science, 382(6675), eadi5177. [More Information]
2024
- Franks, P., Herold, N., Bonan, G., Oleson, K., Dukes, J., Huber, M., Schroeder, J., Cox, P., Jones, S. (2024). Land surface conductance linked to precipitation: Co-evolution of vegetation and climate in Earth system models. Global Change Biology, 30(3), e17188. [More Information]
- Pankasem, N., Hsu, P., Lopez, B., Franks, P., Schroeder, J. (2024). Warming triggers stomatal opening by enhancement of photosynthesis and ensuing guard cell CO
2 sensing, whereas higher temperatures induce a photosynthesis-uncoupled response. New Phytologist. [More Information]
2023
- Hönisch, B., Kohn, M., Pearson, A., Phelps, S., Uno, K., Ridgwell, A., Anagnostou, E., Austermann, J., Badger, M., Barclay, R., Franks, P., et al (2023). Toward a Cenozoic history of atmospheric CO
2 . Science, 382(6675), eadi5177. [More Information]
2021
- Konrad, W., Royer, D., Franks, P., Roth-Nebelsick, A. (2021). Quantitative critique of leaf-based paleo-CO2 proxies: Consequences for their reliability and applicability. Geological Journal, 56(2), 886-902. [More Information]
2019
- Zhao, C., Wang, Y., Chan, K., Marchant, D., Franks, P., Randall, D., Tee, E., Chen, G., Ramesh, S., Phua, S., et al (2019). Evolution of chloroplast retrograde signaling facilitates green plant adaptation to land. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(11), 5015-5020. [More Information]
- Milligan, J., Royer, D., Franks, P., Upchurch, G., McKee, M. (2019). No Evidence for a Large Atmospheric CO2 Spike Across the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary. Geophysical Research Letters, 46(6), 3462-3472. [More Information]
- Royer, D., Moynihan, K., McKee, M., Londoño, L., Franks, P. (2019). Sensitivity of a leaf gas-exchange model for estimating paleoatmospheric CO2 concentration. Climate of the Past, 15(2), 795-809. [More Information]
2018
- Franks, P., Bonan, G., Berry, J., Lombardozzi, D., Holbrook, N., Herold, N., Oleson, K. (2018). Comparing optimal and empirical stomatal conductance models for application in Earth system models. Global Change Biology, 24(12), 5708-5723. [More Information]
- Kowalczyk, J., Royer, D., Miller, I., Anderson, C., Beerling, D., Franks, P., Grein, M., Konrad, W., Roth-Nebelsick, A., Bowring, S., et al (2018). Multiple Proxy Estimates of Atmospheric CO2 From an Early Paleocene Rainforest. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 33(12), 1427-1438. [More Information]
- Edwards, W., Liddell, M., Franks, P., Nichols, C., Laurance, S. (2018). Seasonal patterns in rainforest litterfall: Detecting endogenous and environmental influences from long-term sampling. Austral Ecology, 43(2), 225-235. [More Information]
2017
- Franks, P., Royer, D. (2017). Comment on "Was atmospheric CO2 capped at 1000 ppm over the past 300 million years?" by McElwain J. C. et al. [Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 441 (2016) 653-658]. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 472, 256-259. [More Information]
- Cai, S., Chen, G., Wang, Y., Huang, Y., Marchant, D., Wang, Y., Yang, Q., Dai, F., Hills, A., Franks, P., et al (2017). Evolutionary conservation of ABA signaling for stomatal closure. Plant Physiology, 174(2), 732-747. [More Information]
- Chen, Z., Chen, G., Dai, F., Wang, Y., Hills, A., Ruan, Y., Zhang, G., Franks, P., Nevo, E., Blatt, M. (2017). Molecular Evolution of Grass Stomata. Trends in Plant Science, 22(2), 124-139. [More Information]
2016
- Franks, P., Britton-Harper, Z. (2016). No evidence of general CO2 insensitivity in ferns: One stomatal control mechanism for all land plants? New Phytologist, 211(3), 819-827. [More Information]
- de Boer, H., Price, C., Wagner-Cremer, F., Dekker, S., Franks, P., Veneklaas, E. (2016). Optimal allocation of leaf epidermal area for gas exchange. New Phytologist, 210(4), 1219-1228. [More Information]
2015
- Simonin, K., Burns, E., Choat, B., Barbour, M., Dawson, T., Franks, P. (2015). Increasing leaf hydraulic conductance with transpiration rate minimizes the water potential drawdown from stem to leaf. Journal of Experimental Botany, 66(5), 1303-1315. [More Information]
- Franks, P., Doheny-Adams, T., Britton-Harper, Z., Gray, J. (2015). Increasing water-use efficiency directly through genetic manipulation of stomatal density. New Phytologist, 207(1), 188-195. [More Information]
2014
- Franks, P., Casson, S. (2014). Connecting stomatal development and physiology. New Phytologist, 201(4), 1079-1082. [More Information]
- Franks, P., Royer, D., Beerling, D., Van De Water, P., Cantrill, D., Barbour, M., Berry, J. (2014). New constraints on atmospheric CO2 concentration for the Phanerozoic. Geophysical Research Letters, 41(13), 4685-4694. [More Information]
2013
- Franks, P. (2013). Passive and active stomatal control: either or both? New Phytologist, 198(2), 325-327. [More Information]
- Franks, P., Adams, M., Amthor, J., Barbour, M., Berry, J., Ellsworth, D., Farquhar, G., Ghannoum, O., Lloyd, J., McDowell, N., et al (2013). Sensitivity of plants to changing atmospheric CO2 concentration: From the geological past to the next century. New Phytologist, 197(4), 1077-1094. [More Information]
- Drake, P., Froend, R., Franks, P. (2013). Smaller, faster stomata: scaling of stomatal size, rate of response and stomatal conductance. Journal of Experimental Botany, 64(2), 495-505. [More Information]
2012
- Doheny-Adams, T., Hunt, L., Franks, P., Beerling, D., Gray, J. (2012). Genetic manipulation of stomatal density influences stomatal size, plant growth and tolerance to restricted water supply across a growth carbon dioxide gradient. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 367(1588), 547-555. [More Information]
- Franks, P., Freckleton, R., Beaulieu, J., Leitch, I., Beerling, D. (2012). Megacycles of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration correlate with fossil plant genome size. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 367(1588), 556-564. [More Information]
- Taylor, S., Franks, P., Hulme, S., Spriggs, E., Christin, P., Edwards, E., Woodward, F., Osborne, C. (2012). Photosynthetic pathway and ecological adaptation explain stomatal trait diversity amongst grasses. New Phytologist, 193(2), 387-396. [More Information]
2011
- Ruszala, E., Beerling, D., Franks, P., Chater, C., Casson, S., Gray, J., Hetherington, A. (2011). Land Plants Acquired Active Stomatal Control Early in Their Evolutionary History. Current Biology, 21(12), 1030-1035. [More Information]
- Drake, P., Froend, R., Franks, P. (2011). Linking hydraulic conductivity and photosynthesis to water-source partitioning in trees versus seedlings. Tree Physiology, 31(7), 763-773. [More Information]
2010
- Tsvuura, Z., Griffiths, M., Gunton, R., Franks, P., Lawes, M. (2010). Ecological filtering by a dominant herb selects for shade tolerance in the tree seedling community of coastal dune forest. Oecologia, 164(4), 861-870. [More Information]
- Hill, J., Edwards, W., Franks, P. (2010). How long does it take for different seeds to dry? Functional Plant Biology, 37(6), 575-583. [More Information]
- Humphreys, C., Franks, P., Rees, M., Bidartondo, M., Leake, J., Beerling, D. (2010). Mutualistic Mycorrhiza-Like Symbiosis in the Most Ancient Group of Land Plants. Nature Communications, 1(8), 1-7. [More Information]
2009
- Franks, P., Beerling, D. (2009). CO2-forced evolution of plant gas exchange capacity and water-use efficiency over the Phanerozoic. Geobiology, 7(2), 227-236. [More Information]
- Beerling, D., Franks, P. (2009). Evolution of stomatal function in 'lower' land plants. New Phytologist, 183(4), 921-925. [More Information]
- Franks, P., Beerling, D. (2009). Maximum leaf conductance driven by CO2 effects on stomatal size and density over geologic time. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106(25), 10343-10347. [More Information]
Selected Grants
2020
- How plant heat stress will influence global warming this century, Franks P, Human Frontier Science Program (France)/Research Support
2015
- Predicting and improving the productivity of plants in future climates, Franks P, Berry J, Bergmann D, Bonan G, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)