Prof. Dr. Hans Lambers
School of Biological Sciences, UWA
Prof. Dr. Hans Lambers was born in the Netherlands, finished his PhD in 1979, and was appointed Professor of Ecophysiology at Utrecht University (1985). In 1998, he migrated to Australia, where he was appointed Professor of Plant Biology/Ecology at the University of Western Australia, where he studies mineral nutrition of Australian native species, seeking to discover how some Australian plants acquire phosphorus from depauperate soil and use it very efficiently.
He has published >675 papers and is featured on Highly Cited lists of Clarivate in Plant and animal sciences, with an H index of 100. He was elected to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (2003), and the Australian Academy of Science (2012). He received Honorary Professorships from China Agricultural University (2002), Chinese Academy of Sciences (Research Centre for Eco- Environmental Sciences, Beijing) (2004), Shenyang Agricultural University (2018), and Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China (2019). He was appointed as Distinguished Professor at the National Academy of Agriculture Green Development at China Agricultural University (2019-2023) and as Strategic Scientist at Beijing Forestry University (2024-2028).
Abstract
Southwest Australia is a biodiversity hotspot, with the greatest plant diversity on severely phosphorus-impoverished soils. Non-mycorrhizal plant families (e.g., Proteaceae) feature prominently on the poorest soils, and are uncommon on richer soils.
The ecological success of Proteaceae on severely impoverished soils can be explained by two traits. Almost all Proteaceae produce cluster roots, which mobilise the scarcely-available but essential element, phosphorus. Australian Proteaceae also use phosphorus very efficiently in photosynthesis and show a tremendous capacity to remobilise it from senescing leaves.
But the Proteaceae are only one component of the extraordinary plant diversity. Why do species with a less effective phosphorus-acquisition strategy coexist with ones that are far superior in extracting phosphorus from our extremely poor soils? Facilitation by neighbours definitely plays a role, and nutrients mobilised by Proteaceae are also used by neighbours without this strategy. It is only part of the story, however, and we are unlocking the next chapter of how native parasites (oomycetes or water-moulds) also contribute to the megadiversity in the southwest.
This seminar is organized by the Ecology and Evolution section, A-LIFE.
For more information contact: v.kokkoris@vu.nl