Julia Cooke

I am a plant ecologist and writer.

I am a Senior Lecturer in Ecology in the School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences at The Open University, UK, where I’m involved in the production/presentation of three modules (S112 Science: Concepts and Practice, S206 Environmental Science, SDT306 Environment: Responding to change). Previously I taught in Biological Sciences at Macquarie University, from first year courses to Masters units.

I am a scientist interested in the functional ecology of plant silicon. My research has demonstrated that silicon is an important element in plant ecology with complex roles in the leaf dry mass economic spectrum, abiotic stress alleviation, herbivory and biomechanical resistance.

Other research has focussed on scaling functional traits to whole plant growth, predictors of growth rates, the effects of elevated CO2 on plant physiology at EucFACE, investigating global patterns in plant traits and ecological strategies in invasive plants.

I am the author of a children’s book, My Little World, that focuses on the natural history of Black Mountain in Canberra, Australia.

Come on a bush walk with me in this In Situ Science podcast.