text: Vegetation Dynamics in atime of Global change
  The function and distribution of terrestrial vegetation globally has been strongly shaped by climate over millennia. Now that climate change, driven by rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations, is well under way, we can expect further major changes in vegetation – but to what extent can we predict what those changes will look like? What do we know, and more importantly, what do we still need to know, to understand how vegetation is likely to respond and shift as global temperatures rise?
  In this talk I will present our group’s attempts to understand and predict vegetation change, using Australian vegetation as a case study. I will first summarise some recent experimental research on the effects of global change on vegetation, particularly the effects of CO2 enrichment and intense drought. I’ll then discuss how we are using this research to predict potential future trajectories for vegetation dynamics, and highlight the critical gaps in our knowledge.