Professor Jennifer Mc Elwain
Professor of Botany (1711), Botany
Biography
Jennifer (Jenny) McElwain holds the 1711 Chair of Botany at Trinity College Dublin's School of Natural Sciences. She is currently the Head of Botany within the School and Director of Trinity Botanic Gardens. Over the past 20 years her research and teaching have focused on the development and use of palaeobotanical methods (proxies) that use fossil plants to reconstruct the evolution of Earth's atmospheric composition and climate on multimillion year timescales. Her research team use both fossil plants and modern experimentation to investigate how fluctuations in atmospheric composition and climate have influenced plant evolution and ecology throughout Earth history. Her research programme has been successfully funded through both national and international grants and awards including Science Foundation Ireland, Irish Research Council, European Research Council, US National Science Foundation, National Geographic and Marie Curie. She was elected a Member of the Royal Irish Academy in June 2017 and awarded for Excellence in EU research by the President of Ireland in 2012. She has published over 100 internationally peer reviewed publication and two editions of a well-regarded textbook The Evolution of Plants, Oxford University Press. She acted as a board member of the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice and is currently the Chair of the Royal Irish Academy Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Science. Before joining TCD in 2017, she was an Associate Professor/Professor at University College Dublin for 11 years, a curator of fossil plants at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago (2000-2006) and post-doctoral researcher at the University of Sheffield, UK (2003-2006). She graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a BA Botany in 1993 and from Royal Holloway University of London with a PhD in 1997.
Lab web page: https://plantclimatelab.ie/
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Baker, S.J. and Dewhirst, R.A. and McElwain, J.C. and Haworth, M. and Belcher, C.M., CO2-induced biochemical changes in leaf volatiles decreased fire-intensity in the run-up to the Triassicâ"Jurassic boundary, New Phytologist, 235, (4), 2022, p1442-1454
Matthaeus, W.J. and Montañez, I.P. and McElwain, J.C. and Wilson, J.P. and White, J.D., Stems matter: Xylem physiological limits are an accessible and critical improvement to models of plant gas exchange in deep time, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10, (955066), 2022
Steinthorsdottir M., Elliott-Kingston C., Coiro M., McElwain J.C., Searching for a nearest living equivalent for Bennettitales: a promising extinct plant group for stomatal proxy reconstructions of Mesozoic pCO2, GFF, 143, (2-3), 2021, p190 - 201, p190-201
McElwain, J., Jennifer McElwain, Current biology : CB, 31, (12), 2021, pR772-R774
Bacon, K.L. and Haworth, M. and McElwain, J.C., Effects of sulfur dioxide exposure on leaf mass per area of selected gymnosperms and implications for interpreting the plant fossil record, International Journal of Plant Sciences, 182, (6), 2021, p564-575
Cleal, C. and Pardoe, H.S. and Berry, C.M. and Cascales-Miñana, B. and Davis, B.A.S. and Diez, J.B. and Filipova-Marinova, M.V. and Giesecke, T. and Hilton, J. and Ivanov, D. and Kustatscher, E. and Leroy, S.A.G. and McElwain, J.C. and Opluštil, S. and Popa, M.E. and Seyfullah, L.J. and Stolle, E. and Thomas, B.A. and Uhl, D., Palaeobotanical experiences of plant diversity in deep time. 1: How well can we identify past plant diversity in the fossil record?, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 576, (110481), 2021
Devaney, J.L. and Marone, D. and McElwain, J.C., Impact of soil salinity on mangrove restoration in a semiarid region: a case study from the Saloum Delta, Senegal, Restoration Ecology, 29, (2), 2021
Xie, S.-P. and Zhang, S.-H. and McElwain, J.C. and Zhang, P. and Wang, B. and Zhang, Y. and Yang, Y.-H. and Chen, J.-Y., First occurrence of Camptotheca fruits from late Miocene of southwestern China, Historical Biology, 2021
Matthaeus W.J., Macarewich S.I., Richey J.D., Wilson J.P., McElwain J.C., Montanez I.P., DiMichele W.A., Hren M.T., Poulsen C.J., White J.D., Freeze tolerance influenced forest cover and hydrology during the Pennsylvanian, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118, (42), 2021
Yiotis, C. and Mcelwain, J.C. and Osborne, B.A., Enhancing the productivity of ryegrass at elevated CO2is dependent on tillering and leaf area development rather than leaf-level photosynthesis, Journal of Experimental Botany, 72, (5), 2021, p1962-1977
Pardoe H.S., Cleal C.J., Berry C.M., Cascales-Minana B., Davis B.A.S., Diez J.B., Filipova-Marinova M.V., Giesecke T., Hilton J., Ivanov D., Kustatscher E., Leroy S.A.G., McElwain J.C., Oplustil S., Popa M.E., Seyfullah L.J., Stolle E., Thomas B.A., Uhl D., Palaeobotanical experiences of plant diversity in deep time. 2: How to measure and analyse past plant biodiversity, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 580, 2021
White, Joseph D., Montañez, Isabel P., Wilson, Jonathan P., Poulsen, Christopher J., McElwain, Jennifer C., DiMichele, William A., Hren, Michael T., Macarewich, Sophia, Richey, Jon D., Matthaeus, William J., A process-based ecosystem model (Paleo-BGC) to simulate the dynamic response of Late Carboniferous plants to elevated O2 and aridification, American Journal of Science, 320, (7), 2020, p547-598
Haughey, Eamon, McElwain, Jennifer C, Finn, John A, Variability of water supply affected shoot biomass and root depth distribution of four temperate grassland species in monocultures and mixtures, Journal of Plant Ecology, 13, (5), 2020, p554-562
Zhou, Ning, Wang, Yongdong, Ya, Li, Porter, Amanda S., Kürschner, Wolfram M., Li, Liqin, Lu, Ning, McElwain, Jennifer C., An inter-comparison study of three stomatal-proxy methods for CO2 reconstruction applied to early Jurassic Ginkgoales plants, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 542, 2020, p109547
Tierney, J.E. and Poulsen, C.J. and Montañez, I.P. and Bhattacharya, T. and Feng, R. and Ford, H.L. and Hönisch, B. and Inglis, G.N. and Petersen, S.V. and Sagoo, N. and Tabor, C.R. and Thirumalai, K. and Zhu, J. and Burls, N.J. and Foster, G.L. and Goddéris, Y. and Huber, B.T. and Ivany, L.C. and Turner, S.K. and Lunt, D.J. and McElwain, J.C. and Mills, B.J.W. and Otto-Bliesner, B.L. and Ridgwell, A. and Zhang, Y.G., Past climates inform our future, Science, 370, (6517), 2020
Wilson, Jonathan P., White, Joseph D., Montañez, Isabel P., DiMichele, William A., McElwain, Jennifer C., Poulsen, Christopher J., Hren, Michael T., Carboniferous plant physiology breaks the mold, New Phytologist, 227, (3), 2020, p667-679
Batke, Sven Peter, Yiotis, Charilaos, Elliott-Kingston, Caroline, Holohan, Aidan, McElwain, Jennifer, Plant responses to decadal scale increments in atmospheric CO2 concentration: comparing two stomatal conductance sampling methods, Planta, 251, (2), 2020
Murray, Michelle, Soh, Wuu Kuang, Yiotis, Charilaos, Spicer, Robert A., Lawson, Tracy, McElwain, Jennifer C., Consistent Relationship between Field-Measured Stomatal Conductance and Theoretical Maximum Stomatal Conductance in C3 Woody Angiosperms in Four Major Biomes, International Journal of Plant Sciences, 181, (1), 2020, p142-154
Murray M., Soh W.K., Yiotis C., Batke S., Parnell A.C., Spicer R.A., Lawson T., Caballero R., Wright I.J., Purcell C., McElwain J.C., Convergence in maximum stomatal conductance of C3 woody angiosperms in natural ecosystems across bioclimatic zones, Frontiers in Plant Science, 10, 2019
Mander, Luke, McElwain, Jennifer C., Toarcian land vegetation loss, Nature Geoscience, 12, (6), 2019, p405-406
Holohan, A.D. and MÃŒller, C. and McElwain, J., Heritable Changes in Physiological Gas Exchange Traits in Response to Long-Term, Moderate Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment, Frontiers in Plant Science, 10, (1210), 2019
Yiotis, C. and McElwain, J.C., A novel hypothesis for the role of photosynthetic physiology in shaping macroevolutionary patterns, Plant Physiology, 181, (3), 2019, p1148-1162
Laurin, Ji"í, Barclay, Richard S., Sageman, Bradley B., Dawson, Robin R., Pagani, Mark, Schmitz, Mark, Eaton, Jeffrey, McInerney, Francesca A., McElwain, Jennifer C., Terrestrial and marginal-marine record of the mid-Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE 2): High-resolution framework, carbon isotopes, CO2 and sea-level change, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 524, 2019, p118-136
Yiotis, Charilaos, McElwain, Jennifer C., A Novel Hypothesis for the Role of Photosynthetic Physiology in Shaping Macroevolutionary Patterns, Plant Physiology, 181, (3), 2019, p1148-1162
Porter, Amanda S., Evans-Fitz.Gerald, Christiana, Yiotis, Charilaos, Montañez, Isabel P., McElwain, Jennifer C., Testing the accuracy of new paleoatmospheric CO2 proxies based on plant stable carbon isotopic composition and stomatal traits in a range of simulated paleoatmospheric O2:CO2 ratios, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 259, 2019, p69-90
Soh, Wuu Kuang, Yiotis, Charilaos, Murray, Michelle, Parnell, Andrew, Wright, Ian J., Spicer, Robert A., Lawson, Tracy, Caballero, Rodrigo, McElwain, Jennifer C., Rising CO2 drives divergence in water use efficiency of evergreen and deciduous plants, Science Advances, 5, (12), 2019, peaax7906
H Li, J Yu, JC McElwain, C Yiotis, ZQ Chen, Reconstruction of atmospheric CO2 concentration during the late Changhsingian based on fossil conifers from the Dalong Formation in South China, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, in press, 2018
McElwain J.C., Paleobotany and Global Change: Important Lessons for Species to Biomes from Vegetation Responses to Past Global Change, Annual Review of Plant Biology, 69, 2018, p761 - 787, p761-787
Haughey, E. and Suter, M. and Hofer, D. and Hoekstra, N.J. and McElwain, J.C. and LÃŒscher, A. and Finn, J.A., Higher species richness enhances yield stability in intensively managed grasslands with experimental disturbance, Scientific Reports, 8, (1), 2018
Purcell, C. and Batke, S.P. and Yiotis, C. and Caballero, R. and Soh, W.K. and Murray, M. and McElwain, J.C., Erratum: Increasing stomatal conductance in response to rising atmospheric CO2 (Annals of Botany DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcx208), Annals of Botany, 121, (7), 2018, p1427
Kouwenberg, L.L.R. and Kiirschner, W.M. and McElwain, J.C., Stomatal frequency change over altitudinal gradients: Prospects for paleoaltimetry, 2018, 215-241pp
C Purcell, SP Batke, C Yiotis, Rodrigo Caballero, WK Soh, Michelle Murray, Jennifer C McElwain, Increasing stomatal conductance in response to rising atmospheric CO2, Annals of Botany, 121, (6), 2018, p1137 - 1149
McElwain, J.C. and Steinthorsdottir, M., Paleoecology, Ploidy, Paleoatmospheric Composition, and Developmental Biology: A Review of the Multiple Uses of Fossil Stomata, Plant Physiology, 174, (2), 2017, p650--664
Wilson, J.P., Montañez, I.P., White, J.D., DiMichele, W.A., McElwain, J.C., Poulsen, C.J., Hren, M.T., Dynamic Carboniferous tropical forests: new views of plant function and potential for physiological forcing of climate, New Phytologist, 215, (4), 2017, p1333-1353
McElwain, J.C., New ways with old fossils, Nature Plants, 3, 2017
AS Porter, C Yiotis, IP Montañez, JC McElwain, Evolutionary differences in Δ13C detected between spore and seed bearing plants following exposure to a range of atmospheric O2:CO2 ratios; implications for paleoatmosphere reconstruction, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 213, 2017, p517 - 533
Yiotis, C., Evans-Fitzgerald, C., McElwain, J.C., Differences in the photosynthetic plasticity of ferns and Ginkgo grown in experimentally controlled low [O
Yiotis C, Evans-Fitz Gerald C, McElwain JC., Differences in the photosynthetic plasticity of ferns and Ginkgo grown in experimentally controlled low [O2]:[CO2] atmospheres may explain their contrasting ecological fate across the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction boundary., Annals of botany, 119, (8), 2017, p1385-1395
Soh, W.K., Wright, I.J., Bacon, K.L., Lenz, T.I., Steinthorsdottir, M., Parnell, A.C., McElwain, J.C., Palaeo leaf economics reveal a shift in ecosystem function associated with the end-Triassic mass extinction event, Nature Plants, 3, 2017
McElwain, J.C., Montañez, I.P., White, J.D., Wilson, J.P., Yiotis, C., Reply to comment on "Was atmospheric CO
Soh, W.K. and Wright, I.J. and Bacon, K.L. and Lenz, T.I. and Steinthorsdottir, M. and Parnell, A.C. and McElwain, J.C., Corrigendum: Palaeo leaf economics reveal a shift in ecosystem function associated with the end-Triassic mass extinction event, Nature plants, 3, (17126), 2017, p17126
JC McElwain, I Montañez, JD White, JP Wilson, C Yiotis, Was atmospheric CO2 capped at 1000 ppm over the past 300 million years?, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 441, 2016, p653-658
Montañez, I.P., McElwain, J.C., Poulsen, C.J., White, J.D., Dimichele, W.A., Wilson, J.P., Griggs, G., Hren, M.T., Climate, pCO
Elliott-Kingston, C. and Haworth, M. and Yearsley, J.M. and Batke, S.P. and Lawson, T. and McElwain, J.C., Does size matter? Atmospheric CO2 may be a stronger driver of stomatal closing rate than stomatal size in taxa that diversified under low CO2, Frontiers in Plant Science, 7, (AUG2016), 2016
Elliott-Kingston, C., Haworth, M., Yearsley, J.M., Batke, S.P., Lawson, T., McElwain, J.C., Does size matter? Atmospheric CO
Steinthorsdottir, M., Porter, A.S., Holohan, A., Kunzmann, L., Collinson, M., McElwain, J.C., Fossil plant stomata indicate decreasing atmospheric CO
Evans-Fitz.Gerald C., Porter A.S., Yiotis C., Elliott-Kingston C., McElwain J.C., Co-ordination in morphological leaf traits of early diverging angiosperms is maintained following exposure to experimental palaeo-atmospheric conditions of sub-ambient O2 and elevated CO2, Frontiers in Plant Science, 7, (September), 2016
Evans-Fitz.Gerald, C., Porter, A.S., Yiotis, C., Elliott-Kingston, C., McElwain, J.C., Co-ordination in morphological leaf traits of early diverging angiosperms is maintained following exposure to experimental palaeo-atmospheric conditions of sub-ambient O
Lawson, T., McElwain, J.C., Evolutionary trade-offs in stomatal spacing, New Phytologist, 210, (4), 2016, p1149-1151
Mcelwain, J.C., Yiotis, C., Lawson, T., Using modern plant trait relationships between observed and theoretical maximum stomatal conductance and vein density to examine patterns of plant macroevolution, New Phytologist, 209, (1), 2016, p94-103
AS Porter, CEF Gerald, JC McElwain, C Yiotis, C Elliott-Kingston, How well do you know your growth chambers? Testing for chamber effect using plant traits, Plant Methods, 11, (1), 2015
Steinthorsdottir, M., Tosolini, A.-M.P., McElwain, J.C., Evidence for insect and annelid activity across the Triassic-Jurassic transition of east Greenland, Palaios, 30, (8), 2015, p597-607
Váry, Z., Mullins, E., McElwain, J.C., and Doohan, F. M., The severity of wheat diseases increases when plants and pathogens are acclimatized to elevated carbon dioxide, Glob Change Biol, 21, (7), 2015, p2661--2669
STEINTHORSDOTTIR, M., TOSOLINI, A.P., and MCELWAIN, J.C., EVIDENCE FOR INSECT AND ANNELID ACTIVITY ACROSS THE TRIASSIC-JURASSIC TRANSITION OF EAST GREENLAND, PALAIOS, 30, (8), 2015, p597--607
Bacon, K. L., Haworth, M., Conroy, E., and McElwain, J.C., Can atmospheric composition influence plant fossil preservation potential via changes in leaf mass per area? A new hypothesis based on simulated palaeoatmosphere experiments., Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2015
Váry Z, Mullins E, McElwain JC, Doohan FM., The severity of wheat diseases increases when plants and pathogens are acclimatized to elevated carbon dioxide., Global change biology, 2015
McElwain, J.C., Yiotis, C., and Lawson, T., Using modern plant trait relationships between observed and theoretical maximum stomatal conductance and vein density to examine patterns of plant macroevolution, New Phytol, 209, (1), 2015, p94--103
Shinde, S., Behpouri, A., McElwain, J.C., Ng, C.K.-Y., Genome-wide transcriptomic analysis of the effects of sub-ambient atmospheric oxygen and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels on gametophytes of the moss, Physcomitrella patens, Journal of Experimental Botany, 66, (13), 2015, p4001-4012
Shinde, S., Behpouri, A., McElwain, J.C., Ng, C.K., Genome-wide transcriptomic analysis of the effects of sub-ambient atmospheric oxygen and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels on gametophytes of the moss, Physcomitrella patens., Journal of experimental botany, 66, (13), 2015, p4001-4012
Williford, K.H., Grice, K., Holman, A., and McElwain, J.C., An organic record of terrestrial ecosystem collapse and recovery at the Triassic"Jurassic boundary in East Greenland, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 127, 2014, p251--263
Elliott-Kingston, C., Haworth, M., McElwain, J.C., Damage structures in leaf epidermis and cuticle as an indicator of elevated atmospheric sulphur dioxide in early Mesozoic floras, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 208, 2014, p25-42
Williford, K.H., Grice, K., Holman, A., McElwain, J.C., An organic record of terrestrial ecosystem collapse and recovery at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary in East Greenland, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 127, 2014, p251-263
Haworth, M., Gallagher, A., Sum, E., Hill-Donnelly, M., Steinthorsdottir, M., Mcelwain, J., On the reconstruction of plant photosynthetic and stress physiology across the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences, 23, (3), 2014, p321-329
Wolfram M. Kürschner, Luke Mander, Jennifer C. McElwain, A gymnosperm affinity for Ricciisporites tuberculatus Lundblad: implications for vegetation and environmental reconstructions in the Late Triassic, Palaeobio Palaeoenv, 94, (2), 2014, p295--305
Kürschner, W.M., Mander, L., McElwain, J.C., A gymnosperm affinity for Ricciisporites tuberculatus Lundblad: Implications for vegetation and environmental reconstructions in the Late Triassic, Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, 94, (2), 2014, p295-305
Bacon, K.L., Belcher, C.M., Haworth, M., McElwain, J.C., and Butler, R.J., Increased Atmospheric SO2 Detected from Changes in Leaf Physiognomy across the Triassic"Jurassic Boundary Interval of East Greenland, PLoS ONE, 8, (4), 2013, pe60614
Barclay, R.S., McElwain, J.C., Duckett, J.G., Van Es, M.H., Mostaert, A.S., Pressel, S., Sageman, B.B., New methods reveal oldest known fossil epiphyllous moss: Bryiidites Utahensis gen. et sp. nov. (Bryidae), American Journal of Botany, 100, (12), 2013, p2450-2457
McElwain, J. C. , The Life and Times of a Living Fossil, Science, 340, (6134), 2013, p812--813
Mander, L., Kürschner, W.M., McElwain, J.C., Palynostratigraphy and vegetation history of the triassic-jurassic transition in east Greenland, Journal of the Geological Society, 170, (1), 2013, p37-46
Bacon, K.L., Belcher, C.M., Haworth, M., McElwain, J.C., Increased Atmospheric SO2 Detected from Changes in Leaf Physiognomy across the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary Interval of East Greenland, PLoS ONE, 8, (4), 2013
Haworth, M., Elliott-Kingston, C., McElwain, J.C., Co-ordination of physiological and morphological responses of stomata to elevated [CO2] in vascular plants, Oecologia, 171, (1), 2013, p71-82
Barclay RS, McElwain JC, Duckett JG, van Es MH, Mostaert AS, Pressel S, Sageman BB., New methods reveal oldest known fossil epiphyllous moss: Bryiidites utahensis gen. et sp. nov. (Bryidae)., American journal of botany, 100, (12), 2013, p2450-2457
Haworth, M., Elliott-Kingston, C., Gallagher, A., Fitzgerald, A., McElwain, J.C., Sulphur dioxide fumigation effects on stomatal density and index of non-resistant plants: Implications for the stomatal palaeo-[CO 2] proxy method, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 182, 2012, p44-54
Mander, L., Wesseln, C.J., McElwain, J.C., Punyasena, S.W., and Butler, R.J., Tracking Taphonomic Regimes Using Chemical and Mechanical Damage of Pollen and Spores: An Example from the Triassic"Jurassic Mass Extinction, PLoS ONE, 7, (11), 2012, pe49153
Haworth, M., Elliott-Kingston, C., and McElwain, J.C., Co-ordination of physiological and morphological responses of stomata to elevated [CO2] in vascular plants, Oecologia, 171, (1), 2012, p71--82
Mander, L., Wesseln, C.J., McElwain, J.C., Punyasena, S.W., Tracking Taphonomic Regimes Using Chemical and Mechanical Damage of Pollen and Spores: An Example from the Triassic-Jurassic Mass Extinction, PLoS ONE, 7, (11), 2012
Steinthorsdottir, M., Woodward, I.F., Surlyk, F., McElwain, J.C., Deep-time evidence of a link between elevated CO 2 concentrations and perturbations in the hydrological cycle via drop in plant transpiration, Geology, 40, (9), 2012, p815-818
Haworth, M., Elliott-Kingston, C., Gallagher, A., Fitzgerald, A., and McElwain, J.C., Sulphur dioxide fumigation effects on stomatal density and index of non-resistant plants: Implications for the stomatal palaeo-[CO2] proxy method, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 182, 2012, p44--54
Haworth M, Elliott-Kingston C, McElwain JC., Stomatal control as a driver of plant evolution., Journal of experimental botany, 62, (8), 2011, p2419-2423
Haworth, M., Elliott-Kingston, C., and McElwain, J. C., The stomatal CO2 proxy does not saturate at high atmospheric CO2 concentrations: evidence from stomatal index responses of Araucariaceae conifers, Oecologia, 167, (1), 2011, p11--19
Haworth, M., Fitzgerald, A., and McElwain, J.C., Cycads show no stomatal-density and index response to elevated carbon dioxide and subambient oxygen, Aust. J. Bot., 59, (7), 2011, p630
McElwain, J.C., Willis, K.J., Niklas, K.J., Long-term fluctuations in atmospheric CO
STEINTHORSDOTTIR, M., BACON, K.L., POPA, M.E., BOCHNER, L., and McELWAIN J.C., Bennettitalean leaf cuticle fragments (here Anomozamites and Pterophyllum) can be used interchangeably in stomatal frequency-based palaeo-CO2 reconstructions, Palaeontology, 54, (4), 2011, p867--882
Haworth, M., Elliott-Kingston, C., McElwain, J.C., Stomatal control as a driver of plant evolution, Journal of Experimental Botany, 62, (8), 2011, p2419-2423
Mcelwain, J.C., Ferns: A xylem success story, New Phytologist, 192, (2), 2011, p307-310
Haworth, M., Elliott-Kingston, C., McElwain, J.C., The stomatal CO 2 proxy does not saturate at high atmospheric CO 2 concentrations: Evidence from stomatal index responses of Araucariaceae conifers, Oecologia, 167, (1), 2011, p11-19
Steinthorsdottir, M., Jeram, A.J., and McElwain, J.C., Extremely elevated CO2 concentrations at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 308, (3-4), 2011, p418--432
McElwain, J.C. , Ferns: a xylem success story, New Phytologist, 192, (2), 2011, p307--310
Steinthorsdottir, M., Bacon, K.L., Popa, M.E., Bochner, L., Mcelwain, J.C., Bennettitalean leaf cuticle fragments (here Anomozamites and Pterophyllum) can be used interchangeably in stomatal frequency-based palaeo-CO 2 reconstructions, Palaeontology, 54, (4), 2011, p867-882
Bacon, K.L., Belcher, C.M., Hesselbo, S.P., McElwain, J.C., The triassic-jurassic boundary carbon-isotope excursions expressed in taxonomically identified leaf cuticles, Palaios, 26, (8), 2011, p461-469
Belcher, C.M., Yearsley, J.M., Hadden, R.M., McElwain, J.C., Rein, G., Baseline intrinsic flammability of Earth's ecosystems estimated from paleoatmospheric oxygen over the past 350 million years, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107, (52), 2010, p22448-22453
Barclay, R.S., McElwain, J.C., and Sageman, B.B. , Carbon sequestration activated by a volcanic CO2 pulse during Ocean Anoxic Event 2, Nature Geosci, 3, (3), 2010, p205--208
Belcher CM, Yearsley JM, Hadden RM, McElwain JC, Rein G., Baseline intrinsic flammability of Earth's ecosystems estimated from paleoatmospheric oxygen over the past 350 million years., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107, (52), 2010, p22448-22453
Haworth, M., Gallagher, A., Elliott-Kingston, C., Raschi, A., Marandola, D., McElwain, J.C., Stomatal index responses of Agrostis canina to CO2 and sulphur dioxide: Implications for palaeo-[CO2] using the stomatal proxy, New Phytologist, 188, (3), 2010, p845-855
Mander L, KÃŒrschner WM, McElwain JC., An explanation for conflicting records of Triassic-Jurassic plant diversity., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107, (35), 2010, p15351-15356
Taylor CT, McElwain JC., Ancient atmospheres and the evolution of oxygen sensing via the hypoxia-inducible factor in metazoans., Physiology (Bethesda, Md.), 25, (5), 2010, p272-279
Taylor, C.T., McElwain, J.C., Ancient atmospheres and the evolution of oxygen sensing via the hypoxia-inducible factor in metazoans, Physiology, 25, (5), 2010, p272-279
Haworth M, Heath J, McElwain JC., Differences in the response sensitivity of stomatal index to atmospheric CO2 among four genera of Cupressaceae conifers., Annals of botany, 105, (3), 2010, p411-418
Haworth, M., Heath, J., McElwain, J.C., Differences in the response sensitivity of stomatal index to atmospheric CO2 among four genera of Cupressaceae conifers, Annals of Botany, 105, (3), 2010, p411-418
Belcher, C.M., Mander, L., Rein, G., Jervis, F.X., Haworth, M., Hesselbo, S.P., Glasspool, I.J., and McElwain, J.C. , Increased fire activity at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary in Greenland due to climate-driven floral change, Nature Geosci, 3, (6), 2010, p426--429
Haworth, M., Gallagher, A., Elliott-Kingston, C., Raschi, A., Marandola, D., and McElwain J.C., Stomatal index responses of Agrostis canina to CO2 and sulphur dioxide: implications for palaeo-[CO2] using the stomatal proxy, New Phytologist, 188, (3), 2010, p845--855
Barclay, R.S., McElwain, J.C., Sageman, B.B., Carbon sequestration activated by a volcanic CO 2 pulse during Ocean Anoxic Event 2, Nature Geoscience, 3, (3), 2010, p205-208
Mander, L., Kürschner, W.M., McElwain, J.C., An explanation for conflicting records of Triassic-Jurassic plant diversity, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107, (35), 2010, p15351-15356
McElwain, J.C., Wagner, P.J., Hesselbo, S.P., Indicate sudden loss of late triassic biodiversity in East Greenland, Science, 324, (5934), 2009, p1554-1556
Mihai E. Popa, Jennifer C. McElwain, Bipinnate Ptilozamites nilssonii from Jameson Land and new considerations on the genera Ptilozamites Nathorst 1878 and Ctenozamites Nathorst 1886, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 153, (3-4), 2009, p386--393
Haworth, M., McElwain, J.C., Reply to the comment on "Hot, dry, wet, cold or toxic? Revisiting the ecological significance of leaf cuticular micromorphology" by M. Haworth and J.C. McElwain [Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 262 (2008) 79-90], Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 273, (1-2), 2009, p209-211
Haworth, M., and McElwain, J.C., Reply to the comment on "Hot, dry, wet, cold or toxic? Revisiting the ecological significance of leaf cuticular micromorphology" by M. Haworth and J.C. McElwain [Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 262 (2008) 79-90], Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 273, (1-2), 2009, p209--211
McElwain JC, Wagner PJ, Hesselbo SP., Fossil plant relative abundances indicate sudden loss of Late Triassic biodiversity in East Greenland., Science (New York, N.Y.), 324, (5934), 2009, p1554-1556
Belcher, C.M., McElwain, J.C., Limits for combustion in low O2 redefine paleoatmospheric predictions for the Mesozoic (Science (1197)), Science, 322, (5899), 2008
Punyasena, S.W., Eshel, G., McElwain, J.C., The influence of climate on the spatial patterning of Neotropical plant families, Journal of Biogeography, 35, (1), 2008, p117-130
Belcher, C. M. and McElwain, J. C. , Limits for Combustion in Low O2 Redefine Paleoatmospheric Predictions for the Mesozoic, Science, 321, (5893), 2008, p1197--1200
Punyasena, S.W., Mayle, F.E., and McElwain, J.C., Quantitative estimates of glacial and Holocene temperature and precipitation change in lowland Amazonian Bolivia, Geol, 36, (8), 2008, p667
McElwain, J.C., 70 MILLION YEARS OF VEGETATION DYNAMICS, Diversity and Distributions, 6, (4), 2008, p205--206
Belcher, C.M., McElwain, J.C., Limits for combustion in low O2 redefine paleoatmospheric predictions for the mesozoic, Science, 321, (5893), 2008, p1197-1200
Royer, D.L., McElwain, J.C., Adams, J.M., and Wilf, P., Sensitivity of leaf size and shape to climate within Acer rubrum and Quercus kelloggii, New Phytologist, 179, (3), 2008, p808--817
Haworth, M., and McElwain, J.C., Hot, dry, wet, cold or toxic? Revisiting the ecological significance of leaf and cuticular micromorphology, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 262, (1-2), 2008, p79--90
Barclay, R., McElwain, J., Dilcher, D., Sageman, B., The cuticle database: Developing an interactive tool for taxonomic and paleoenvironmental study of the fossil cuticle record, CFS Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, (258), 2007, p39-55
McElwain, J.C., Popa, M.E., Hesselbo, S.P., Haworth, M., Surlyk, F., Macroecological responses of terrestrial vegetation to climatic and atmospheric change across the Triassic/Jurassic boundary in East Greenland, Paleobiology, 33, (4), 2007, p547--573
Surangi W. Punyasena, Gidon Eshel, Jennifer C. McElwain, The influence of climate on the spatial patterning of Neotropical plant families, J Biogeography, 0, (0), 2007, p070901070439001--???
Lenny L.R. Kouwenberg, Rebekah R. Hines, Jennifer C. McElwain, A new transfer technique to extract and process thin and fragmented fossil cuticle using polyester overlays, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 145, (3-4), 2007, p243--248
McElwain, J.C. and Punyasenal, S.W. , Mass extinction events and the plant fossil record, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 22, (10), 2007, p548--557
McElwain, J.C., Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide - Stomata, Palaeobiology II, 2007, p479-480
McElwain, J.C., Climate-independent paleoaltimetry using stomatal density in fossil leaves as a proxy for CO2 partial pressure: Reply, Geology, 33, (1), 2005
McElwain, J.C., Willis, K.J., and R. Lupia, Cretaceous CO2 Decline and the Radiation and Diversification of Angiosperms, A History of Atmospheric CO2 and Its Effects on Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems, 2005, p133--165
McElwain, J.C., Wade-Murphy, J., and Hesselbo, S.P. , Changes in carbon dioxide during an oceanic anoxic event linked to intrusion into Gondwana coals, Nature, 435, (7041), 2005, p479--482
Matthew Haworth, Stephen P. Hesselbo, Jennifer C. McElwain, Stuart A. Robinson, James W. Brunt, Mid-Cretaceous pCO2 based on stomata of the extinct conifer Pseudofrenelopsis (Cheirolepidiaceae), Geol, 33, (9), 2005, p749
Jennifer C. McElwain, Climate-independent paleoaltimetry using stomatal density in fossil leaves as a proxy for CO2 partial pressure, Geol, 32, (12), 2004, p1017
Stephen P. Hesselbo, Helen S. Morgans"Bell, Jennifer C. McElwain, P. McAllister Rees, Stuart A. Robinson, C. Elizabeth Ross, Carbon"Cycle Perturbation in the Middle Jurassic and Accompanying Changes in the Terrestrial Paleoenvironment, The Journal of Geology, 111, (3), 2003, p259--276
J.C. Mcelwain, Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide-stomata, Palaeobiology II, 2003, p479--480
Kouwenberg, L.L.R., McElwain, J.C., Kürschner, W.M., Wagner, F., Beerling, D.J., Mayle, F.E., Visscher, H., Stomatal frequency adjustment of four conifer species to historical changes in atmospheric CO2, American Journal of Botany, 90, (4), 2003, p610-619
Kouwenberg LL, McElwain JC, KÃŒrschner WM, Wagner F, Beerling DJ, Mayle FE, Visscher H., Stomatal frequency adjustment of four conifer species to historical changes in atmospheric CO2., American journal of botany, 90, (4), 2003, p610-619
Hesselbo, S.P., Morgans-Bell, H.S., McElwain, J.C., Rees, P.M., Robinson, S.A., Ross, C.E., Carbon-cycle perturbation in the Middle Jurassic and accompanying changes in the terrestrial paleoenvironment, Journal of Geology, 111, (3), 2003, p259-276
R. T. Pennington, Willis, K.J., McElwain, J.C. The evolution of plants, Annals of Botany, 90, (5), 2002, p678--679
J. C. MCELWAIN, Is the greenhouse theory a fallacy? A paleontological paradox, PALAIOS, 17, (5), 2002, p417--418
Mcelwain, J.C., Mayle, F.E., Beerling, D.J., Stomatal evidence for a decline in atmospheric CO2 concentration during the younger dryas stadial: A comparison with Antarctic ice core records, Journal of Quaternary Science, 17, (1), 2002, p21-29
McElwain, J.C., 70 million years of vegetation dynamics, Diversity and Distributions, 6, (4), 2000, p205-206
McElwain, J.C., Beerling, D.J., Woodward, F.I., Fossil plants and global warming at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, Science, 285, (5432), 1999, p1386-1390
J. C. McElwain, Fossil Plants and Global Warming at the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary, Science, 285, (5432), 1999, p1386--1390
Beerling, D.J., McElwain, J.C., Osborne, C.P., Stomatal responses of the 'living fossil' Ginkgo biloba L. to changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, Journal of Experimental Botany, 49, (326), 1998, p1603-1607
McElwain, J.C., Do fossil plants signal palaeoatmospheric CO 2 concentration in the geological past?, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 353, (1365), 1998, p83-96
Chaloner, W.G., McElwain, J., The fossil plant record and global climatic change, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 95, (1-4), 1997, p73-82
McElwain, J.C., Chaloner, W.G., The fossil cuticle as a skeletal record of environmental change, Palaios, 11, (4), 1996, p376-388
McElwain, J.C. and Chaloner, W.G. , The Fossil Cuticle as a Skeletal Record of Environmental Change, PALAIOS, 11, (4), 1996, p376
McElwain, J., Mitchell, F.J.G. and Jones, M.B., Relationship of stomatal density and index of Salix cinerea to atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations in the Holocene, The Holocene, 5, 1995, p216 - 219
McElwain, J.C., Chaloner, W.G., Stomatal Density and Index of Fossil Plants Track Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide in the Palaeozoic, Annals of Botany, 76, (4), 1995, p389-395
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
Jennifer McElwain, Marlene Hill-Donnelly and Ian Glasspool, Tropical Arctic; Lost Plants, Future Climates and the Discovery of Ancient Greenland, Chicago, Chicago University Press, 2022
Willis, K.J. and McElwain, J.C. , The Evolution of Plants, 2nd Edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2013, 1 - 400pp
Willis, K.J. and McElwain, J.C. , The Evolution of Plants, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2002, 1 - 400pp
McElwain, J.C. , 'Atmospheric CO2 - Stomata' In: Briggs D.E.G. and Crowther P.R (eds), 2001, -
McElwain, J.C. , 'Evolution of the Atmosphere' In: Singer R (eds), 2000, -
Research Expertise
Projects
- Title
- Irealnd's 5 Year Climate Assessment Report - Writer Support Award - Volume 1A
- Funding Agency
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Date From
- 01/01/2021
- Title
- Climate Change and Land Use in Ireland
- Funding Agency
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Date From
- 2018
- Date To
- 2021
- Title
- Future Mangroves: Effects of Climate Change on mangrove forests in semi-arid regionss
- Funding Agency
- Irish Research Council
- Date From
- 2018
- Date To
- 2020
- Title
- PlantSenseKit -Plants as sensors for standardization and calibration of controlled environment chambers (PI)
- Funding Agency
- ERC
- Date From
- 01/09/2017
- Title
- SFI Infrastructure -Integrated plant phenomics and future experimental climate platform (PI)
- Funding Agency
- SFI
- Date From
- 2016
- Date To
- 2017
- Title
- The 'CloudForest' Project -Investigating future plant responses to changes in atmospheric [CO2] and hurricane intensity (PI with Post Doc Fellowship, Dr. Sven Batke)
- Funding Agency
- IRC
- Date From
- 2016
- Date To
- 2018
- Title
- EAR1024737: Collaborative research-Earth Life Transitions - Integrated data-model analysis of CO2-climate-vegetation feedbacks in a dynamic icehouse (co PI)
- Funding Agency
- National Science Foundation, USA
- Date From
- 2015
- Date To
- 2018
- Title
- Predicting biome-level vegetation responses to future global change: Implications for future flood risk (PI)
- Funding Agency
- SFI
- Date From
- 2012
- Date To
- 2017
- Title
- Atmospheric Oxygen as a driver of Plant Evolution over the past 400 million years (PI)
- Funding Agency
- ERC FP7
- Date From
- 2012
- Date To
- 2017
- Title
- Can increased plant diversity in agronomic swards improve adaptation to drought? (co PI)
- Funding Agency
- Teagasc Walsh Fellowship
- Date From
- 2012
- Date To
- 2016
- Title
- Atmospheric Oxygen as a driver of Plant Evolution over the past 400 million years (PI)
- Funding Agency
- HEA PRTLI5
- Date From
- 2012
- Date To
- 2017
- Title
- Tropical Arctic: The Science and Art of Lost Landscapes (PI)
- Funding Agency
- UCD Seed Fund
- Date From
- 2009
- Date To
- 2011
- Title
- Atmospheric oxygen as a driver of plant evolution (PI)
- Funding Agency
- UCD Seed Fund
- Date From
- 2009
- Date To
- 2011
- Title
- Reconstructing ancient CO2 using relict conifer stomata (PI)
- Funding Agency
- SFI (RFP)
- Date From
- 2008
- Date To
- 2011
- Title
- Reconstructing CO2 and vegetation dynamics across the Cenomanian-Turonian OAE2 (Co-PI)
- Funding Agency
- National Science Foundation, USA
- Date From
- 2007
- Date To
- 2010
- Title
- Expedition to West Greenland. PI Stuart Robinson. (co-PI)
- Funding Agency
- National Geographic
- Date From
- 2007
- Date To
- 2009
- Title
- Evolution of stomatal function (PI)
- Funding Agency
- IRCSET
- Date From
- 2007
- Date To
- 2010
- Title
- Biodiversity dynamics at the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction event: A novel approach to studying
- Funding Agency
- Marie Curie Excellence (EU)
- Date From
- 2006
- Date To
- 2010
- Title
- TERRAFORM; The Evolution of Plant Functional Traits and How they Terraformed Earth
- Summary
- The ERC-funded TERRAFORM project will study how plants made our planet habitable over millions of years. Specifically, it will explore plant life and the evolution of plant characteristics or 'traits' over the past 300 million years and how these influenced large scale processes, such as the hydrological cycle and weathering. The project will bring together concepts and data sources from modern-day ecology, paleo-Earth weathering and decomposition experiments, climate modelling and high resolution analyses of fossil plants. It will quantify land plants' impact on the carbon, nutrient and hydrological cycles in deep time. The findings will help scientists better understand biosphere impacts on Earth today.
- Funding Agency
- European Research Council
- Date From
- 05/07/2021
- Date To
- 30/09/2026
Recognition
Awards and Honours
Royal Irish Academy Gold Medal in Environmental Science and Geoscience
Elected Professorial Fellow of Trinity College Dublin
President's Medal, Palaeontological Assocaition
Elected Member of the Royal Irish Academy
Ireland's Champion of EU Research Award 2012 awarded by President M.D. Higgins
Best Paper Award PALAIOS
Featured scientist in L'Oreal's International Women in Science
University of London Rita Madge Award for Academic Excellence
University of London Webb Scholarship Award
Trinity College Dublin, Senior Edge Prize
Memberships
Member of The Royal Irish Academy
Board Member, Mary Robinson Climate Justice Foundation Board of Directors