I am a plant ecophysiologist studying how plants respond to environmental stress and how these responses shape species interactions, community dynamics, and ecosystem resilience. My research focuses on the physiological and morphological traits that enable plants to persist in water-limited environments, and how variation in these traits influences species distributions and vegetation change under climate change. I explore these questions using a combination of experimental approaches, trait-based analyses, and climate-relevant modelling.

Current students

Abongile Sikhutshwa (MSc)

Deyuran Pillay (MSc)

Recent Publications: 2025 and 2026

• Singini E.J. (2026). Predicting plant extinction risk in a biodiversity hotspot: Environmental and anthropogenic drivers in the Western Cape, South Africa. Biodiversity and Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-025-03234-3
• Singini E.J., Eckert M., Drew D.M. (2026). Physiological and morphological responses of Eucalyptus to drought: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Forest, Ecology and Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123389
• Singini E.J., Archibald S, Osborne C.P., Ripley B.S. (2025). Savanna tree species show contrasting acclimation responses to elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration and drought. Journal of Functional Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.70201
• Singini E.J., Drew D.M. (2025). Asynchronous recovery of water relations and photosynthesis following natural rainfall pulses in Eucalyptus. Tree physiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpag016
• Singini E.J., Drew D.M., Dzikiti S. (2025). Stand density modulates drought sensitivity via physiological trait plasticity in co-occurring Eucalyptus species. Forestry: an international journal of forest research. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpaf086
• Singini E.J, Baso N.C. (2025). Land use change, invasive species, and climate change: Drivers of biodiversity decline across IUCN conservation categories. South African Journal of Botany. 180(730-739). https://doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2025.03.048.
• Singini E.J, McMillan B.M, Newete S.W, Witkowski E.T.F. (2025). Ecological drivers of Seriphium plumosum encroachment: Implications for management and conservation. South African Journal of Botany. 176(21-28). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2024.11.001.
• Telford E., Simpson K.J., Street L.E., Fletcher E., Carkeek R., Dixon R., Field K., Jones E., Singini E.J., Raubenheimer S.L., Ripley B.S., Osborne C.P., Lehmann, C.E.R. (2025). N₂-fixation is linked to the ability to encroach in African savanna trees. Functional Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.70237 

Last Modified: Thu, 05 Feb 2026 09:54:35 SAST