Making water potential measurements in the Fullerton Arboretum.
My current research focuses on 1) the presence and composition of lipids in plants and their role in water transport, and 2) methods for measuring plant hydraulic conductance in situ.
I conduct xylem sap and lipid extractions and use a variety of approaches in microscopy. I collect data in the field, greenhouse, and lab using many different ecophysiological techniques to better understand how plants function in their environments.
I'm involved in many other projects going on in the lab (see rivertothesky.net), and I mentor several undergraduates in student research.
Dissertation Research
Heading up the Klipspringer trail in De Hoop Nature Reserve to measure photosynthetic rates of pelargoniums.
My PhD research focused on two areas: seasonal photosynthetic performance and water stress ecophysiology.
One of my research goals was to identify mechanisms underlying species' photosynthetic performance. I used functional leaf traits and environmental traits to predict species' shifts in leaf-level photosynthesis over the growing season.
My other area of research was investigating the drivers of diverse ecophysiological adaptations to water stress. I examined how leaf traits and evolutionary history link to differences in stomatal behavior during dry-down.
Publications
Mocko, K., C. Chong, C.S. Jones. Under review. Seasonal shifts in photosynthetic performance of co-occurring congeners: what are the relative roles of traits, phylogeny, and climate? Ecological Monographs.
Frye, H.A., K. Mocko, T.E. Moore, C.D. Schlichting, C.S. Jones. Under review. Leaf margins in a deciduous lineage from the Greater Cape Floristic Region track climate in unexpected directions. American Journal of Botany.
Moore, T.E., C.D. Schlichting, M. Aiello-Lammens, K. Mocko, C.S. Jones. 2018. Divergent trait and environment relationships among parallel radiations in Pelargonium (Geraniaceae): a role for evolutionary legacy? New Phytologist 219: 794-807.
Mocko, K., A.B. Nicotra, C.S. Jones. 2018. Extent of solar tracking differs between two co-occurring congeneric geophytes that differ in leaf shape. International Journal of Plant Sciences 179: 162-173.
Mitchell, N., T.E. Moore, H.K. Mollmann, J.E. Carlson, K. Mocko, H. Martinez-Cabrera, C. Adams, J.A. Silander Jr., C.S. Jones, C.D. Schlichting, K.E. Holsinger. 2015. Functional Traits in Parallel Evolutionary Radiations and Trait-Environment Associations in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. The American Naturalist 185: 525-537.
Jones, C.S., H.I. Martinez-Cabrera, A.B. Nicotra, K. Mocko, E.M. Marais, C.D. Schlichting. 2013. Phylogenetic influences on leaf trait integration in Pelargonium (Geraniaceae): convergence, divergence, and historical adaptation to a rapidly changing climate. American Journal of Botany 100: 1306-1321.