Dr Karen Bacon
- Job title: Lecturer
- Email: K.Bacon@leeds.ac.uk
- Telephone: +44 (0) 113 34 33371
- Faculty: Faculty of Earth and Environment
- School: School of Geography
- Location: Room 10.30 Garstang
- Areas of expertise: plant ecology; plant palaeoecology; palaeo-proxies; climate change; taphonomy; mass extinctions; plant-atmosphere interactions; invasive species
- Faculty profile link: https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/geography/staff/996/dr-karen-bacon
My research spans palaeobotany to present day plant ecology and incorporates elements of plant biology, geology and geochemistry. I am interested in how plants respond to changes in atmospheric composition and how these responses can be tracked in the fossil record. I work on developing plant-based proxies for interpreting changes in atmospheric composition and on tracking plant responses to changing environmental conditions. I also investigate plant responses to mass extinction events, in particular the Triassic–Jurassic boundary (201 million years ago). I am currently investigating the effects of atmospheric composition, temperature and light quality on leaf physiognomy, functioning and development.