Crop domestication and diversification
Shan, Y., Gómez Fernández, A., Evers, J., Freckleton, R.P., Jones, G.E.M., Milla, R., Osborne, C.P. (2026) Evolution of competitiveness during wheat domestication. Current Biology, 36, 1329-1338. link
Romero, A.J., Kolesnikova, A., Ezard, T.H.G., Charles, M., Gutaker, R.M., Osborne, C.P., Chapman, M.A. (2025) “Domesticability”: were some species predisposed for domestication? Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 40, 356-363. link
Milla, R., Osborne, C.P. (2021) Crop origins explain variation in global agricultural relevance. Nature Plants, 7, 598-607. link
Jones, G., Kluyver, T., Preece, C., Swarbrick, J., Forster, E., Wallace, M., Charles, M., Rees, M., Osborne, C.P. (2021) The origins of agriculture: intentions and consequences. Journal of Archaeological Science, 125, 105290. link
Shan, Y., Osborne, C.P. (2024) Diversification of quantitative morphological traits in wheat. Annals of Botany, 133, 413-426. link + commentary
C4 photosynthesis in the model species Alloteropsis semialata
Zhou, Y., Dunning, L.T., Liu, H., Osborne, C.P. (2026) Leaf anatomical modifications for C4 photosynthesis are associated with improved hydraulic conductance and capacitance in Alloteropsis semialata. New Phytologist, 250, 3687–3700. link
Zhou, Y., Osborne, C.P. (2024) Stomatal dynamics in Alloteropsis semialata arise from the evolving interplay between photosynthetic physiology, stomatal size and biochemistry. Plant, Cell and Environment, 47, 4586-4598. link
Alenazi, A.S., Pereira, L., Christin, P.A., Osborne, C.P., Dunning, L.T. (2024) Identifying genomic regions associated with C4 photosynthetic activity and leaf anatomy in Alloteropsis semialata. New Phytologist, 243, 1698-1710. link
Alenazi, A.S., Bianconi, M.E., Middlemiss, E., Milenkovic, V., Curran, E.V., Sotelo, G., Lundgren, M.R., Nyirenda, F., Pereira, L., Christin, P.-A., Dunning, L.T., Osborne, C.P. (2023) Leaf anatomy explains the strength of C4 activity within the grass species Alloteropsis semialata. Plant, Cell and Environment, 46, 2310-2322. link
Pereira, L., Bianconi, M.E., Osborne, C.P., Christin, P.-A., Dunning, L.T. (2023) Alloteropsis semialata as a study system for C4 evolution in grasses. Annals of Botany, 132, 365-382. link
C4 grass diversification
Baird, A.S., Taylor, S.H., Pasquet-Kok, J., Vuong, C., Zhang, Y., Watcharamongkol, T., Cochard, H., Scoffoni, C., Edwards, E.J., Osborne, C.P., Sack, L. (2024) Resolving the contrasting leaf hydraulic adaptation of C3 and C4 grasses. New Phytologist, 245, 1924-1939. link
Baird, A.S., Taylor, S.H., Reddi, S., Pasquet-Kok, J., Vuong, C., Zhang, Y., Watcharamongkol, T., John G.P., Scoffoni, C., Osborne, C.P., Sack, L. (2024) Allometries of leaf and tissue anatomy and photosynthetic rate across leaves of C3 and C4 grasses. Plant, Cell and Environment, 47, 156-173. link
Baird, A.S., Taylor, S.H., Pasquet-Kok, J., Vuong, C., Zhang, Y., Watcharamongkol, T., Scoffoni, C., Edwards, E.J., Christin, P.-A., Osborne, C.P., Sack, L. (2021) Developmental basis for climatic distribution of grass leaf size worldwide. Nature, 592, 242-247. link
Savanna ecosystem ecology
Simpson, K.J., Staver, A.C., King, J.A., Bond, W.J., Botha, J., Coetsee, C., Pellegrini, A.F.A., Raubenheimer, S.L., Ripley, B.S., Val Martin, M., Osborne, C.P. (2026) Increasing CO2 fertilises C4 grass production. Nature, online early. link and briefing
Raubenheimer, S.L., Simpson, K.J., Ripley, B.S., Osborne, C.P., Reich, P.B. (2026) Interspecific competition negates CO2 benefits for most plant species. Nature Plants, 12, 1434–1441. link
Telford, E.M., Simpson, K.J., Street, L.E., Fletcher, E., Carteek, R., Dixon, R., Field, K.J., Jones, E., Singini, E., Raubenheimer, S., Ripley, B.S., Osborne, C.P., Lehmann, C.E.R. (2026) N₂-fixation is linked to the ability to encroach in African savanna trees. Functional Ecology, 40, 517-533. link
Singini, E.J., Archibald, S., Osborne, C.P., Ripley, B.S. (2025) Seedlings of encroaching and non-encroaching savanna tree species show contrasting acclimation responses to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration and drought. Functional Ecology, 39, 3778-3789. link
Simpson, K.J., Archibald, S., Osborne, C.P. (2022) Savanna fire regimes depend on grass trait diversity. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 37, 749-758. link