Ilaine Silveira Matos

Ilaine Silveira Matos

School of Biological Sciences

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

I am a plant eco-physiologist researching plant hydraulics and global change biology. My research seeks to advance the science of how native plant communities respond to increasing aridity. I also seek to increase awareness of the serious environmental and societal consequences of climate and land-use changes. My research combines observational and experimental fieldwork, greenhouse and laboratory experiments, functional trait assessment, process-based modeling, and outreach engagement with local communities, schools, and visitors of protected natural areas.

As a Latina woman, mother, and first-generation college student from a rural and underprivileged community in Brazil’s poorest region, I have experienced many of the social and institutional barriers that under-represented groups have to overcome to succeed in academia. I am committed to creating an inclusive, collaborative, and nurturing environment in every dimension of my work and guiding students along the challenging scientific path. Besides researching plants, I also love to paint them in my watercolors.

My research applies a multiscale ecophysiological approach, from the cell up to the biome level, to understand the mechanisms underlying plants’ resilience to droughts and other abiotic (e.g. heatwaves, fires) and biotic events (e.g. herbivory). I am particularly interested in investigating how plants respond when exposed to multiple and co-occurring stresses. This knownledge is critical for predicting the impacts of climate and land-use changes on terrestrial vegetation, and for the long-term conservation of our native plant species.  

You can read more about my research on my website.

As the lead of the Plant Ecophysiology research lab, I am currently recruiting students at all levels (undergraduate student summer scholarships, undergraduate honours, masters and PhD) to work on research projects on the following (or related) topics:

  • Interactive effects of drought and heat waves on the performance of Australian native vegetation;
  • Vulnerability of Eucalyptus and other threatened Australian tree species to climate change;
  • Ecophysiological strategies in desert species;
  • Plant resistance and resilience to herbivory and drought damages.

Please get in touch (email me at ilaine.matos@adelaide.edu.au) if you would like to discuss doing your Honours or PhD in our lab group.

My research usually involves: 

  • Climate and plant physiological data collection and analysis;
  • Laboratory, greenhouse, and fieldwork activities;
  • Mechanistic modeling;
  • Machine learning and image processing.

In addition to:

  • Outreach activities in public schools and protected areas;
  • Activities blending art and science.

  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2025 - ongoing Lecturer University of Adelaide
    2024 - 2025 Visiting researcher University of Adelaide
    2020 - 2024 Postoctoral Research Associate University of California, Berkeley
    2019 - 2020 Postdoctoral Research Associate Arizona State University
    2018 - 2018 Visiting researcher University of Oxford

  • Awards and Achievements
    Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
    2019 Award Best Ph.D. thesis of the Postgraduate Program in Ecology and Evolution State University of Rio de Janeiro Brazil -
    2011 Distinction Student Merit Medal (highest GPA) Federal University of Sergipe Brazil -

  • Language Competencies
    Language Competency
    English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
    Portuguese Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
    Spanish - Latin American Can read and understand spoken

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    2017 - 2011 Federal University of Sergipe Brazil Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology
    2015 - 2019 Rio de Janeiro State University Brazil Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Ecology and Evolution
    2012 - 2014 Research Institute of Rio de Janeiro Botanical Gardens Brazil Master of Science (MSc) in Botany

  • Research Interests
    Plant Biology & Botany Plant Physiology Terrestrial Ecology Global Change Biology Anatomy & Morphology Ecological Physiology Climatological hazards (e.g. extreme temperatures, drought and wildfires)

  • Journals
    Year Citation
    2025 Matos, I. S., Boakye, M., Antonio, M., Carlos, S., Chu, A., Duarte, M. A., . . . Blonder, B. W. (2025). Investigating the Functional and Architectural Diversity of Leaf Venation Networks. The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 106(1).
    DOI
    2024 Matos, I. S., Rifai, S. W., Gouveia, W. F., Oliveras, I., Mantuano, D., & Rosado, B. H. P. (2024). A causal trait model for explaining foliar water uptake capacity. Journal of Vegetation Science, 35(3), 13 pages.
    DOI
    2024 Matos, I. S., McDonough, S., Johnson, B. C., Kalantar, D., Rohde, J., Sahu, R., . . . Blonder, B. W. (2024). Negative allometry of leaf xylem conduit diameter and double-wall thickness: implications for implosion safety. New Phytologist, 242(6), 2464-2478.
    DOI Scopus2 Europe PMC1
    2024 Matos, I. S., Boakye, M., Niewiadomski, I., Antonio, M., Carlos, S., Johnson, B. C., . . . Blonder, B. W. (2024). Leaf venation network architecture coordinates functional trade-offs across vein spatial scales: evidence for multiple alternative designs. New Phytologist, 244(2), 407-425.
    DOI
    2024 Matos, I. S., Boakye, M., Antonio, M., Carlos, S., Chu, A., Duarte, M. A., . . . Blonder, B. (2024). Leaf architecture and functional traits for 122 species at the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley. Ecology, 105(12), 2 pages.
    DOI
    2023 Vandvik, V., Halbritter, A. H., Althuizen, I. H. J., Christiansen, C. T., Henn, J. J., Jónsdóttir, I. S., . . . Enquist, B. J. (2023). Plant traits and associated data from a warming experiment, a seabird colony, and along elevation in Svalbard.. Scientific data, 10(1), 578.
    DOI Europe PMC2
    2023 Matos, I. S., Rifai, S. W., & Rosado, B. H. P. (2023). 2015/16 El Niño increased water demand and pushed plants from a Mesic tropical montane grassland beyond their hydraulic safety limits. Austral Ecology, 49(1), 17 pages.
    DOI Scopus3
    2022 Matos, I. S., Binks, O., Eller, C. B., Zorger, B. B., Meir, P., Dawson, T. E., & Rosado, B. H. P. (2022). Revisiting plant hydrological niches: The importance of atmospheric resources for ground‐rooted plants. Journal of Ecology., 110(8), 1746-1756.
    DOI
    2021 Matos, I. S., Eller, C. B., Oliveras, I., Mantuano, D., & Rosado, B. H. P. (2021). Three eco‐physiological strategies of response to drought maintain the form and function of a tropical montane grassland. Journal of Ecology., 109(1), 327-341.
    DOI
    2021 Christmann, T., Rosado, B. H. P., Delhaye, G., Matos, I. S., Drummond, J. S., Roland, H. L., . . . Oliveras Menor, I. (2021). Functional assembly of tropical montane tree islands in the Atlantic Forest is shaped by stress tolerance, bamboo presence, and facilitation.. Ecology and evolution, 11(15), 10164-10177.
    DOI Europe PMC2
    2020 Blonder, B., Both, S., Jodra, M., Xu, H., Fricker, M., Matos, I. S., . . . Malhi, Y. (2020). Linking functional traits to multiscale statistics of leaf venation networks.. The New phytologist, 228(6), 1796-1810.
    DOI Europe PMC3
    2020 Eller, C. B., Rowland, L., Mencuccini, M., Rosas, T., Williams, K., Harper, A., . . . Cox, P. M. (2020). Stomatal optimization based on xylem hydraulics (SOX) improves land surface model simulation of vegetation responses to climate.. The New phytologist, 226(6), 1622-1637.
    DOI Europe PMC15
    2020 Matos, I. S., Flores, B. M., Hirota, M., & Rosado, B. H. P. (2020). Critical transitions in rainfall manipulation experiments on grasslands.. Ecology and evolution, 10(5), 2695-2704.
    DOI Europe PMC1
    2020 Matos, I. S., Menor, I. O., Rifai, S. W., & Rosado, B. H. P. (2020). Deciphering the stability of grassland productivity in response to rainfall manipulation experiments. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 29(3), 558-572.
    DOI Scopus32 WoS22
    2016 Rosado, B. H. P., Matos, I. S., & Amorim, T. D. A. (2016). A matter of scale and traits: a comment on ‘On the need for phylogenetic “corrections” in functional trait-based approaches’ by de Bello et al. (2015). Folia Geobotanica, 51(4), 383-387.
    DOI
    2016 Matos, I. S., & Rosado, B. H. P. (2016). Retain or repel? Droplet volume does matter when measuring leaf wetness traits. Annals of Botany, 117(6), 1045-1052.
    DOI
    2015 Landim, M. F., Proença, C. E. B., Sales, A. B., & Matos, I. S. (2015). Floristic characterization of an Atlantic Rainforest remnant in Southern Sergipe: Crasto forest. Biota Neotropica, 15(1).
    DOI
    - Matos, I. S., & Landim, M. F. (n.d.). Ecologia morfofuncional de plântulas de 15 espécies da Floresta Atlântica Sergipana. Scientia Plena, 12(9).
    DOI

  • Book Chapters
    Year Citation
    2013 Silveira Matos, I., & Silva Santos, L. A. (2013). Orchidaceae: Habenaria Willd. In A. P. do Nascimento Prata, M. D. C. Estanislau do Amaral, M. C. Vieira Faria, & M. V. Alves (Eds.), Flora de Sergipe (Vol. 1, 1 ed.). Gráfica e Editora Triunfo.
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