Distinguished Professor Tissue is an international expert on the effects of climate change on plants and ecosystems. His research pioneered current understanding of plant and ecosystem response to the main and interactive effects of elevated CO2, elevated temperature, heatwaves, variation in the timing and magnitude of rainfall, and soil water availability. His research underpins advancements in quantification of the processes that affect productivity, species composition and richness, carbon and water fluxes at the leaf, soil and ecosystem level, microbial community structure and function, and soil respiration.

More recently, he has investigated the physiological processes that lead to drought-induced mortality in woody plants, within an eco-climatic framework, considering plant adaptation and acclimation potential. He also investigates technological and biological processes in protected cropping that increase resource use efficiency (water, nutrients) and lower energy use, with the goal of increasing sustainability. These findings can provide growers and managers with tools to adapt to climate change.