Linking Spatial Variation of Below-Ground Faunal Assemblages with the Structure of Herbaceous Vegetation

将地下动物群落的空间变化与草本植被的结构联系起来

• 批准号: 9707461
• 负责人: David Coleman
• 金额: $ 9万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1997
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1997-08-15 至 2000-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9707461&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Linking; Spatial; Variation; Below; Ground

ABSTRACT 97-07461 Heneghan Linking spatial variation of below-ground faunal assemblages with the structure of herbaceous vegetation Research on the ability of plant roots to forage for soil nutrients has shown that dominant plants forage widely and ignore small 'hotspots' of high nutrient availability; rarer plants forage locally and can locate these hotspots. Arthropods living in terrestrial detritus are not uniformly distributed. Their feeding (primarily on the microbes involved in the decomposition of detritus) results in the liberation of essential nutrients into the soil where growing plants capture them. Thus the heterogenously distributed arthropods create a highly variable mosaic of nutrient availability. Combining our knowledge of plants' foraging strategies with insights into the faunal genesis of nutrient hotspots in the soil the investigators hypothesize that soil faunal activity contributes to the maintenance of high plant diversity. This idea will be tested in custom built "mini-landscapes" into which soil animals will be introduced and nutrients and plant diversity will be subsequently monitored.

摘要 97-07461 Heneghan 将地下动物群落的空间变化与草本植被的结构联系起来 对植物根部获取土壤养分的能力的研究表明，优势植物广泛觅食，而忽略了高养分利用率的小“热点”；较稀有的植物在当地觅食并可以找到这些热点。生活在陆地碎屑中的节肢动物分布不均匀。它们的摄食（主要以参与碎屑分解的微生物为食）导致必需的营养物质释放到土壤中，生长的植物捕获它们。 因此，异质分布的节肢动物创造了营养可用性的高度可变的马赛克。将我们对植物觅食策略的了解与对土壤营养热点动物起源的了解相结合，研究人员假设土壤动物活动有助于维持较高的植物多样性。这一想法将在定制的“迷你景观”中进行测试，其中将引入土壤动物，随后将监测养分和植物多样性。