Collaborative Research: Fern Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Stoichiometry

合作研究：蕨类生物地球化学和生态系统化学计量

• 批准号: 0516491
• 负责人: Peter Vitousek
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Stanford University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-09-01 至 2009-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0516491&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Fern; Biogeochemistry; Ecosystem

Ferns are abundant components of many ecosystems, and they differ substantially in chemistry from the plants with which they occur. These contrasts are particularly strong in the climbing ferns and tree ferns; these ancient lineages contain remarkably low concentrations of Ca and may support a different set of organic compounds. Many Hawaiian rainforests are co-dominated by a tree and a basal fern, and the fern in these systems can contribute 50% of aboveground net primary production and N and P cycling. The proposed research will apply a combination of observations, experiments, and modeling to understand the dynamics of Ca and other elements, and of recalcitrant organic compounds, in these relatively simple systems. Single-cell x-ray microanalysis will be used to determine differences in chemistry between trees and ferns on the one hand, and fungi and bacteria on the other, and organic compounds will be analyzed via pyrolysis GC-MS and synchrotron FTIR, along the decay continuum from litter to soil organic matter. This proposed research will integrate information and approaches from phylogeny, biochemistry, ecology, and organic geochemistry to determine how differences between ferns and trees affect the decomposer community and the decomposition process. The understanding of fundamental processes gained in this model system will broaden our understanding of terrestrial ecosystems. It will also link education to basic research by incorporating students at levels from high school to Ph.D. into the research. Some of these students will be Native Hawaiians, through our interactions with Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaii - Hilo Hawaiian Internship Program. In addition, the research will build scientific capacity by applying several modern analytical techniques to ecological questions.

蕨类植物是许多生态系统的丰富组成部分，它们在化学方面与发生的植物有很大差异。这些对比在攀爬蕨类植物和树蕨尤其强烈。这些古老的谱系包含浓度低的Ca，并可能支持不同的有机化合物。许多夏威夷雨林是由一棵树和基础蕨类植物共同主导的，这些系统中的蕨类植物可以贡献地上净初级生产以及N和P循环的50％。拟议的研究将在这些相对简单的系统中采用观测，实验和建模的组合来了解CA和其他元素的动力学以及顽固有机化合物的动力学。单细胞X射线微分析将一方面用于确定树木和蕨类植物之间化学之间的差异，另一方面将使用真菌和细菌，并沿着从裂解到土壤有机物的衰减，通过热解GC-MS和同步ftir来分析有机化合物。这项提出的研究将整合系统发育，生物化学，生态学和有机地球化学的信息和方法，以确定蕨类植物和树木之间的差异如何影响分解群落和分解过程。对本模型系统中获得的基本过程的理解将扩大我们对陆地生态系统的理解。它还将教育与基础研究联系起来，通过纳入从高中到博士学位的水平的学生。进入研究。通过我们与卡梅哈梅哈学校和夏威夷大学 - 希洛夏威夷实习计划的互动，其中一些学生将是夏威夷人。此外，该研究将通过将几种现代分析技术应用于生态问题来增强科学能力。