Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2006

2006财年少数族裔博士后研究奖学金

• 批准号: 0610453
• 负责人: Erika Marin-Spiotta
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Marin-Spiotta Erika
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-07-01 至 2009-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0610453&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Minority; Postdoctoral; Research; Fellowship; FY2006

This project is awarded under the Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and Supporting Activities Program for 2006. The patchy distribution of vegetation across a landscape may result from the non-uniform allocation of limited resources, such as water and soil nutrients, as well as the effect of a disturbance, such as selective pressure from predators, competitors, or fire. The complex feedbacks between the physical and biotic environments need to be considered when developing management plans for conservation and restoration in heterogeneous ecosystems. I propose to examine the biotic and abiotic controls on the availability of an important plant nutrient in semi-arid South African savannas at Kruger National Park, to improve our understanding of soil-plant interactions and how they respond to fire and grazing. I will focus on silicon (Si), which is used as a plant-defense mechanism, and thus expected to be important in ecosystems dominated by herbivores. Silicon is also involved in enhancing plant growth and improves plants' ability to survive in nutrient poor soils or in the presence of toxic elements. My research will contribute to our understanding of the factors shaping heterogeneous distribution of vegetation which determines wildlife habitat at Kruger. The cycle of Si is linked to the carbon cycle, and to global climate, through the process of soil mineral weathering and Si's contribution to marine primary productivity. Very little is known about the role of grasslands in the global Si cycle. The application of isotope geochemistry to ecosystem ecology is revolutionizing our understanding of the processes that shape ecosystem structure and function. I am interested in the interactions between plants and their environment, especially soils, the atmosphere, and hydrology. Through my proposed post-doctoral research, I will gain training in new isotope techniques and geochemical methods that will allow me to better understand processes and underlying mechanisms controlling biogeochemical cycling. I expect to develop collaborations at my post-doctoral host institution, U.C. Santa Barbara (UCSB) under the mentorship of Dr. Oliver Chadwick, and in South Africa. I will join a small number of biogeochemists establishing new research programs with local scientists in Africa. I will also have the opportunity to participate in the training of the next generation of indigenous scientists and natural resource managers in a post-apartheid South Africa, by mentoring a graduate student from the University of the Witwatersrand. This opportunity will build upon my past mentoring experiences at U.C. Berkeley, and contribute to my preparation as a teacher and student advisor. I will build upon my past studies in Political Science to get students to think about the social and political context of scientific research and environmental management.

该项目是根据2006年的少数族裔博士后研究奖学金和支持活动计划授予的。跨景观的植被分布可能是由于有限资源的不均匀分配而导致的，例如水和土壤养分，以及扰乱的效果，例如捕食者，竞争者，竞争者或开火的选择性压力。 在制定管理生态系统的保护和恢复计划时，需要考虑物理和生物环境之间的复杂反馈。 我建议检查有关克鲁格国家公园半干旱南非稀树草原中重要的植物营养物的生物和非生物控制，以提高我们对土壤植物相互作用的理解及其对火灾和放牧的反应。 我将专注于用作植物防御机制的硅（SI），因此预计在以食草动物为主的生态系统中很重要。 硅还参与增强植物生长，并提高植物在营养贫困土壤中或存在有毒元素的能力。 我的研究将有助于我们理解塑造植被的异质分布的因素，这决定了克鲁格的野生动植物栖息地。 SI的周期与碳循环和全球气候有关，通过土壤矿物风化和SI对海洋初级生产力的贡献。 关于草原在全球SI周期中的作用知之甚少。同位素地球化学对生态系统生态学的应用正在彻底改变我们对塑造生态系统结构和功能的过程的理解。 我对植物及其环境之间的相互作用感兴趣，尤其是土壤，大气和水文学。 通过我提出的博士后研究，我将获得新的同位素技术和地球化学方法的培训，这些方法将使我能够更好地了解控制生物地球化学循环的过程和基本机制。 我希望在我的美国大学后的主机机构开展合作。在奥利弗·查德威克（Oliver Chadwick）博士和南非的指导下，圣塔芭芭拉（UCSB）。 我将加入少数生物地球化学家与非洲当地科学家建立新的研究计划。 我还将有机会通过指导来自威特沃特斯兰大学的一名研究生，参与培训下一代土著科学家和自然资源经理。 这个机会将基于我过去在U.C.伯克利，并为我作为老师和学生顾问做准备。 我将基于我过去在政治学的研究中，以使学生思考科学研究和环境管理的社会和政治背景。