Collaborative Research: Linking the chemical structure of black carbon to its biological degradation and transport dynamics in a northern temperate forest soil

合作研究：将黑碳的化学结构与其在北温带森林土壤中的生物降解和运输动态联系起来

• 批准号: 1127250
• 负责人: Knute Nadelhoffer
• 金额: $ 37.2万
• 依托单位: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-10-01 至 2017-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1127250&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Linking; chemical; structure

Fire is a major controller of carbon (C) cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, by converting plant biomass to atmospheric CO2 and by contributing incompletely combusted biomass or "black carbon" (BC) to soils. The scientific understanding of the short- and long-term fates of BC in terrestrial ecosystems is incomplete, and a critical knowledge gap exists in our understanding of the fate of BC in the environment. BC, may significantly affect soil C stocks and rates of CO2 exchange of forests with the atmosphere. Through integrated field and laboratory studies, this research will improve understanding of fundamental biological, chemical and physical controls on BC degradation and transport processes in a northern forest soil. This research will link the charring temperature of BC materials to their chemical and physical structures and their resulting decay rates, activity of the main decomposers, enzyme activities, transport dynamics, and stabilization mechanisms in soil. The proposed experimental approach will use stable isotope-enriched (13C and 15N) BC materials produced over a range of temperatures (200 to 600ºC) and its precursor wood of jack pine, a fire-prone and abundant tree species in eastern North America, to elucidate the structures of BC materials and track the multiple fates of these materials when added to soil. This approach will permit a direct assessment of the biological turnover in soil using advanced molecular and spectroscopic techniques. This work will provide the first look at the roles of specific groups of microorganisms and soil fauna involved in the decomposition and movement of BC and wood in soils. To test the effects of plant species on BC chemical and physical structures, highly 13C- and 15N-enriched BC from red maple will be compared with the jack pine. Resulting data and knowledge will contribute to ongoing efforts to predict terrestrial C cycling, and will inform ecosystem and climate modelers and also land use managers.Most existing climate models predict that temperate and boreal forests will experience greater fire frequency under a warmer future climate, thereby increasing BC (black carbon) contributions to soils. In addition, substantial BC (or "biochar") production is expected from the energy industry. This research will characterize the key biological, chemical and physical controls on BC and wood degradation processes in soils, thereby substantially increasing our understanding of the mechanisms involved in C stabilization and sequestration in fire-prone forests. This will provide information needed to improve ecosystem and global C cycling models and their uses in characterizing forest soil C sinks in present and future climates. This research will inform a broad scientific, educational, land manager and agency community interested in ecosystem function, productivity and sustainability. In addition, the project will include involvement of a science teacher from a New York City minority-serving high school and the NY GLOBE Metro program to integrate applied environmental ecosystem science and geosciences into the high school biology and earth science curricula. Purdue University, in collaboration with Leech Lake Tribal College (LLTC), will integrate this research into an ethnobiology curriculum focusing on both modern principles of chemistry and Native American utilization of BC. The University of Michigan Biological Station and City University of New York will each train a postdoctoral researcher within the scope of this project and will use the field study as a resource for on-site university courses, its site-based undergraduate and graduate student research programs, and its science outreach.

火是陆地生态系统中碳 (C) 循环的主要控制者，通过将植物生物质转化为大气中的二氧化碳，并将不完全燃烧的生物质或“黑碳”(BC) 贡献给土壤。对短期和长期的科学认识。碳黑在陆地生态系统中的命运是不完整的，我们对碳黑在环境中的命运的理解存在着关键的知识差距，可能会显着影响土壤碳储量和森林的二氧化碳交换率。通过综合实地和实验室研究，这项研究将提高对北部森林土壤中黑炭降解和运输过程的基本生物、化学和物理控制的了解。这项研究将把黑炭材料的炭化温度与其化学和物理联系起来。所提出的实验方法将使用在一定温度范围内生产的稳定同位素富集（13C 和 15N）BC 材料。 （200 至 600°C）及其前身短叶松木材（北美东部的一种易燃且丰富的树种），可阐明 BC 材料的结构并跟踪这些材料添加到土壤中后的多种命运。使用先进的分子和光谱技术对土壤中的生物周转进行直接评估这项工作将首次研究特定微生物群和土壤动物群在BC和木材分解和运动中的作用。为了测试植物物种对 BC 化学和物理结构的影响，我们将把红枫中富含 13C 和 15N 的 BC 与短叶松进行比较，所得数据和知识将有助于预测陆地碳循环的持续努力。并将为生态系统和气候建模者以及土地利用管理者提供信息。大多数现有气候模型预测，在未来气候变暖的情况下，温带和北方森林将经历更高的火灾频率，从而增加黑碳（BC）对土壤的贡献。此外，能源行业预计将产生大量的BC（或“生物炭”）。这项研究将描述土壤中BC和木材降解过程的关键生物、化学和物理控制，从而大大增加我们对相关机制的理解。易发生火灾的森林中的碳稳定和封存将提供改善生态系统和全球碳循环模型及其在描述当前和未来气候下森林土壤碳汇特征所需的信息。以及对生态系统感兴趣的机构社区此外，该项目还将邀请纽约市一所少数族裔高中的科学教师和 NY GLOBE Metro 项目参与，将应用环境生态系统科学和地球科学纳入高中生物学和地球科学。普渡大学与利奇湖部落学院 (LLTC) 合作，将把这项研究纳入民族生物学课程，重点关注现代化学原理和美国原住民对 BC 的利用。将每人训练一个该项目范围内的博士后研究员，并将利用实地研究作为现场大学课程、基于现场的本科生和研究生研究项目以及科学推广的资源。