Control of Boreal Forest Soil Decomposition Processes by Plant Secondary Compounds

植物次生化合物对北方森林土壤分解过程的控制

• 批准号: 1257424
• 负责人: Mary Leigh
• 金额: $ 69.3万
• 依托单位: University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1257424&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Control; Boreal; Forest; Soil; Decomposition

Plants produce a vast and variable array of secondary chemicals that are not essential for basic metabolism, yet play important roles in defense, competition, and reproduction. Considerably less is known about the role of secondary plant metabolites in ecosystem processes like carbon cycling and the breakdown of environmental pollutants. Phenolics, flavonoids, and tannins can inhibit the decomposition of plant matter. Some of these same compounds have been shown to enhance the microbial degradation of aromatic contaminants in soil. Interestingly, boreal forest trees in Alaska possess remarkably high concentrations of secondary compounds. The boreal forest is also a critical component of the global carbon budget, housing nearly one third of the World's vegetation carbon and soil carbon. This study will make use of long-term study boreal forest sites in Alaska and Finland, including some petroleum-contaminated field plots, to test the hypothesis that certain plant secondary chemicals inhibit plant litter decomposition, while at the same time promoting pollutant degradation by microorganisms. Comprehensive analyses of plant secondary chemistry, litter decomposition, and contaminant degradation will be integrated with cutting-edge molecular approaches for characterizing microbial community composition and function in soils associated with an array of different boreal forest trees.This study will generate valuable information about the chemical interactions between plants and microbes and the ramifications for ecosystem processes and global carbon cycling. New insights into plant-chemical-microbial interactions that promote organic contaminant degradation will also provide insight into the resilience of boreal forest soils to organic contaminants, and may lead to affordable methods for mitigating contamination in remote, cold regions using native plants. Opportunities for advanced research training will be provided to Alaska Native high school students as well as undergraduate and graduate students and a postdoctoral researcher. The public will be engaged with the themes and findings of this project through novel arts events resulting from collaborative interactions between artists and scientists.

植物会产生巨大而可变的二级化学物质，这些化学物质对于基本代谢而言并不是必需的，但在防御，竞争和繁殖中起着重要作用。关于二级植物代谢产物在碳循环和环境污染物分解等生态系统过程中的作用的了解要少得多。酚类，类黄酮和单宁可以抑制植物物质的分解。 这些相同化合物中的一些已显示可增强土壤中芳族污染物的微生物降解。有趣的是，阿拉斯加的北方林木具有高度高的二级化合物。北方森林也是全球碳预算的关键组成部分，占世界植被碳和土壤碳的近三分之一。这项研究将利用阿拉斯加和芬兰的长期研究北方森林地点，包括一些石油污染的现场图，以检验以下假设：某些植物二次化学物质会抑制植物垃圾分解，同时促进微生物的污染物降解。对植物二级化学，垃圾分解和污染物降解的全面分析将与最先进的分子方法集成，以表征与不同的北方林木阵列相关的微生物群落组成和功能。此研究将产生有关植物和Microbes和Microbication和Microbication of Ecos and carbon Cycece and carbon and Carbon and carbon and carbon and cycy and carbon and Carecte and Carbon Cycece and Carboun Cycece and Carecy and Carece andccy and carbon cyccy and carbon Carece。对促进有机污染物降解的植物化学微生物相互作用的新见解还将提供对北方森林土壤对有机污染物的弹性的见解，并可能导致负担得起的方法，用于减轻使用本机植物偏远，冷区域中偏远地区的污染物。将提供高级研究培训的机会，向阿拉斯加本地高中生以及本科生和研究生以及博士后研究员提供。公众将通过艺术家与科学家之间的合作互动引起的新型艺术活动来参与该项目的主题和发现。