Collaborative Research: The biology of lightning in tropical forests

合作研究：热带森林闪电生物学

• 批准号: 1354060
• 负责人: Stephen Yanoviak
• 金额: $ 9.45万
• 依托单位: University of Louisville Research Foundation Inc
• 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: 2014-07-01 至 2017-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1354060&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; biology; lightning; tropical

Lightning is an exceptionally powerful natural phenomenon; its destructive effects have been a source of fear and fascination for humans throughout history. Scientists have a relatively good understanding of the physics of lightning, but its ecological importance at the landscape scale - especially its role as an agent of tree death - remain unclear. Measuring the effects of lightning in tropical forests is important because lightning frequency is expected to increase by as much as 50% over the next few decades as the climate warms. Moreover, tropical forest structure is changing as lianas (woody vines) become more abundant. This research will provide the foundation for understanding how such changes will affect forest dynamics and ecosystem processes such as carbon cycling in the tropical rainforests of Panama. The field site in Panama is a popular tourist destination, thus the project provides a unique opportunity for participants to interact regularly with the public. Student training is an integral part of the project. Collaboration with the Kentucky Science Center will result in the production of a Podcast highlighting this research, and public discussions with project participants in a Science Café format. Ecologists consistently list lightning as a source of tropical tree mortality, yet supporting data are remarkably scant. This project will systematically quantify lightning effects on tropical trees and lianas on a forest-wide scale in real time. The work will integrate information from field ecology, physics, and plant electrophysiology to answer three basic questions: What is the extent of lightning-caused tree mortality across a lowland tropical forest landscape? Are some trees or tree species especially susceptible to, or resistant to, the damaging effects of lightning? Do lianas function as lightning rods, protecting their host trees against lightning damage? Field work will be conducted in Panama at one of the best-studied tropical forest sites in the world. The methodology includes the installation of automated electronic sensors for monitoring strike events over large expanses of forest canopy. This project will also deploy an experimental lightning induction device - the Balloon Originating Lightning Trigger - to experimentally manipulate strike events to trees and lianas on isolated islands. Results of this work will fundamentally transform our understanding of tropical forest dynamics by quantifying lightning effects across the landscape and uncovering key interactions between lightning, lianas, and trees. In a practical context, this project will also reveal potentially confounding effects of communications towers and canopy cranes on tree mortality rates. This proposal is co-funded by the Division of Environmental Biology and the Physics of Living Systems program in the Physics Division.

闪电是一种非常强大的自然现象。它的破坏性影响一直是整个历史上人类的恐惧和迷恋的根源。科学家对闪电物理学有相对良好的了解，但是它在景观量表上的生态重要性 - 尤其是其作为树木死亡的作用 - 尚不清楚。测量热带森林中闪电的影响很重要，因为在接下来的几十年中，闪电频率预计将随着攀登温暖而增加50％。此外，随着Lianas（Woody Vines）变得更加丰富，热带森林结构正在发生变化。这项研究将为理解这种变化如何影响森林动态和生态系统过程，例如巴拿马热带雨林中的碳循环。巴拿马的现场网站是一个受欢迎的旅游目的地，因此该项目为参与者定期与公众互动提供了独特的机会。学生培训是该项目不可或缺的一部分。与肯塔基州科学中心的合作将导致生产播客，重点介绍这项研究，并以科学咖啡厅形式与项目参与者进行公众讨论。生态学家始终将闪电列为热带树死亡率的来源，但支持数据的含义非常少。该项目将在森林范围内实时系统地量化对热带树和Lianas的闪电影响。这项工作将整合来自现场生态，物理学和植物电生理学的信息，以回答三个基本问题：在低地热带森林景观中，引起雷电的树死亡率的程度是多少？某些树木或树种特别容易受到闪电的损害影响吗？ Lianas是否充当避雷针，保护其宿主树免受闪电造成的伤害？现场工作将在巴拿马在世界上最良好的热带森林遗址之一进行。该方法包括安装自动电子传感器，以监视大量森林冠层扩展的罢工事件。该项目还将部署一种实验性的闪电感电设备 - 起源于闪电的气球 - 在孤立的岛屿上对树木和叶的实验操纵事件。这项工作的结果将从根本上通过量化整个景观的闪电效应并发现闪电，叶和树木之间的关键相互作用，从根本上改变了我们对热带森林动态的理解。在实际情况下，该项目还将揭示通信塔和树冠起重机对树木死亡率的潜在混淆影响。该提案由环境生物学和物理学部门的物理学系联合资助。