DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Carbon allocation strategies in understory native and invasive woody plants

论文研究：林下原生和入侵木本植物的碳分配策略

• 批准号: 1601418
• 负责人: Jason Fridley
• 金额: $ 1.21万
• 依托单位: Syracuse University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-06-01 至 2018-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1601418&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Carbon; allocation; strategies

One of the largest management concerns in natural forests of the Eastern U.S. is the invasion of ornamental shrubs from Europe and Asia. These plants outcompete native species for resources, reducing plant species diversity and altering the cycling of forest nutrients. This project will explore differences in energy use between native and invasive shrub species to advance our understanding of when and why exotic plants will exclude native plants. Research findings will help forest managers make decisions that will best protect U.S. forests in the face of environmental change. The project will support the research and training of a doctoral student, expanding the student's experimental and analytical skills. Undergraduate students from underrepresented groups will participate in hands-on research; through this engagement, the research will foster a new generation of critically thinking young scientists. This project characterizes carbon allocation patterns in native and invasive woody plants growing in deciduous forest understories. It will evaluate the relationship between growth rates and carbon storage allocation, and how allocation to defense mediates this relationship. Researchers will test the general hypothesis that invasive plants allocate more carbon toward growth at the expense of storage allocation in order to outcompete native plants for resources. Storage compounds, in the form of starches and simple sugars, are critical for recovery from tissue damage and protection from frost events. Preliminary data show that invasive species have higher growth rates and produce more leaves in response to leaf removal, but it is unknown whether this comes at a loss of storage compounds that promote survival. An insect feeding experiment on a range of native and invasive species' leaves will be carried out to assess allocation to physical and chemical defenses, and a freezing experiment will elucidate the relationship between stem starch and sugar concentrations in different species and their ability to tolerate cold temperatures. These activities will test the hypothesis that invasive species possess lower carbon storage and defense allocation than native species, and that this difference leads to lower survival in response to leaf removal and freezing events, and lower resistance to herbivore feeding.

美国东部天然林中最大的管理层关注点之一是入侵欧洲和亚洲的观赏灌木。 这些植物胜过资源的本地物种，减少了植物的物种多样性并改变了森林养分的循环。 该项目将探索天然和侵入性灌木种之间的能源使用差异，以促进我们对何时以及为什么外来植物排除本地植物的理解。研究发现将帮助森林经理做出决定，以面对环境变化，最能保护美国森林。 该项目将支持博士生的研究和培训，从而扩大学生的实验和分析技能。来自代表性不足小组的本科生将参加动手研究；通过这项参与，研究将促进新一代彻底思考的年轻科学家。 该项目的特征是在落叶森林层植物中生长的天然和侵入性木本植物中的碳分配模式。 它将评估增长率和碳存储分配之间的关系，以及对国防的分配如何介导这种关系。 研究人员将检验一个普遍的假设，即侵入性植物以牺牲存储分配为代价，以占领本地植物以获得资源，以牺牲储存分配为代价。 以淀粉和简单糖的形式储存化合物对于从组织损伤和防腐事件的保护中恢复至关重要。 初步数据表明，入侵物种具有较高的生长速率，并响应叶片去除而产生更多的叶子，但是尚不清楚这是否导致促进生存的储存化合物丧失。 将进行一系列天然和入侵物种叶片的昆虫进食实验，以评估分配给物理和化学防御，冻结实验将阐明不同物种中茎淀粉与糖浓度之间的关系及其耐受性温度的能力。 这些活动将检验以下假设：入侵物种比本地物种具有较低的碳储存和防御分配，并且这种差异会导致响应清除叶片和冻结事件的生存率较低，并且对食草动物喂养的耐药性较低。