RAPID: Invasion of Geoengineering Earthworms in Alaska: Extents, Mechanisms, and Impacts

RAPID：地球工程蚯蚓对阿拉斯加的入侵：范围、机制和影响

• 批准号: 1937514
• 负责人: Kyungsoo Yoo
• 金额: $ 16.84万
• 依托单位: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-07-15 至 2022-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1937514&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Invasion; Geoengineering; Earthworms; Alaska

Almost all of Earth's northern biomes have evolved in the absence of earthworms since the last glacial maximum. This status quo is rapidly changing, however, due to advancing human disturbances and land use changes in the cold regions of the world. Invasive European earthworms are now beginning to appear at the edge of Alaskan permafrost. Among these invasive earthworms, geoengineering earthworms include species that physically disturb soil environments. Invasion of geoengineering earthworms is an irreversible process resulting in rapid deterioration of ecosystem functions including soil carbon and nutrient cycling and reduction of floral and faunal biodiversity. Early intervention is key, and it is urgent to establish the underlying scientific knowledge of earthworm invasion in Alaska. Here the principal investigator proposes to conduct rapid assessments of the distribution and primary introduction mechanisms of exotic earthworms across diverse ecoregions in Alaska. This research will also reveal the extents that the invasive earthworms, where present, disturb boreal and tundra soils in Alaska. By collaborating with Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Agricultural Extension Station of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and the University of Alaska Museum, the investigator will leverage this RAPID project as a way to facilitate agency-, public-, and policy-level actions to stop earthworm invasion in Alaska in its infancy - before it is too late to act.The vast boreal forests and tundra of Alaska are increasingly threatened by ongoing climate change. Global scale climate impacts on soil biogeochemistry can, however, be substantially accelerated by increasing introductions of exotic European geoengineering earthworms. The project goal is to (1) urgently prepare research community for this upcoming change and (2) facilitate early intervention to stop earthworm invasion in Alaska. The investigator seeks to test the following hypotheses: 1) human introduction (not climate conditions) primarily limits the current earthworm distribution in Alaska; 2) impacts of exotic geoengineering earthworms on Alaskan soils are more dramatic than those reported for the formerly glaciated temperate forests in the contiguous U.S.; 3) species composition of exotic geoengineering earthworms differs by human introduction mechanisms in Alaska; and 4) earthworms' ability to invade into boreal and tundra depend on their population compositions. To test the hypotheses, the investigator will examine earthworm populations and their impacts on soils at the interfaces between human-disturbed areas and the surrounding natural vegetation at field sites that reflect the major eco-regions and range of climate conditions including extents of permafrost in Alaska. This RAPID project will contribute to advancing science by newly highlighting the vulnerability of the Alaskan Arctic to the combination of both human land use changes and climate change. In addition to peer-reviewed publications, the investigator will publish a booklet that helps land managers and citizens to identify exotic geoengineering earthworms on their properties and assess their impacts on the natural vegetation and soils in Alaska. Collected earthworm specimens will be archived in the University of Alaska Museum, and specimen-specific information will be published online through the Museum's database for the broader scientific community and the public.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

自从上次冰川最大值以来，地球几乎所有的北部生物群都在没有earth的情况下进化。但是，由于改进了世界寒冷地区的人类干扰和土地利用变化，这种现状正在迅速改变。侵入性的欧洲earth现在开始出现在阿拉斯加永久冻土的边缘。在这些侵入性的earth中，地球工程earth包括物理干扰土壤环境的物种。地球工程earth的入侵是一个不可逆的过程，导致生态系统功能的快速恶化，包括土壤碳和养分循环以及花卉和动物动物生物多样性的减少。早期干预是关键，迫切需要在阿拉斯加建立worm侵袭的基本科学知识。在这里，主要研究者建议对阿拉斯加各种生态区域的外来earth的分布和主要引入机制进行快速评估。这项研究还将揭示出侵入性earth的范围，即在那里干扰阿拉斯加的北方土壤和苔原土。 By collaborating with Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Agricultural Extension Station of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and the University of Alaska Museum, the investigator will leverage this RAPID project as a way to facilitate agency-, public-, and policy-level actions to stop earthworm invasion in Alaska in its infancy - before it is too late to act.The vast boreal forests and tundra of Alaska are increasingly threatened by ongoing气候变化。但是，通过增加对异国情调的欧洲地球工程earth的介绍，可以大大加快全球气候对土壤生物地球化学的影响。项目目标是（1）迫切准备研究社区，以实现这一即将发生的变化，（2）促进早期干预以阻止阿拉斯加的worm侵袭。研究者试图检验以下假设：1）人类引入（不是气候条件）主要限制了阿拉斯加当前的earth分布； 2）外来地球工程earth对阿拉斯加土壤的影响比在美国相邻的温带森林中报道的那些对阿拉斯加土壤的影响更大。 3）异国情调的地球工程ext的物种组成因阿拉斯加的人类引入机制而异。 4）earth入侵北方和苔原的能力取决于其人口组成。为了检验假设，研究人员将检查worm种群及其对人扰动区域之间界面和周围自然植被之间的土壤的影响，以反映主要的生态区域和气候条件的范围，包括阿拉斯加的永久性范围。这个快速的项目将通过新的强调阿拉斯加北极对人类土地使用变化和气候变化的结合的脆弱性，从而有助于发展科学。除了经过同行评审的出版物外，调查人员还将出版一本小册子，该小册子帮助土地管理者和公民在其性质上识别出异国情调的地球工程earth，并评估其对阿拉斯加自然植被和土壤的影响。收集的earth标本将在阿拉斯加大学博物馆存档，特定于标本的信息将通过博物馆的数据库在线发布，用于更广泛的科学界和公众。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并已通过评估该基金会的知识分子优点和广泛的影响来审查Criteria，并通过评估进行了评估。